November 2-i, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



423 



•doubted fact, I was somewhat surprised to learn that drones 

 were heard flying one day last week (the 3rd inst.), in the front 

 of two of our Btooka of black bees. These were two very strong 

 colonies, which were eagerly taking advantage of every instant 

 of the beautiful week which here ushered in the opening of 

 November. Early and late they poured forth in one continu- 

 ous stream, the return of which wa3 bees laden heavily with 

 bright yellow farina or with honey. I concluded there must 

 be some mistake, and gave the matter no further consideration, 

 until, on coming to open the two hives a day or so later, drones 

 were undoubtedly in both of them. 



This being to me an uncommon phenomenon, I should be 

 glad to know if drones have been observed by others so late in 

 the year and under similar circumstances ; for I should say 

 that the hives, when opened, showed themselves to be chokeful 

 of bees, with sheet after sheet of brood in all stages, a fine store 

 of honey, apparently daily increasing, and active and laying 

 queens. None of the conditions are here apparent that would 

 induce a colony to keep its drones alive, and the circumstance 

 presents to my mind one of those cases where the instinct of 

 tees goes beyond human comprehension. — I-Dkone. 



PERMANGANATE OF POTASH AS A CURE 

 FOR FOUL BROOD. 



The disease called foul brood has long ago been banished 

 from every stock in what I call my apiary ; but that I might be 

 able to resuscitate the plague whenever occasion demanded, I 

 carefully laid aside a few tainted combs in a place to which 

 bees could not possibly gain access. With these combs I 

 inoculated a small Woodbury box in the autumn of 1869, for 

 the purpose of observing what influence muriatic acid would 

 exert upon collapsed larva?. The acid when poured into foul 

 cells sensibly checked the progress of disease, but it failed to 

 restore health. 



Whilst meditating upon other agents that might be employed, 

 a request was made to me to try a remedy which a gentleman 

 in London had found successful in curing two of his foul 

 stocks. To this request I at once responded, and towards the 

 middle of December I was favoured with a small packet con- 

 taining crystals, which, when used in solution, were said to be a 

 very powerful " disinfectant and deodoriser." The instructions 

 given were to the effect that on the infected bees beiDg driven 

 into an empty skep they were to be allowed a tablespoonful of 

 the solution in a pint of syrup, and not only to be fed with it, 

 but to be rolled in it, so that they might be literally wetted 

 with it, both within and without. Then, after a quarantine of 

 about twenty-four hours, the bees so treated were to be united 

 to a healthy stock, or turned amongst healthy bees. The value 

 of the discovery, it thus appeared, was limited to the purifying 

 of infected bees, and as I believed that quarantine per sc could 

 effect this, I inquired of the author whether his prescription 

 would not also deodorise and disinfect tainted combs and boxes. 

 To this he replied, " I cannot be sure that the disinfectant I 

 sent you will cure the tainted combs, not having tried it with 

 them ; but I am quite sanguine about it if care be taken, for 

 the solution will positively disinfect any and every thing in a 

 sanitary sense." 



The solution, being permanganate of potash, was not to be 

 despised, and I proceeded with pleasure to the preparation of 

 hives for testirg its virtue. In due course three small Wool- 

 bury boxes were contaminated with disease, and about the 

 beginning of August last one was virulently foul, all of its 

 combs being well filled with brood. To allow the healthy 

 progeny to mature, and prevent any more eggs being laid, as 

 well as to facilitate future manipulation, I removed the queen, 

 and left the hive unopened for the next two weeks or longer. 

 On the 29th of the month I made an inspection, and finding 

 that the healthy brood had nearly all hatched out, I swept the 

 bees and a young queen they had managed to rear from the 

 combs into an empty hive. Carrying off the combs to an empty 

 room, I, after much labour with the spoon end of tweezers, 

 cleaned out every foul cell. The next step was to wash all the 

 combs with the disinfectant, special care being taken that every 

 diseased cell should be filled with it. 



The saturated combs having been replaced in the box, which 

 was also washed with the solution, attention was directed to 

 the bees. These I gave to a clean hive containing comb and 

 eggs but no brood, and though not purified in any way, they 

 have not given any evidence as yet of having carried disease 

 along with them. Into the box which received the combs 



washed with the disinfectant, a strong colony with a fertile 

 queen at the head was introduced, but care was taken first 

 to feed and roll these new tenants in the solution minus the 

 essence of peppermint, which I fancied might well enough be 

 dispensed with, My disinfected hive now became an object of 

 interest, and I was very hopeful that the permanganate of pot- 

 ash, from its well known and powerful qualities, would effect 

 what apiarians so much desire to find out. 



In a few days the queen had deposited several eggs, and on 

 the 23rd of September the two centre combs were well filled 

 with sealed brood. To see whether they would all hatch out I 

 took the queen away, but on making an examination on Oc- 

 tober 13th one-half still remained sealed, the covers of several 

 being flattened and perforated. On probing them the treacly 

 contents showed their repulsive form, and proved that the com- 

 plaint, instead of having abated, had been considerably aggra- 

 vated. This was a disappointment. Like the author of the 

 cure, I was sanguine of success before I had tried it, but failure 

 only has followed, and I am sorry for it. No one, however, 

 need be afraid of being mastered by foul brood so long as 

 chloride of lime in conjunction with quarantine retains its 

 undoubted and well-attested virtue. — B. S. 



APIARIAN NOTES-CAUTION AS TO BUYING 

 SECOND SWARMS OF LIGURIANS. 



The year 1SG9 was singularly unfortunate as regards the 

 success of my apiary, so much so that, although I commenced 

 the year with five stocks, at its c'.ose I had only two. The 

 whole of my Ligurians perished ; all my attempts to multiply 

 them by artificial means proved futile; and I only saved one 

 natural swarm in a Woodbury straw, and a driven swarm in 

 a Woodbury cork hive. I bought another stock in a straw 

 hive, and so commenced this year with three stocks. We had 

 a very long, cold winter, no warm weather until April, and 

 the first two weeks in May were \erv cold, with frosty nights, 

 the temperature falling as low as 20°. Very few showers fell 

 during April, and the bees in my two Woodbury hives seemed 

 very weak ; the natural swarm of 1869, owing, perhaps, to the 

 age of the queen, was the weakest. 



On the 20th of May, about 2.20 p.m., my firBt swarm went 

 off from the straw stock. There was a strong wind blowing at 

 the time, and I feared the bees would be lost, as they were 

 driven about in all directions, but they fortunately settled upon 

 a thorn bush over the hedge, where they were protected from 

 the wind, and although it was in a very awkward position, and 

 not a nice one for handling, owing to the thorns, I managed to 

 hive them safely, and in a few minutes placed them in a Wood- 

 bury hive upon their old stand, removing the stock to a new 

 position. The swarm worked away right merrily, and in about 

 three weeka filled the hive ; and as I did not wish for a virgin 

 swarm, I placed a super upon it, but they never worked in it, 

 although many of them were obliged from want of room in 

 the hive to occupy it during the night. The stock in the cork 

 hive soon recovered itself, and, as I did not wish it to swarm, 

 I placed a super upon it also, but with exactly the same result ; 

 no honey was ever stored in it. The natural swarm never 

 seemed to recover from the effects of the trying winter, and 

 had enough to do to live. 



Wishing to give the Ligurians another trial, I purchased a 

 swarm in June, thinking I should manage better with it than 

 with buying queens ; but I found after I had agreed to take a 

 swarm, that the party advertising them in your columns only 

 sent out second swarms, keeping all the prime swarms him- 

 self. I thought this a very doubtful matter when I received 

 such a message ; thinking first that they would not be so strong, 

 and secondly that it would be a doubtful case whether the quesn 

 would be properly impregnated, as she would have no oppor- 

 tunity except during the issue of the swarm, and the odds were 

 at least ten to one that she would not be impregnated then. I 

 wrote to the party, and he assured me that he had had seven 

 swarms from one Ligurian stock in 1869, and they were all 

 strong, so much so, that he expected the seventh would swarm 

 the first this season. That seemed to settle the first difficulty ; 

 and as to the second, I thought I could at any rate try Mrs. 

 Tupper's scheme for securing the impregnation of queens, and 

 so decided to have them. They arrived all right, and were a 

 very fair swarm, and had a fine queen ; but I was doubtful she 

 was not impregnated, and as I could not see any drones I con- 

 cluded she could not be. However, after searching the combs 

 over more narrowly, I managed to find about a dozen drones, 



