June 30, 1863. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



483 



EXPULSION OF YOUNG BEES. 



I had on the 1st of May a very strong hivo of bees, a swarm 

 of 1862. I cut a hole through tho top of the hive (an old 

 conical one) about the above date, and put on a super about the 

 last week in May, when it was immediately filled, and the bees 

 began to work. On the 1st of June it was abandoned, and the 

 hive threw an immense swarm the next day. On the 13th the 

 hive threw a second swarm, of which I cannot tell the weight ; 

 but there were about three quarts of bees. Two days after this 

 I saw quantities of young bees unable to fly, ejected from the 

 hive ; and these were carried out again directly if returned. 

 Two days later (the 17th) the hives threw a third swarm nearly 

 or quite as strong as the last. And to day (the 18th) I again see 

 scores of young bees under the hive — evidently ejected. There 

 were also three young queens which were dead. The other bees 

 were all alive and crawling about. 1 returned some dozens, but 

 they were directly seized, carried out, and dropped on the 

 ground. I am certain that many hundreds have thus been 

 destroyed and cannot account for it, as food is very plentiful, 

 and the hire though much weakened by throwing three swarms, 

 has plenty of bees in it, and a very large number of drones. 

 Indeed, 1 was almost led to fancy the destruction of young bees 

 was because the drones took more food than the workers could 

 provide ; but there may be some other cause, and I shall be 

 most glad to learn it. 



The following incident occurred here a few days since. A 

 swarm left a hive belonging to a bee-owner, and fortunately was 

 seen to go off. They new direct to a deserted hive full of old 

 comb, standing in a cottage garden nearly half a mile off, where 

 they entered and remained. The owner saw them go in and 

 recovered them, making some compensation for the hive, in which 

 I saw them to-day working beautilully. — Robeet Levett. 



[Although we never met with a similar instance, we Bhould 

 be disposed to attribute this wholesale expulsion of the rising 

 generation to unfavourable weather setting in immediately after 

 swarming had taken place, and thus calling into play that re- 

 markable instinct which leads bees in extremity to sacrifice the 

 weaker members of tho community. Liberal feeding would 

 probably have put a stop to this massacre of the juveniles. 

 Nothing is more common than a swarm taking possession of a 

 deserted hive.] 



TRANSPOSING STOCKS-A QUEENLESS 

 SWAEAI— DEIVING. 



I had, on the second Wednesday in June, a second swarm, 

 which 1 hived into a box about one-third full of comb and 

 honey ; in fact, all the upper part, the lower having been cut 

 away because of its age. Having read of some of jour corre- 

 spondents transposing hives in order to strengthen weak Btocks, 

 I thought I would do the same with this, and therefore in the 

 middle of the first fine day, the fifth after being hived, I changed 

 places, the Bwarm with a strong old stock. The result was 

 much fighting for two days and the weakening of the old stock 

 as though a prime swarm had left it, without a very perceptible 

 strengthening of the swarm. I now fear the swarm has no queen, 

 because no pollen is carried in ; nevertheless, as they are quiet, 

 I infer they have some brood from which to raise a sovereign, 

 but comb-building does not go on. 



Now, were I to feed copiously, would the bees, having no 

 fertile queen at liberty, build drone-comb only, permanently 

 injuring the stock, a common square box with close top ? And 

 would it not be better to wait till pollen is carried, and then 

 feed ? What precautions are necessary in transposing hives to 

 strengthen weak ones? What precautions are necessary in 

 artificial swarming in consequence of the tendency of bees to 

 build drone-comb while raising a queen, honey be.ng abundant ? 

 How are the impressed wax plates fixed in frames, and is it 

 desirable to employ them when perfect combs cannot be had ? 

 In the Woodbury straw hive are the bands of straw horizontal 

 or perpendicular, and is it fitted with a straw cover ? 



There is one thing more. I made two unsuccessful attempts 

 at driving to form an artificial Bwarm. The stock was a square 

 box packed full of bees ; the time 1 selected 5 a.m. The stock 

 was carefully turned up and another box the same size put on, the 

 box with comb afterwards tenanted by the second swarm above 

 referred to. After drumming about ten minuies and thinking 

 about half the bees had gone up, from the view I had through 

 the box windows, I lifted the upper one off and put it in what 



was to have been its place on the board of the old stock, treating 

 the old stock according to the Bee-book. I congratulated 

 myself on having cleverly accomplished my object ; but in about 

 an hour it was evident I had failed. I was, therefore, obliged 

 to restore the hives as before. Nothing daunted, I tried again 

 next morning and drummed longer, taking about half an hour 

 in the process. Again 1 thought I had succeeded, though the 

 bees were more savage ; but again time showed it was another 

 failure. I tried no more. It does seem to me there is soma 

 mystery in driving. I thought I was very careful, gentle, and 

 precise in adhering to the directions. I am half inclined to 

 suppose the stock had no queen at liberty, being engaged in 

 rearing one, which would account for the failure ; but I have 

 had no experience in driving, and do not like to be beaten. 

 The stock was populous, but has been at a standstill for a 

 month, although rich in sealed honey. Does driving usually 

 succeed, if continued long enough, in getting all the bees out ? 

 Are there some things to be carefully avoided in driving ? — 

 A. B. C. 



[Transpo-ing stocks succeeds best in the middle of a fine day, 

 when honey is very plentiful. This is the grand secret of 

 saecess. Every bee returning full of honey is usually a welcome 

 visitor to any hive, and in this case little or no fighting results ; 

 but when honey is scarce and strange bees return with empty 

 pouches, they are ignominiously expelled as a race of paupers 

 attempting to saddle themselves on the resources of the com- 

 munity. No such transfer, however, should be attempted with 

 a second swarm until it is certain that the young queen has 

 commenced egg-laying. In your case the natural result has 

 evidently followed. The queen, on her return from one of her 

 excursions, has gone to the old spot and has been put to death 

 by the strangers. As no brood can now exist in the hive, the 

 colony must speedily dwindle away unless it is supplied with 

 brood-comb, or, better still, a couple of royal cells ; or, best of 

 all, a fertile queen. If you wish the latter, and cannot obtain it 

 on the spot, write to T. Woodbury, Esq., Mount Bedford, 

 Exeter. Bees without a queen build drone-comb only. Do not, 

 therefore, feed copiously until this all-important deficiency has 

 been supplied. Artificial should generally imitate natural 

 swarming in this respect, that the swarm has the old queen and 

 consequently builds worker-comb, whilst the queenless bees 

 remain in the old hive, which is already filled with comb. 

 Artificial partition-walls are easily fixed in frames by means of 

 melted wax. The vendors will give you full instructions on this 

 point. They are a great assistance when natural combs are un- 

 attainable. In the Woodbury straw hive the bands are hori- 

 zontal. It is usually fitted with a wooden cover. We can add 

 nothing to the usual instructions for driving bees. You should 

 operate in the middle of a fine day, and persevere until you 

 succeed. When once you have accomplished it all difficulties 

 will vanish — at least, it was so in our case.] 



LOSS OE A SWAEM-DISTANCE BETWEEN 

 BAES— ABNOEMAL BEES. 



Hayino procured a stock of bees last February, and being 

 light, 1 fed them well through the spring till May 23rd, when 

 they swarmed, weighing but 2| lbs. Hearing piping two days 

 before, I concluded the prime swarm had escaped unobserved. 

 I wish to know if it is as my books tell me, that piping is never 

 heard till alter the first swarm. There has been no appearance 

 of another. Am I to expect more from It? 



I have used bar-hives TJ- inch from centre to centre, but found 

 them too wide. What is the proper breadth, as bar- frame-hives 

 are useless if each bar does not exactly contain a comb on its 

 centre? 



J here is on some of my bees the unusual appearance (at least to 

 my eye), of an extra pair of antennce of a yellow colour, growing 

 lrom the insertion of the real antennte. Have any of your 

 numerous apiarian correspondents noticed it, and what may the 

 cause be ? — Bee Fbiend. 



[Piping is so rarely heard prior to the issue of a first swarm, 

 that you may be tolerably certain that yours has escaped un- 

 observed, nor c*n you expect that another will now issue. Our 

 bars are about a sixteenth under 1J inch from centre to centre; 

 but we consider the latter a very good distance. Singularly 

 enough the proceedings of the bees themselves do not always 

 afford the best guide as to distance, as they are so much in- 



