192 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



I am but a novice in the use of the 

 bar-frame hive, and, of course, I meet 

 with frequent difficulties. 1 began 

 only, last year, with 12 colonies of 

 bees in Langstroth hives, procured of 

 A. H. Newman, Chicago, at the sug- 

 gestion of Mr. MacDonnell, of Sydney, 

 to whom I am indebted for much val- 

 uable information on the mystery of 

 the system. I had not used comb 

 foundation long before I discovered 

 that the adhesion caused by pressing 

 the alternate strips cut in the edge of 

 the sheet against the side of the tri- 

 angular upper bar, after both strips 

 and bar had been heated, was not suf- 

 ficient to enable the sheet to support 

 the mass of bees ; as the bees invari- 

 ably build out the middle and lower 

 garts lirst, which were then tilled with 

 oney or brood before the top liad 

 been worked. I now fasten with hot 

 wax, and have no further trouble. 



1. Why do not the bees workout the 

 sheet of foundatiou to the lower bar 

 and attach it thereto ? Is it because 

 the frames hang too low ; some of 

 them leaving barely y of an inch 'i 



2. Why do they destroy the newly 

 hatched brood V A great many were 

 destroyed last month, though there 

 was an abundance of clover and other 

 honey plants in bloom ; so many, in 

 fact, that the ground below each box 

 was quite covered with dead ones, 

 and the smell of the decaying bodies 

 might be felt at a distance. All the 

 young bees that I saw being worried, 

 were healthy looking and well formed ; 

 the destruction seeming to be com- 

 mon in tliose hives with wired foun- 

 dation, and from which I had been 

 taking cards of brood and cutting 

 queen-cells in order to stop swarming. 

 Two small colonies, wtiich had re- 

 ceived cards of brood, did likewise, 

 although they had no queen-cells. 

 Had it not been so in the latter case, 

 I should have supposed that the 

 slaughter was owing to my check on 

 their attempts to swarm. Two otlier 

 swarms, which have built out their 

 own comb in empty frames, and which 

 have not had their frames transposed, 

 have not destroyed any. 



3. What should I do towards the 

 close of the honey yield witli a hive 

 having ten frames, chiefly of brood, 

 and on which I have section boxes. 

 If I remove the sections altogether, 

 there will be little else than brood in 

 the brood-chamber, and consequently 

 no store for the hatching bees. 



Quiuby, at page 173, on boxing, 

 says that " six combs are all that a 

 hive requires when boxed ;" but I 

 have ten frames with eggs and brood 

 in all. Ought I to remove some 

 frames and confine to six only, as 

 recommended, and then supply combs 

 or foundation to the brood-chamber 

 to be filled for their own use as the 

 sections are removed. We have only 

 frost here in winter, but flowers are 

 guite scarce. My boxes are placed 10 

 inches apart, on a frame covered by a 

 flat roof 6 feet wide ; the frame is 15 

 inches from the ground, and rests on 

 supports protected by pots of mixed 

 tar and grease, without whicli, in this 

 land of vermin, the black ants alone 

 would kill every colony. They have 

 sunshine before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m. 



From previous experience with bees 

 in common boxes, I am quite certain 

 that we shall get very satisfactory re- 

 turns under the new order of things, 

 in this locality ; and I am, therefore, 

 desirous of preparing to extend opera- 

 tions, and dealing with tlie industry 

 as a business, though I have other 

 means of dependence. In this view 

 of the case, an assistant, at least, 

 would be an absolute necessity ; but 

 the difliculty of meeting with any one 

 possessing tlie requisite knowledge — 

 no such person being obtainable in 

 this country — is insurmountable. 



Though I had always, hitherto, 

 doubted it, I have now become satis- 

 tied that maize, too, must be included 

 among the honey producing plants ; 

 by the direction of my bees flight, I 

 know that a large proportion of tlie 

 stores, now rapidly coming in, must 

 be derived from it ; besides I have 

 watched them on its tassels when they 

 were certainly searching for honey 

 and not collecting pollen. 



Mr. Editor, I send you some seeds 

 of Australian trees ; they are : 1. 

 Blackwattle (acacia decurrens). the 

 bark of which is valuable for tanning 

 purposes. 2. Wattle (acacia). 3. Wat- 

 tle (acacia), -t. Ornamental evergreen 

 shade tree, a variety a pittosporum, a 

 lioney producer, o. Eucalyptus, or 

 box referred to before. 6. Australian 

 forest oak ; the wood of which was 

 once extensively used for shingles. 

 All of them will grow readily on ttie 

 bare, hard ground, or on an ash bed 

 that has been moistened and made 

 solid by rain, provided they be drop- 

 jied on'top and pressed close ; the soil 

 being well shaded till they take firm 

 hold, and kept moist when the air is 

 dry. They will grow (except probably 

 No. 4) on any poor clay or stone land ; 

 in fact, they are the hardiest trees 

 known to us here ; and will certainly 

 not meet with more severe conditions 

 of existence in America than in this 

 country. I am not aware, though 

 what extent of cold they can endure. 



East Kempsey, New South Wales. 



[Having no place suitable for test- 

 ing the seeds sent us by Mr. Verge, 

 we have sent them to Mr. Heddon, 

 who will, doubtless, plant them and 

 report the results in due time. He 

 also answers the questions thus: — Ed.] 



As I sit here at my desk, on April 

 6, and the mercury nearly at the 

 freezing point outside, my imagina- 

 tion carries me to the home of Mr. 

 Verge, all sunshine and flowers, sur- 

 rounded by the numerous blessings 

 and evils that his more torrid climate 

 affords, and I feel stealing over me a 

 fear of incompetency to answer his 

 queries as I wish I could ; but from 

 what I have learned by my experience 

 here, I will say : 



1 . The bees partially recognize the 

 bottom bars of the frames as bed- 

 rock, and thus propose to pass over 

 them when passing under their combs, 

 and thus leave the space referred to 

 instead of recognizing the space be- 



low the bottom bars as a proper pas- 

 sageway. There should be )4 inch 

 space below your bottom bars, and 

 we always make % in our new hives, 

 as Jg is allowed for shrinkage. 



2. There are a number of reasons 

 why bees often drag out their pupa. 

 If the surplus receptacles are not as 

 they should be, they often do it to 

 make room to store below, during an 

 excessive flow of nectar. Again, you 

 may have so placed the frames of 

 brood you manipulated as to force the 

 bees to cut a passageway between 

 them, and thus destroy the pupa, I 

 have used wired comb foundation for 

 all the combs I have had built, for 

 three or four years, and can assure 

 you the wires do not in any way in- 

 terfere with the success of the coming 

 generation of bees. I have had (by 

 careless handling) the wires rust and 

 stain the foundation for inches each 

 way, but all went as rapidly and suc- 

 cessfully as before. 



3. You should, in such cases as you 

 mention, feed your bees with the 

 cheapest wholesome food you can ob- 

 tain. Cane sugar syrup is excellent. 

 The dearth of the brood-chamber is 

 more than made up by the increased 

 amount of comb honey in the sections. 

 The feeding is a very simple, safe, 

 and practical procedure, when you 

 once understand it, and are properly 

 equipped. I would not encumber ray 

 system of management with any such 

 removal of brood, and giving of 

 frames of foundation. I not think it 

 at all necessary. 



The unsupplied and unsuppliable 

 want of efficient help, you mention, is 

 much realized in this country ; also 

 since honey production has reached 

 its present proportions. My practical 

 working school for apicultural student- 

 apprentices, was inaugurated for the 

 purpose of aiding in supplying that 

 want, which, it is hoped, will be of 

 mutual benefit all around. Of course, 

 most of those who thoroughly and 

 practically learn the business, will 

 embark in it on their own capital ; but 

 some there are who must walk before 

 they run, and some love travel and 

 scenery in foreign lands, and by a 

 year or two more we can send you a 

 man who will not only " assist " you, 

 but be of much service in bringing the 

 latest practical " kinks " from the land 

 of "Yankee invention." One who 

 can manage your capital at a profit 

 while you can do as you please. 



I will do the best I can with the 

 seeds. Many thanks to you and the 

 editor.— James Heddon.] 



J 



