May 23, 1S73. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND OOTTAGE GARDENER. 



423 



artificially formed, as soon as liived place it where the parent 

 hive stood, removing the latter to a new stand. This practice 

 is now universally recommended by all bee-masters of note 

 both in Great Britain and America. It has had the test of 

 twenty-five years' experience — a great satisfaction to the dis- 

 coverer — your humble servant, an intelligent reader ! It insures 

 a magnificent swarm ; it checks all undue swarming ; it will 

 generally add a super or two in good seasons to the stores of the 

 wise bee-master who adopts it. 



7. The proper time to add supers is just when the hives are 

 full of bees and brood, aui begin to gather outside at evening, 

 finding the stock inconveniently crowded and hot. — B. & W. 



HIVES. 



Tour valued contributor, Mr. Bevan Fox, has evidently mis- 

 taken the purport of my remarks at page 347. They were written 

 neither with reference to the storifyiug or collateral system, 

 nor to the use of large hives in general, but entirely and ex- 

 clusively with reference to the employment, when swarming is 

 allowed, of large hives of simple construction, alias big straw 

 skeps, measuring 16 or 18 inches in width by 12 in depth, or 

 even more. Consequently inferences based on results obtained 

 from large bar-boxes and supers are beside the mark and prove 

 nothing. 



The system of Mr. Pettigi-ew, I understand, is that of our 

 grandfathers, and consists simply in allowing the bees to swarm, 

 and then lodging the cast in a straw skep. If there be any 

 peculiarity or special property in the system it is the great size 

 of skep used. Now, I atfirmed, and I still maintain on better than 

 mere theoretical grounds, that skeps of the dimensions given 

 are not, and never will be under the simple swarming system, 

 suitable for all localities. They have been tried and found 

 wanting. Mr. Bevan Fox may think a skep measuring 12i inches 

 by lUJ absurdly small, but it is large enough to allow of 3.5 or 

 40 lbs. of honey being stored, and an ordinary swarm can do 

 this in the course of a moderately favourable season. Large 

 skeps are proverbially late in casting, and if the swarms do not 

 come off till the season is advanced they are generally worili 

 little. Some districts, from the method of farming followed, are 

 almost destitute of white clover, and others are far from heather. 

 In a district six miles north-east of my residence every effort to 

 cultivate bees has failed. If a hive well found in honey is planted 

 down in it in spring, it will, through the season be favourable, 

 be at the verge of starvation before Christmas. Again, in 

 another district about the same distance on the opposite side of 

 my residence, any novice with skeps chosen at random can 

 obtain good suppUes of honey. But in poor districts the largest 

 akeps, though populous, yield small results, and I think I should 

 be put. in possession of better evidence than a mere ijise dixit to 

 convince me of a wide-spread conversion in Scotland in their 

 favour. — E. S. 



DEIVING BEES FROM FRAME HIVES. 



L.vsT year I wrote to you respecting some frame hives in 

 which the combs had been built crooked. You were good enough 

 to advise me to make an artificial swarm in May by driving out 

 the bees, and then at the end of twenty-one days to arrange the 

 combs properly. I endeavoured to eiject the first part of the 

 operation a few days since, but after rapping constantly and 

 vigorously for at least half an hour, the bees gave no sign of 

 commencing the ascent, and I therefore gave up the attempt. 

 I have often driven bees from box or straw hives, with or without 

 brood, without diiEculty. Is there any particular plan to be 

 adopted in the case of frame hives ? because it seemed to me 

 that, owing to the combs not being in contact with the sides of 

 the tuve, it was impossible to jar them sufficiently to frighten 

 the bees. I was obliged, therefore, to stupify them, notwith- 

 standing what you urged against it. The hives were not very 

 full, but there were drones. Would it he likely that there were 

 any young ijueens coming forward ? If not, as the fumigating 

 occupied some time, and I was obliged to take off the crown- 

 board, I am fearful lest the eggs may have become chilled. Is 

 it common for the bees not to build the combs straight in the 

 frames ? — L. C. 



[We have seldom had to perform this operation of driving with 

 frame hives, as we always secure straight combs ; but in box 

 Mves, when we have experienced any difficulty in inducing the 

 bees to ascend, we have placed a roll of smoking rag in a box or 

 bucket underneath the inverted stock, leaving open the central 

 aperture in the crown-board. The smoke gradually percolating 

 through the combs soon causes the bees to be on the move. We 

 always drive into an ordinary strawbutt, rarely taking the trouble 

 to wrap a cloth round the place of junction, and, being well 

 protected, taking no heed of the flying bees. We find bees 

 ascend more readily than if the two hives are tied closely to- 

 gether. A strong col»ny will be more easily driven than a weak 

 one. Tour hive not being full of bees, it is hardly likely that 

 there would be any young queens coming forward. Unless vei'y 



cold at the time you performed the operation, in which case you 

 ought on no account to have attempted it, we should hardly 

 imagine the eggs or brood could have been chilled. Unless 

 some trouble is taken in attaching guide-combs or applying a 

 narrow rim of melted wax along the centre of the bars, there is 

 no dependance to be placed on the bees constructing their combs 

 straight; and, after taking every precaution, it is advisable for 

 the bee-master to inspect his hives a few days after their being 

 peopled, taking out each comb and rectifying any irregularity at 

 once. It is a very good plan to alter the order of the combs 

 when replaced. Should any by this means come into contact, 

 on the next occasion of removal pare away any projections 

 where they may have been united by the bees, again altering 

 the position and order of the combs. By following this plan 

 you may insure having perfectly straight-combed frames.] 



BEE TRAP. 



How shall I get the bees out of my super ? This is a tiuestion 

 that crosses the mind of most bee-keepers when their supers are 

 ready to be taken off. There are several plans recommended 

 and tried, but each is attended with a great deal of trouble, and 

 loss of time and honey, &c. There has always been a want of 

 something to lessen this diificulty, and that something is supplied 

 in the form of a bee-trap, which has been invented and made by 

 a man named Aston, whose traps bear his name. They are made 

 to allow the bees to pass out from the super without the possi- 



bUity of returning 

 to rob it. The follow- 

 ing is an illustration 

 of the bee-trap. 



It has six open- 

 ings to let the bees 

 out; each opening 

 has a trap or fall 

 closing after the bee 

 has passed, and that 

 prevents returning. 

 The trap is secured 

 to the front edge of 

 a board that has a 

 groove cup to corre- 

 spond with the open- 

 ing in back of trap, 

 and continued part 

 of the way across the 

 board. When, early 

 in the day, the glass 

 or super is taken off 

 the hive, placed on 

 the board over the gi-oove, carrying it a little distance and 

 making it quite dark, admitting no light but at the entrance; 

 then, without any more trouble or watching, the bees will pass 

 out and fly back to their hive, leaving their super in a short time 

 quite free of bees. 



[We have examined Mr. Aston's bee-trap, and consider it to 

 be an admirable contrivance, and well worth a trial. The bees 

 have every facihty for departure, but cannot return. It is much 

 on the principle of those simple contrivances by which Pigeons 

 can enter their lofts after a period of liberty, but are unable to 

 fly out again. We shall certainly make use of it ourselves this 

 summer, and report our success in due time. The inventor is 

 Mr. il. Aston, Upper Bar, Newport, Salop.] 



FIXING COMBS— WINTER VENTILATION. 



Place the frame on a board, fit the combs (right way up 

 wards), into the frame. The combs touching each other in 

 three or four places, melted wax is then dropped on to the junc- 

 tions and at intervals round the frame. I can by these means 

 dispense with clips of wood or zinc, and the smallest pieces of 

 comb can be utilised. Worker comb is usually too valuable for 

 supers, and should not be put in the same frame with drone 

 comb. I have ventilated my stocks this winter, and had no 

 trouble' from dampness, by putting a piece of perforated zinc 

 about an inch square over the feeding-hole, and covering with a 

 straw cap. Perhaps this may interest " Ligubian." — C. A. J. 



Wax and Honbt. — According to Wagner, Corsica produc«l 

 the largest quantity of wax of all the countries of Europe, if not 

 in the world. In ancient, as well as in medieval times, the in- 

 habitants paid their taxes in wax, and supplied 2UU,U00 lbs. 

 annually. Since wax is to honey, in quantity, as 1 to 1.5, the 

 Corsicans must have gathered each year 3,000,000 lbs. of honey. 

 — {English Mechanic^ 



Dandelion foe Hops. — Woodaage (Teucrium), so abundant in 

 the hedges, is more like hops. It may be used as hops green or 

 dried. Sugar added to nettles or hops improves beer, or may be 



