THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



427 



email, weak swarms are thrown olW Thesft may 

 either be returneil lo the parent hives, or stren<j;th- 

 ened by puttinif two or three loircllier. To do 

 this, place tlie one box under the other in tlie even- 

 inL', leaving the comniunicalion open between 

 ihem — shut down the grate over the lunnel-en- 

 trance : and burn a piece of leather (or a 

 lew niomenls under the ventilator below, which 

 will destroy that peculiariiy of odor, by which 

 the inmaips of the diilerent hives are enabled lo 

 disiinixuish each oiher ; and will also completely 

 disarm and conluse them, and prevent the possi- 

 bilitj^ oC a disturbance arising Irom the union. 

 They will soon regulate mailers amonirst them- 

 selves, so as to become one family. Il however 

 there seems to he an unus-ual degree of excitement 

 in the hive next morning, keep ihegrale shut 

 down all day — if noi, throw if op^n in the morning. 

 It is much better to put even three swarms toge- 

 ther, and thus Ibrm one strong one, than lo have 

 them in separate colonies, weak and inefficient. 

 In lact, as a general rule, every swarm ought 

 10 fill a No. 1 hive, and require the addition oi' 

 a second box, Ibrming a No. 2, within ten or 

 twelve days. 



There are many good and sufficient reasons 

 why this rule should be enforced, and the strength 

 of each hive kept up. When a weak swarm 

 comes off, and they are left, a mere handful in 

 their hive, they rarely stay — but, seeming to leel 

 their own weakness, and their exposure to ene- 

 mies they abandon their new home and return to 

 the other hives, leaving behind them a lew thin 

 flakes of comb. And if they do remain, it is 

 almost impossible lo protect them from the molh; 

 whilst a strong hive is rarely invaded by that, or 

 any other enemy. 



The subiended hive renders the putting of iwo 

 or three swarms together, a very simple process. 



Alter careliilly examining all the diflerent plans 

 recommended lor defending bees from the inroads 

 of the moth, and seeing them tried and trying 

 them myselli I find that iheonly true and inliillibie 

 preventives, are care and neahiess. When it is 

 considered, that during the whole summer, this 

 active enemy is at work ; that wherever there is 

 a crack or a crevice, there she will insert her 

 egL's ; that there they hatch and become small, 

 white worms; that these worms, as tiiey travel 

 alouiT in the interior of the hive, spin a silken 

 covering for iheir bodies — a sort of tunnel, withiii 

 which they are perliicily sale from the attacks of 

 ihe bees — their head, which alone is visible, be- 

 ing hard and horny ; that if by any possibiliiy 

 they are dragged from this tunnel, they immedi- 

 ately, like the spider, suspend themselves by a 

 silken thread, by which they can at any time 

 reiurnto their lormer quarters. When all these 

 facts are taken into consideration, ii will be seen 

 at once, that if the molh is allowed a footing at 

 all, it will retain it— and if so, the destruction of 

 the hive is inevitable. 



Let the apiarist have his stands and boxes well 

 and carefully made ; let hitn examine his bees, 

 at least once a week ; let his assistant lift up ihe 

 hive from the stand, which must be removed, the 

 lower edge of the box cleaned of every appear- 

 ance of the molh, and of all filth, and immediately 

 replaced where it stood belbre, on a clean, fresh 

 tunnel stand. I^ei the Rtand ihat was removed, 

 be pH'eciually citvined, when it may be used i" 



supply the place of the next one to be removed — 



and so on ihrough the whole. The apiary or. 



b(>e-ehed must be kepi clean and airy ; should be 



whitewashed eve'ry spring ; and if once or twice 



during the heat of summer, the bees were all 



o(!ully removed some cool evening— the apiary 



covered up dose with old carpets, &c., and a 



sirong smoke from tobacco kept up in it lor hall an 



hour, every insect would bedesiroyed. The floor 



and shelves, &c. would re(]uire to be afterward.s 



swept ofi clean and watered ; the shed being left, 



open till luoiniiig. for ventilation, and the removal 



} of the odor ol' tobacco, belbie the bees were re- 



j [ilaced, which they must be by sunrise next day. 



! lively opportunity mus^t be taken lo destroy tlie 



[ molh when visible— either by hand or by placing 



'during the evening, a bright lamp over a basin 



of water or soapsuds, in front of the apiary, which 



j will attract them; and ihey will like all of ihis 



j tribe of insects scorch iheir wings and perish. 



I Towards the latter end of August or early in 



! September, the grand atiack will be made on the 



I drones ending in iheir complete destruction. No 



I top-boxes should be removed until this takes 



i place— though if much needed, they may be 



j taken off. It is better, too. to let them lemam in 



i their place over winter until ihey are required, as 



I there the honey will not become candied. Imme- 



jdiaiely after a box is removed, the holes in the 



I lop ol the box on which it sat, must be neatly 



1 pliiizired up. 



j Bees oughi not to be permilted to leave their 

 hives until settled warm weather, in the spring ; 

 I and until the first wild flowers come in hloon;. 

 I We have frequently a lew clear, warm days in 

 j the winter, when the bees, |)articularly il" the 

 ! siands face the south and are exposed lo ihe sun's 

 'rajs, will leave the hives and fly about. This 

 [Should not be permitted— during such days, keep 

 the grates shut down. They can gather no ho- 

 ney, nor be benefited in any way — many of them 

 persh by being exposed to an occasional chilly 

 blast, or become the prey of birds. Every bee, 

 at ihis season of the year, is valuable. 



If it becomes necessary to feed a weak swarm 

 during winter or early spring — which may very 

 soon be known by ihe weight of the hive — it must 

 lie done, by supplying them with a little honey in 

 the comb ; or syrup prepared by adding two 

 (]uarts of water lo one of honey, and boiling a 

 \h\v minutes, after adding a table-spoonful of 

 sail — skim off all impurities, and after il has cooled, 

 pour a little into a plate, over which lay a lew 

 I wigs — raise the lower box, and place this on the 

 stand, where the bees will quickly find it. Where 

 honey or sugar is scarce, they may be led with 

 a syrup prepared from the sugar-beet, thus — after ' 

 carefully washing the roots, grate them down, and 

 j)res3 out the juice; to each gallon of this, add 

 one lea-spoonluf of sulphuric acid, (oil of vilriol,) 

 three lea-spoonfuls of chidk or whiting, and one 

 table-spoonful of salt — boil until all impurities are 

 thrown ofl, and ihere will remain a fine syrup, on 

 which bees will do well. 



Every other day, instead of this syrup, they 



maybe supplied with a litlle fresh, sweet corn 



i meal, lo which has been added about one-sixih 



I of fine salt— silt ihe mixture on a plate, which 



I place on the stand. 



I Humidity or ilampneps ia always to be guarded 

 ! ifainct- bee^ :\>i\>-r mure from it than from cold. 



