2m 



JOTTBWAIi OP horticulture: AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ September 22, 1863. 



seemed to be oveiiam witli (li-ones. Whenever the bees are 

 seen issuing out of their hives, collaring the drones or riding 

 on their backs, there is no harm in assisting the bees. This 

 being the case in the hive of mine aDiided to in Jnly last, 

 I killed more than thi-ee hnndi-ed with my own hand, the 

 bees destroyed about one hundi'ed more. A drone-breeding 

 queen is a disadvantage to a hive, particularly in a late 

 season like the jwesent, as I have before mentioned. 



HoNETDEW. — Your correspondent " B. & W." seems to 

 doubt the existence of honeydew during the month of July 

 last. It commenced about the -ith and lasted until the 

 14th. It may be right to mention that the trees affording 

 this exudation were mostly the oak, the beech, and the Hme, 

 besides varioiis shrubs, particularly laurels and cun-ant trees. 

 It seldom takes place except in di-y hot weather, and not 

 only ai-e the hive bees busy on this sweet exudation, for the 

 Bombyx ten-estris and B. lucoiiim, and one other species of 

 these wild bees are very busy on it too ; and during the 

 tune it lasts, which is generally a very short period, the 

 finest flowers are deserted and intense activity exists. There 

 was honeydew in 1850, duiing the intense heat in July of 

 that year, for a few days. The honeydew generally happens 

 once in evei-y four or five yeai-s, but sometimes not for seven 

 years. Prom the yeaa- 1837 until 1842 I observed no honey- 

 dew ; but in the splendid summer of 1842 I was then attracted 

 iu the middle of June by the louder humming of the wild 

 bees among the young oaks and beech trees where no 

 flowers or blossoms existed, and on examination I found the 

 leaves of these trees covered with moisture quite sweet to 

 the taste. 



Stttpefaction of Bees by Pungus. — I never heard of 

 any good being done by this process, as in general one-third 

 of the bees ai-e rendered incapable of working again, and the 

 remainder lose their esprit dn corps. If all apiarians had the 

 perseverance of Mi\ Woodbiuy. driving would be the best 

 mode of operating when wanted. Mr. Cotton, whose pretty 

 little book I have, stands up for the puff-ball fungus in most 

 of his experiments, and denounces the inhumanity of killing 

 bees, when, strange to say, a little farther on, talking of 

 very weak swai-ms in the autiimn and what to domth them, 

 he says emphatically, " Feed them with a brimstone-match." 

 The " Hampshire Bee-keepee " seems to have been more 

 fortunate in his experiments than many of his "congeners" 

 in fumigation. The county of Hants, take it altogether, is 

 one of the best bee counties in England, and his bees ought 

 to prosper well, p.ai-ticularly if he is within half a mile of 

 heather. 



Since writing the above observations I have read the 

 remarks of the "Hampshike Bee-keepee" on honeydew, 

 and they agree with mine, except that it is only in very 

 peculiar seasons that honeydew appears so late as the month 

 of August — once in fifteen or perhaps twenty years — and I 

 have never noted much honey-gathering after the second 

 week in July, except in 1848 and 1863 — both rare exceptions. 

 Indeed, in the present year there was more honey gathered 

 in the first three weeks of July than I ever observed in this 

 locality before at the same late period. 



I shall conclude my remai-ks by observing that the sum- 

 mer of 1863 has been better tlian I ever expected, and I 

 have never observed the honey-gathering and breeding con- 

 tinue so late in tliis locality as in the present season. — 

 H. W. Newman, Hillside, Cheltenham. 



APIAEIAN NOTES. 



My Apiakv. — A long time has elapsed since I had the pleasure 

 of sending any communication on the subject of "bees" for 

 insertion in the pages of this Jom-nal. To continued ill health 

 during the spring and early part of the summer my silence must 

 be chiefly attributed ; but I must confess, that seeing from week 

 to week that tliere was no lack of correspondence, or of useful 

 and interesting papers on this subject, has made me feel le.ss 

 solicitous on the score of my own deficiency. But while my 

 pen has been idle the bees have not, and their master has had 

 plenty of work to do in managing and du-ecting their labours to 

 advantage. 



Having .successfully carried every one of my stocks through 

 tbe winter, I foimd myself the possessor of nineteen stocks in 

 Mai-ch. In consequence of my Ligurianising efforts of last 

 summer, and the great drain upon the population and resources 



of the various colonies necessai-y in artificial queen-rearing, and 

 substitution of Ligurian for common queens, together with the 

 wretched season we experienced, the majority of my hives were 

 remarkable for weakness rather than strength. Thanks to liberal 

 supplies of artificial food in the previous autumn I found on 

 inspection of the interiors of all my stocks in March, more or 

 less sealed comb in everj- one. Some were very damp from 

 internal moisture, but seemed httle or nothing the worse for it ; 

 and these, on the whole, have proved to be my best and most 

 prosperous colonies. From the ten-frame-hives I had in autumn 

 removed a frame on either side, which I think is attended with 

 much advantage both to the combs and the bees. These were 

 wrapped in paper and replaced in the spring. Among the worst 

 colonies in my whole apiary were the only two in straw hives, 

 and these have done little for me the whole summer. These are 

 old stocks, and probably have seen their best days. Two of the 

 weaker lots in frame-boxes were united together, and with mani- 

 fest advantage. In some the population was very scanty ; hut 

 owing to the enormous breeding puwers of their queens — pos- 

 sessing more or less of piure Ligurian blood — they ultimately 

 became immensely strong, though not able to take full advan- 

 tage of our first honey harvest in May. Notwithstanding that 

 supers were supplied suificiently early, several of my hives in- 

 sisted on swarming ; and what is more unfortunate, many swarms 

 fi-om some of my best hives were entirely lost. This is one of 

 the consequences of keeping apiaries away from under the imme- 

 diate personal care and supervision of the owner. Not a swarm 

 was lost from the one consisting of seven hives attached to my 

 own residence ; but the bees in the two detached apiaries could 

 not be always watched, and the loss of many fine swarms was 

 the consequence. What renders this the more vexing is, that at 

 the head of one of these fly-away swarms was a queen which 

 bred the best-coloured Ligruians I had, and from which I fondly 

 hoped to have raised some first-rate Ligmian mothers. 



On looking over my note-hook I find a few entries which may 

 interest my apiarian ft-iends. It will be best to give an epitome 

 of my various stocks and what they have done. As a rule I have 

 endeavoured to prevent all natural swarming, in spite of which 

 I have hiid and have lost more swarms from hives se treated 

 than has ever been my experience before. 



No. 1. Frame-hive. — Artificial Ligiman swarm made on the 

 1st of June by removing one broodcomh with the queen, bees, 

 and brood. ,Tune 15th strengthened by four frames of comb 

 with honey and brood from No. 20. At this time a very pro- 

 mising stock. No honey has been taken. 



No. 2. Octagon Stewai-ton, — Has not thriven all the siunmer, 

 althoi!gh a fine second swarm from No. 17 was added. I have 

 feared that it is the ^^ctim of foul brood, but have not had time 

 to exiimine it, being kept at a distance. Shall break it up at 

 once if my suspicions prove correct. 



No. 3. Fcame-hh-e, — A fine Ligurian stock in the spring, but 

 has not come up to anticipations. No swarm. About 22 lbs. of 

 lioney iu supers taken. 



No. i. — Old stock in flat-topped straw hive, very weak and 

 light in the spring. Uncei'tain as to whether a swarm flew away 

 from it or not. Gave a nice glass of honey, 20 lbs. weight. 



No. ■'). Frame-hive. — ^A nice stock (common) in spring— a 

 super put on in proper time — woiUd not work therein, but 

 chose to swarm. Pirst swarm very good and saved. Second, 

 believed to have been lost. No honey taken. 



No. 6. Frame-hive. — Ligmian. Excessively wet internally 

 when examined in March, populous, and great quantities of 

 brood. Further strengthened by all the bees and some of the 

 brood of adjoining hive No. 24 being united to it. A super put 

 on and partially filled. An enormous swarm, which was saved, 

 issued on .July 11th. Honey taken, about 10 lbs. 



No. 7. Adjv.ster-hive. — Common bees. In March extremely 

 light, very dirty and wet. Hai-dly expected to save it ; hut it 

 worked vigorously. Adjusting-super put on early ; a very long 

 time before the bees woiild construct combs, but have done well 

 since the middle of June. About 35 lbs. of exquisite honey taken. 

 The stock is heavy at the present time. — S. Bev.\n Fox, Exeter. 

 ( To be continued.) 



OITE LETTEE BOX. 



CARuirit PicBONs AT Wakefield POULTRY Sbow.— Mr. J. Frith "Who 

 was awarded the second prize, lives at *' Dewsbnrj," and aot at Halifax, 



Rj:d MiTrs ON Canaries {W. Adilerhii).— Fi\\ evejy crack thoroughly 

 with linseed oil, and dust fiowers of .•sulphur among the feathers of the birdi*' 

 Frequently and thotcughiy cleaning out the cage i^ the best preventive of 

 the pest. 



