282 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAIiDENER. 



[ October 0, 1863, 



full ; but discretion must be used so as not to give too much 

 space, or empty comb -will be the only result. 



No. 11. A Stewarton Octagon. — Common bees. A swarm 

 from No. 5 on July 4th. Had nearly filled its box (14 inches 

 by 10 deep) with comb and sealed honey by the 17th of the 

 montb. Is quite heavy. 



No. 12. Common Straw Hive. — A swarm from No. 6 on 

 July I Ith. Very large, more than filling the butt. A hole cut 

 in the top, and a small super with a little comb put on. In six 

 days the hive had reached a considerable weight. The super 

 has been removed with a few pounds of honey, mostly unsealed. 



No. 13. Frame-hive. — Ligurian-hybridieed queen. Early in 

 the summer some broodcombs were removed. The remainder 

 with bees were shifted into a bar-hive and given away to a 

 friend. Present state unknown. 



No. 14. Frame-hive. — Ligurian. Artificial swarm of last year. 

 In March was found to be rather weak, with little food, a smaU 

 number of eggs, but no brood ; quite dry, but suffering from 

 dysentery. Some combs of brood with the bees clustering 

 therein were given from Nos. 13 and 20. Bees imited without 

 the least fighting, and from that time this hive went ahead. 

 On the 23rd of April it was carried out to my country apiary 

 three miles oflF by my man under his arm. On the 30th of May 

 the hive appeared full of honey wherever the comb was visible. 

 An octagon super was given, and on the 25th of June a second 

 was slipped under the first, which appeared nearly full. On the 

 6th of July a third super was put on the top of the whole tier of 

 boxes, this last being partially filled with empty combs. Nett 

 weight of honey taken was over .50 lbs. 



No. 16. Frame-hive. — Common bees. An artificial stock made 

 on the 29th of August. Having driven out the bees from two 

 stocks belonging to Mr. Veitch, the well-known horticulturist of 

 the Exeter Nurseries, I fitted up a ten-frame-box with combs, of 

 which strong stocks had already been deprived. The bees were 

 knocked out on the top of the bars and quickly descended. A 

 little fighting ensued ; but their differences were very soon con- 

 cluded, and this bids fair to be as good a stock as any in my 

 possession. 



No. 16. Frame-hive. — Hybridised Ligurian. Bees of poor 

 colour. In March was moderately strong with brood and food ; 

 quite dry. Destroyed the queen and added the bees and brood 

 to No. 22. 



No. 17. Frame-hive. — Common bees. Though not fed during 

 the previous v^retched summer, this hive in March was fotmd to 

 be nearly full of sealed honey, except where breeding was going 

 on ; and it soon became the strongest hive in my whole apiary. 

 Great things were expected from it, and supers were early 

 supplied. The bees utterly refused to work, and a magnificent 

 swarm was lost. A second swarm was secured and united to 

 No. 2 as before mentioned. About 15 lbs. of honey have been 

 removed in surplus side frames. 



No. 19. Framj:-hive. — Ligiuian. Artificial swarm of last year. 

 In March not very strong ; a little brood and food ; dry. This 

 hive gradually increased in strength. An artificial swarm (No. 1 

 as before mentioned) was made on June 1st. The prosperity of 

 this hive was, in consequence, checked ; and it has afforded 

 nothing except broodcomb for another artificial swarm. 



No. 20. Frame-hive. — Ligurian, hybridised. In March very 

 populous, with plenty of brood and honey. A large super was 

 put on in which the bees worked well. On examination on the 

 15th of June a great deal of brood was found in the super. This 

 was removed and given to artificial swarm No. 1 . A stop was 

 put to all work in the super, and eventuaUy a fine swarm issued 

 and was lost. About 15 lbs. of honey taken in the super and 

 from side frames. 



No. 21. Frame-hiee. — Artificially raised Ligtirian queen 

 from best brood of last year. Breeder of quite dark bees. In 

 March was very strong, with large quantity of brood ; very 

 damp. May 24th, super put on, to which the bees did not take 

 very weU, only making a little comb. On the 20th of June the 

 super was removed, and the frames with the bees transferred 

 into a mammoth-box capable of holding eighteen frames. The 

 bees worked and bred through the greater part of this immense 

 hive, and have been excessively populous. About 25 lbs. of 

 honey have been removed in surplus side frames. It is evident 

 that hives of such dimensions are unprofitable. Notwithstanding 

 its large size a stock in the same box last summer, after working 

 sixteen combs, nearly all of which were more or less bred in, 

 threw out a large swarm. 



No. 22. — Originally in a frame-hive. Ligurian hybridised, 

 artificially raised last year. In March was weak with but 

 little brood or honey. The bees and brood of No. C were added. 



On the 10th of May the bars were removed from the frames and 

 the combs fitted into a set of octagonal boxes, which were hung 

 suspended to a "Salter's" scale, the weights being registered 

 from day to day. I will not now give the results of the register, 

 but defer for a future opportunity. Honey taken, 10 lbs. 



No. 23. Frame-hive. — Ligurian. Artificial swarm late ia 

 1862. In March not strong, but having a large quantity of 

 brood with pretty much sealed honey, or rather artificial food. 

 Quite dry. This was shifted into an experimental hive, and has 

 not turned out very satisfactory. Only a very small quantity of 

 honey taken. The bees and combs have lately been shifted into 

 a proper-sized frame-hive, and with manifest advantage. A fine 

 artificial swarm was made on the 29th of July, forming No. 25. 



No. 24. Frame-hive. — Hybridised Ligurian. A splendid yellow 

 queen — breeder of dark bees. In March very poptilous, immense 

 quantity of brood, and a great deal of honey sealed. Not par- 

 ticularly damp ; but a dreadful mortaUty from dysentery, which 

 continued many weeks. The great breeding powers of the queen 

 seemed to keep up the population, notwithstanding the ground 

 being daily covered with dead bees. There was also constant 

 fighting goiug on. On the 24th of May I resolved to break up 

 this fine stock. Bees and some brood given to No. 6. Rest of 

 brood to other hives. The queen was sent away to a gentleman 

 who reqtiired one for a queenless stock. 



No. 25. Fram£-hive. — Ligurian. Artificial swarm commenced 

 on the 27th of July. An unimpregnated Ligurian queen, rather 

 dark, having been given to me by Mr. Woodbury, I proceeded 

 to raise a nucleus by removing a broodcomb, having only young 

 bees about emerging from their cells. The queen was secured 

 in a perforated zinc box, and the nucleus brought within doors 

 and kept tied up for two days. On the 29th No. 23 was removed 

 from its place, and a very fine swarm of bees entered the nucleus. 

 The queen was liberated on the 31st, and was all right two days 

 afterwards. Inspected again on the 10th of August. No queen 

 nor eggs to be found. Gave a suitable broodcomb from No. 10, 

 original Ligurian queen, and three royal cells were in due time 

 made and sealed. On the 20th Mr. Woodbury having made the 

 singular discovery of two queens being at liberty at once within 

 the same hive, presented me with the young one. She was a 

 very fine queen as to size, and seemed by no means despicable 

 as to colour, and I prized her accordingly. As the nucleus had 

 been for a long time without a queen, I resolved to rim the risk 

 of introducing her at once among the bees. Having daubed her 

 wings with a little honey in accordance with Mr. Woodbury's 

 suggestions, she was let out among the bees on the broodcomb, 

 and was at once densely surrounded by them. Being now called 

 away I was obliged to leave her, though fearing an unfortu- 

 nate result to the experiment, as the bees appeared to be hostile 

 towards her. The next day I had the satisfaction of finding her 

 alive and very active — so much so, that she took flight from the 

 comb in my hand, and made her way back among the other 

 combs. She had already torn out the occupants of the royal 

 cells. 



To-day (September the 7th) I have again inspected the hive. 

 A large space of one of the combs is fiUed with brood and eggs. 

 The queen is a superb one, both as to colour and size — by far 

 the best in my possession. It still remains to be seen whether 

 her progeny be true, an event devoutly wished for by — S. Bevan 

 Fox, Exeter. 



INTEENAL MOISTUKE— CONSUMPTION OP 

 FOOD IN UNITED HIVES. 



I AM feeding all my hives, and wish to know how it is that 

 those which contain comb and honey accumulate scarcely 

 any moisture on the glass of the feeder ; whereas the hives 

 which contain only bees from cottagers' driven hives (several 

 joined together), and such comb as they have made in three 

 weeks gather so much moisture on the glass of the feeder 

 that it requires constantly drying. If this moisture run 

 into the food will it injure the bees ? and shotild I keep a 

 glass on these hives during the winter ? Some are wood, 

 some straw, all are doing well ; but I cannot persuade the 

 cottagers to save their bees and add them to their other 

 hives. They thiiik they will eat so much more honey 

 during the winter. — A. B. 



[The deprived bees either are or have been building combs, 

 which raises the temperature of the interior of their hives 

 very much, and this increase of temperature, in obedience to 

 a well-known law, causes the condensation of an unusual 

 amount of moisture on the glass. Its presence in their food 



