66 



Letter from a Bee-Keeper. 



Vol. VI. 



that you may not forget it. Casts, except 

 they are very early and strong ones, will sel- 

 dom stand tlie winter, or they will be so weak 

 next spring, that they will do no good. When 

 the honey season is over, slop up over night 

 all you intend to take up. In the morning, 

 take a piece of the fungus, twice as big as a 

 hen's e^g, put it in a stick split at one end 

 and sharp at the other: have a hive, the same 

 size us that you intend to take up, fixed bot- 

 tom upwards. When this is ready, light your 

 fungus, and as soon as it burns well, fix the 

 sharp end at the bottom of the hive which 

 you have turned topsy-turvy, and place the 

 hive you intend to take on the top of it, and 

 tie a wet cloth round the two hives, that no 

 smoke may get out. You will soon hear the 

 bees drop down : tap the top of the full hive, 

 to make them fall quicker. When they are 

 all down and quiet, lift the full hive gently 

 off, and turn all the bees which have fallen, 

 on a table. They will be quite harmless and 

 still, as if they had been burned with brim- 

 stone; but the fungus does them no injury. 

 Look for the queen bee, which may easily be 

 known. It is well to have several persons 

 round the table to search for her, as also to 

 cut out the combs and sweep the bees oflT. 

 If you find her there, keep her safe on one 

 side, and sweep all the otiier bees back into 

 the empty hive; then cut the combs carefully 

 out, one by one, and if you have not already 

 found the queen, look sharp for her on each 

 comb. She generally does not fall down, but 

 holds fast to the top of the hive in the very 

 middle. Sweep the bees with a feather back 

 into the empty hive, as you carefully take the 

 combs out one by one. In a quarter of an 

 hour, they will "come to." As soon as they 

 begin to crawl about, take a hive which is 

 strong enough to stand the w-inter, or one 

 which, having swarmed often in the summer, 

 is weak in bees, though heavy, (this, too, must 

 be stopped up the evening before,) and put it 

 gently on the top of the empty hive where 

 the smoked one stood before, keeping the 

 bees of the two stocks asunder v/illi%ome 

 coarse canvass, such as is used for straining 

 milk. A piece of thick paper, full of pin"^ 

 holes, will do, but a sheet of tin punched with 

 holes, the Kith of an inch over, is best of all. 

 You may slip it under any hive you wish to 

 rnove, and place it on the top of the empty 

 hive, or elsewhere, without letting one bee 

 out. Keep the bees in the two^hives for 

 twenty-four hours apirt from each other. On 

 the evening of they'd day, draw the tin, pa- 

 per, or canvass, away without dit^turbing the 

 hives. Tap the empty hive, and the'^bees 

 which have now forgotten their own queen, 

 which you have taken away, will go up into 

 the full hive, as if they belonged to one swarm. 

 Early next morning, when all is quiet, set the 



doubled hive back in its old place. If you 

 pull the tin away loo soon, the bees will fight 

 terribly, and kill a great many, and some- 

 times even the other queen. For fear of this, 

 you must take care of the queen you smoked. 

 The next day afler the stock has been put 

 back to its own place, put this queen into the 

 mouth of your doubled hive; if any accident 

 has happened to their own queen, they will 

 gladly take the stranger to reign over them. 



The figure No. 1, shows the tin box with 

 holes in the top for the smoke to go through, 

 which is very handy, as it prevents any of 

 the bees falling into the lighted fungus: t t 

 are holes in the bottom of the tin box, to let 

 air in, or it will not burn; the top, which 

 takes offj is full of holes to let the smoke 

 through: h is the sharp point which is to be 

 stuck into the hive. This way of smoking is 

 very useful to unite a cast to another stock 

 which is weak, or to put two casts together: 

 when you want to do the latter, smoke them 

 both as above. Pick out one queen, put all 

 the stupid bees into one hive, (lliat one which 

 has some comb already made, by choice,) and 

 sprinkle them over with a little sugar and 

 beer. They will take to one another when 

 they have helped each other to clean ofl' the 

 sugar with their tongues. Even if you are 

 lucky enough to have none weak, always 

 unite your casts to a hive which, though 

 strong, has plenty of room ; for the same 

 number of bees will do more good together 

 than they will in two hives. A doubled hive 

 will eat no more honey in the winter than a 

 single one. The reason of it seems to be, 

 that where there are many bees in a hive, 

 they can keep warm by hanging close toge- 

 ther, instead of eating. So that in a full hive 

 the same quantity of honey goes farther than 

 in a weak one, as each bee eats less. Have 

 all your liives made the same size, that they 

 may fit one another exactly. Some people 

 say, " We have smaller hives for our casts 

 and weak swarms." I say, never have weak 

 swarms or casts ; or, when you have them, 

 join ihem to another. The reason of this you 

 will soon see. Make them also with a hole 

 at the top, an inch and a half over, with a 

 bung to fit it. This is needful for the plan 

 of capping, which I am now going to teach 

 you. 



In May, when your hives get full of bees, 

 and they begin to hang out, put a small box, 

 which will hold about 10 lbs. of honey, on the 

 top of the strong stock, (after you have pulled 

 out the bung,) with a bit of glass at the back, 

 that you may see when it is full. The bees 

 will fill it sometimes in a week or ten days. 

 Directly it is full, take it ofi"; it will be white 

 honey. These little caps will give room for 

 the bees to work, who otherwise would hang 

 out idle at the mouth of the hives waiting for 



