36 



JODBSAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ July 11, 1867. 



bees came back again and pitched all over the hive and hackle 

 of B. My brother then tried to brush them into an empty 

 hive, but without Buccess, aa they crept into the hive (B). Did 

 you ever hear of a similar occurrence ? 



On Thursday nifiht, June 20th, we stopped the bees in by 

 means of the usual perforated zinc slides, and moved them, 

 after erecting a shed (we used hackles before) ; we then replaced 

 them in their former position. I then r«ised the slides. Tlie 

 bees in A and C seemed to be very little excited, whilst those in 

 B rushed out all over the place. Ne.\t morning we found a great 

 many dead, and for the next three days the bees continued to 

 bring out dead, of which about half were drones, I should think 

 about two thousand altogether. Do you think that they have 

 killed the swarm that went into their hive, or can you account 

 for it in any other way ? 



Daring the past week there has been a ."strange fatality 

 amongst my bees. A great many bees are running about very 

 wildly on the ground round the hive, and the only peculiarity 

 that I see about some of them is that there are two yellow 

 spots on the upper part of the first segment of the abdomen. 

 —J. R. W., Ba'h. 



[We have not ourselves met with a similar instance, but we 

 believe the occurrence is not very unusual. It is not likely 

 that the entire swarm was destroyed, although there was 

 evidently a sharp light. We often see single bees running 

 about in the manner you describe, and always consider them 

 as having been disabled in some way.] 



TIME OF QUEEN BEES BREEDING. 



Can you inform me the number of days elapsing from the 

 time of a Liguriau queen's release from the cell to the time of 

 her capability for breeding, and how much time will elapse 

 before she commences to deposit her eggs in the cells? Like- 

 wise, is there any difference between the Ligurian queens 

 and the black English queens in these two particulars ? — L. A. 



[The period varies considerably. We consider fourteen days 

 the average time which elapses from the hatching out of a 

 queen to the commencement of egg-laying, but we have known 

 a queen impregnated on the seventh day, and two queens which 

 were hatched in our own apiary this seasen on the 30th of May, 

 were impregnated on the tenth day, and, consequently, laid eggs 

 on the twelfth or thirteenth day ; from two to three days elapsing 

 after fecundation before oviposition takes place. On the other 

 band, during a very favourable season, we have in one instance. 

 found egg-laying delayed until the thirty-first day. Tht^e 

 periods refer only to what are called "artificial" queens. 

 When stocks swanu naturally, the young queens are, at any 

 rate, very often capable of flight when they first issue from 

 their cells, and in this case fecundation takes place earlier. 

 There is no difference in these respects between Itali.in and 

 common queens.] 



DOES A SCARCITY OF HONEY IN THE 

 SPRING INDUCE SWARMING? 



I HAVE been led to ask this question of the readers of The 

 JouENAL OF Horticulture, in order to draw out the experience 

 of some apiarians on the matter. 



In past years I have sometimes felt inclined to smile, on 

 hearing persons say that they could not induce their bees to 

 take possession of supers. As a rule, I had always succeeded 

 in this, and also in preventing swarms, by keeping the super 

 with guide comb warm, and the stock cool. This year I have 

 been at fault. In early spring I had two Ligurian stocks in 

 Woodbury hives. They both promised well, and I determined 

 to prevent swarming, and have honey instead. 



Snpers were put on each hive on the ISth of May, and pro- 

 gress was watched daily. The iiOth of May gave me a swarm, 

 weighing 5* lbs., from one hive ; and on the 11th of June the 

 • other hive swarmed. In this case the queen was unable to fly, 

 BO that the bees returned to the hive, but came off again with a 

 second and third swarm. I may say here that the piping and 

 second swarming in each case took place at an earlier date than 

 is usual, and that I economised my queen cells as much as 

 possible for artificial swarms. In the first hive I saw not fewer 

 than ten queen cells. 



Now, why did not the bees in these hives take to the supers ? 

 Those in the latter hive seemed to do so for some time, but 

 they made very little comb, and I am now pretty well con- 

 vinced that they merely occupied the super instead of crowding 



and hanging outside, as we often see them do in common 

 hives. If I am not becoming tiresome, I shall venture my 

 own opinion, in order to be put right if I am wrong, as well as 

 to draw out other opinions. 



I am inclined to think that a scarcity of honey was the cause. 

 For the 15th of June I find the following note in my Journal — 

 " Weather dull and indifferent ; no bee season yet." If there 

 bad been plenty of honey the bees would have formed comb, 

 and stored the honey. As it was, they were obliged to be idle. 

 Not so the busy and prolific queens, the cells were filled with 

 brood, the bees rapidly increased in number, and swarms were 

 the natural result. 



I must biing this communication to a close for the present, 

 but there are some other points to which I should like to draw 

 attention, if space can be allowed. — Clericus, Cumberland. 



[We shall be glad to hear from you again. — Eds.] 



CONSEQUENCES OF SELLING FOUL BROOD. 



On the ISth of June I received a stock of Liguriaus from 

 Messrs. Neighbour & Sous, of Regent Street, and when I 

 placed it in my bee-house i found from the smell emitted that 

 it was suffering from foul brood. 



Will you inform me whether travelling for six or seven hours 

 in a well-ventUated Woodbury hive little more than half filled 

 with combs, and not half filled with bees, could produce viru- 

 lent foul brood ? 



lu the spring of 18GG I ieoeiv?d my first stock of Ligurians 

 from Messrs. Neighbour & Sons, and with it came this terrible 

 disease which has destroyed six stocks of bees. — A Mabiyk to 

 Foul Bkood. 



[Foul brood could not possibly have been spontaneously 

 developed in a healthy colony under such circumstances. The 

 stock must have been diseased before it left Messrs Neighbours' 

 apiary.] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Food for Ducklings {F. M.). — Ducklings may be fed on oatmeal, 

 some grcavts, ciu'd, choi ped onioa topa. As they grow older, discontinue 

 these une by one, until you have reduced them to plain oatmeal, and then 

 pl:iin oats. 



Sickle Feathers of HAMEUitGii Cock Notched {Poultry Fancier). — 



Asa rule any dibtingnishiiig mark in the plumage uf a bird sent for ex- 



uibitiou is a disqufilihcatiou. The imirks in the tail would be ao, if there 



' were cluse compctitiuu, or if the birdb had to be carefully scanned. They 



I "vsould under any circumstances disqualify a Silvtr-spangled cock. They 



■.vould be detrimental to Golden and Silver-pencilled. 



Gulden-pencilled HABiBcitGH Pdllets {H.B. C.j. — You are quite right 

 I to sut your eggs on the gruuud. It is a cause of success. In Pencilled 

 : Hamburgbs there are many spots that show in the tirst chicken feathers 

 that never bhow afterwaius ; at all times and ages, we prefer the clear 

 hackles, but you must recollect the penciJLing that is objectionable in the 

 hackle is essential to the body. We therelore advise you to select the 

 pullets that are most alike to adults in plumage, hearing in mind that a 

 lew spots on the hackle may be tolerated or overlooked, but a lack of 

 pencilling on the body is fiital to success. The pullets should not be 

 pencilled on the hacklo. 



Green Food for Fowls (ii.). — We give watercress, endive, and lettuce 

 freely to our fowls. There is no occasion to mix it with other food, they 

 are lond of it. Rue is an old poultry medicine, but we do not believe in 

 or use it. 



Poultry ix Very Limited Space {H. B. £.).— We know only two 

 breeds that would do well in the space you mention— 15 feet by 14. They 

 are the Spanish and the Houdau. They are non-sitters. It would be 

 useless to set eggs in the space you mention, as it would be impossible 

 to rear the chickens. Being suiTounded by a wuU so high as you mention, 

 it will, we fear, keep off the sun. Can you not contrive to let some ofthe 

 rays and warmth full on the poultry '} You will find tho best green food 

 you can give will be grass cut in large sods in a gi-owing state. The 

 fowls will eat it all and scatter the mould in search of insects, deodorising 

 and purifyiug the whole run. You will not, perhap;, believe us when we 

 say tiiat hens and chickens do no harm in a garden. We heUeve they 

 often do good provided the hen is kept up. 



Caponising (Pattlin). — We know of no work on this cruel and needless 

 practice. Richardson's "Domestic Fowl" has a chapter on the subject. 



Parrot Plucking Itself [A Subscriber). — Do not let the bird have 

 any animal food, but plenty of ripe fruit, and a tepid bath once or twice 

 daily. If the bird will not bathe in a dish tilled with tepid water, pour it 

 ovei the bird through the rose of a watering-pot. 



Rose Water (A. B. J.). — To make it from rose leaves, distillation is 

 required. 



Mites in Bird Cages {G. Co/r).— We have no doubt that filling the 

 crevices with colza oil as you recommend, would be as efficacious as 

 linseed oil, which is usually employed, and then flowers of sulphxu: dusted 

 on to the oil. 



French Polish (HoiweictV'c).— Shelloc. 1^ oz. ; niastich, half oz. ; san- 

 diirue. half oz. ; reclihed sprits of wine, 20 ozs. Mix them, and keep in a 

 gentle heat, frequently sbiiking the buttle until all the resins aredisaolved. 

 Apply very little to the furniture, and rub hard until the polish is estab- 

 lished. Of horehound beer we know nothing. The fowls to keep in a 

 coniiued space are mentioned in an answer to another correspondent to 

 djiy. 



insects in Preserves (S. L.).— The insects are mites, or acari, they 

 wovild be excluded from the preserves by tying the jara closely with, 

 t bladder. 



