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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ August 2, 1864. 



the boxes as strong as possible, tban weaken them by divi- 

 sion. — X. L. 



[Early in September is a very good time for the operation, 

 which will be successful if the bees have been able to fill 

 the hives with honey and have transferred the seat of 

 breeding to the wooden boxes. You could scarcely have 

 multiplied your stocks in this manner by dividing them 

 earlier in the season.] 



EXTRAORDINARY LIGTTRIAN SWARMS. 

 On the 7th of June the first swarm came off, on the 11th 

 I heard piping, and on the 16th a second swarm came off. 

 On the 21st a queen came off, and was secured, and made a 

 swarm of; on the 22nd the third swarm came ; and on the 

 5th of July I got a madden swarm ; on the Sth a second 

 maiden swarm; and on the 16th a third maiden swarm, 

 besides which the old hive threw me out thirteen dead 

 queens, and the first swarm has thrown me out nine dead 

 queens, besides the three swarms. — A. M. 



BEES DYING FROM CONFINEMENT. 



Last season I bought a capital swarm of bees, housed 

 them in one of N"utt's boxes, and everything went on well 

 until they had filled a bell-glass with honey, and gave indi- 

 cations of throwing off a second swarm ("cast," I suppose). 

 I then added a side box, and the bees directly began to kill 

 each other. After losing some 200 bees I removed the box, 

 and all went on right as before. 



This year I took a large bell-glass of honey early in June 

 from the same hive (by the way, why was there a brood- 

 comb in the bell-glass ?), and added the same side box as 

 before, partly filled with comb, and they make no progress. 

 They have just begun to kill each other again ; and, strange 

 to say, they amuse themselves by dragging dead bees from 

 the bottom to the top of the hive, and then dropping them 

 again. The dead bees are mostly smaller than the living ones. 



What am I to do ? I want to keep bees as an ornament — 

 they are inside a garden-house — but I have neither ability 

 nor courage to search for the queen, or drive, or artificial 

 swarm, or any other scientific method, of which I read such 

 interesting accounts in your Journal. — Noodle. 



[Tour bees do not kill each other, but die from being 

 unable to find their way out of the box. A small entrance 

 in the side box will stop the mischief, by providing a ready 

 means of exit. So, also, with regard to their " amusing 

 themselves " by dragging dead bees to the top of the hive, 

 and then dropping them; this is really an unavailing attempt 

 to clear the hive of dead bodies, and will cease as soon as a 

 direct means of exit is afforded them. The presence of brood 

 in a super is by no means unusual.] 



WHAT IS THE DURATION OF LIFE IN THE 

 WORKER BEE? 



From certain hints thrown out by some apiarian writers, 

 I infer they have an impression that an abundance of youth- 

 ful element in stock-hives in autumn is absolutely requisite 

 to their success in spring. "Will Mr. Woodbury oblige me 

 and other readers of The Journal op Horticulture, with 

 some information regarding the average length of the na- 

 tural life of the worker bee ? If a swarm were lodged in its 

 habitation on the 1st of May, in what time might it be ex- 

 pected to perish, supposing that at the end of every twenty 

 days, during the summer and autumn, the brood-combs were 

 entirely removed ? — R. S. 



[I think I cannot do better than quote in reply to my 

 esteemed correspondent, the opinion of that great master in 

 bee science, Dzierzon, on this point. He says the duration 

 of life in the worker bee varies with circumstances. "Of 

 the bees produced in May or June, few live longer than two 

 months, if owing to favourable weather they can be con- 

 tinually busy. If to ever so strong a stock of black bees an 

 Italian queen be given, either in spring or summer, there 

 will after six weeks be but few, and in two months probably 



not any black bees remaining. But it also makes a difference 

 how far bees fly, and upon what they pasture. When 

 gathering from the corn-flower for example, they appear to 

 grow old very soon, as the sharp leaves of this flower, as 

 well as the close-growing corn, seem to wear out their wings 

 very rapidly. They appear to preserve them much better 

 when pasturing upon buckwheat blossom, partly because 

 the flight, although strong, lasts but a few hours in the 

 day, partly because they can conveniently hover about the 

 blossom without then - wings coming in contact with it. 

 Bees, however, preserve themselves best, and scarcely seem 

 to age at all when in a state of rest. Those, therefore, 

 hatched in September look as juvenile and strong in Feb- 

 ruary and March as if they had left their cells only a few 

 days before. Also, if they pass their time in summer in a 

 similar state of rest, as is the case in stocks without a queen, 

 or inactive from other causes, they may, perhaps, bring 

 then.' age up to a year, or even beyond it. That the worker- 

 bee, even if it escapes every danger, should reach the age of 

 the queen, and live several years, as believed by the Baron 

 Von Ehrenfels, is very unlikely. If he had known the Italian 

 bee, and had experimented with it, he would scarcely have 

 asserted this." 



My own experience, also, leads me to believe the worker 

 bee to be a short-lived creature, whose existence frequently 

 terminates in a few weeks, and is seldom prolonged beyond 

 six or seven months. — A Devonshire Bee-eeeper. 



FLOWERS FOR BEES. 



At the commencement of this season I procured seeds of 

 borage, poppy, &c, and have noticed that even these, and 

 a large variety of other flowers, have been comparatively 

 forsaken, from the bees preferring what my man calls the 

 "French Willow" [Bpilobium angustifolium, Narrow-leaved 

 "Willow Herb], amongst which they really seem to luxuriate; 

 and, from their liveliness and buzzing joymlness, satisfy me 

 that, of all the flowers of the garden, it is the one most 

 palateable. It is, besides, a pretty object at a distance; 

 and, what makes it much more acceptable, it requires no 

 care in its cultivation. I am only afraid, if needed, it would 

 be difficult to eradicate, as the clump which we thought 

 cleared is again as prolific as before, although, out of three 

 yards square, we planted a strip at least a hundred yards 

 in length.— "W. G. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Snaith Poultry Show. — I find prizes stated to be given to exhibitors, 

 quite different from, what is put down in the catalogue. I find several pens 

 exhibited did not belong to the parties named in the catalogue, yet still 

 setting prizes — not according to the rules, which are very stringent. — 

 Country Subscriber and Exhibitor. 



Wild Fowl (/. G. F-i— The food of my wild fowl consists of waste 

 bread, the crumbs from the table, and of corn of any description except 

 oats. They are fed on shallow scours, because if the food be thrown into 

 deep water much that sinks is lost. I have always had mine from Biily, in 

 Mount street. Any one is a judge of their condition so far- as plumage is 

 concerned, and ail there is to guard against is their drowning from dryness 

 of plumage, and their being insufficiently pinioned. The wing should be cut 

 off to the spur. — B. 



Points of Cochins (CI).— A full answer to all your queries would take 

 ] up too much space. In all Cochins the head should be small and intelligent; 

 the comb small, perfectly straight, and with numerous serrations ; the 

 last joint of the wing clipped up, the legs well feathered, the fluff large 

 and soft, the tail small. If the tail be higher than the head, so much the 

 better. Black feathers in the tail do not disqualify. All other distinctions 

 are those of colour only. All mixtures are mistakes. 



Dorking Cock Wheezing (Agnes).— The Dorking cock is suffering from 

 cold or incipient roup. In either case the treatment would be the same. 

 Give castor oil freely, a tublespoonful at a dose, and every other day. Twice 

 or three times per day for a week, feed on stale bread steeped In strong ale. 

 Keep him in a dry place, and let him have sun if possible. 



Spanish Chicken Combs {Country Poultry-keeepcr) . — As a rule, we 

 do not choose the largest combs in Spanish chickens, they are apt to fall 

 over, which is a fatal fault. We should prefer the small ones, if the birds 

 are as good in every other respect. At the same time we would not lightly 

 discard the large if they were perfectly straight, and upright. 



Cochin Hen Diseased (/T. 3L).— We are afraid the hen is a bad case, 

 we have seen many such, and have never succeeded in curing them. The 

 thigh and leg generally wither. 



Name of Bird {Pio JVowu).— From the sketch of the bird which you 

 have sen': us, there is no doubt about its being the Pope Grosbeak, which is 

 a species of the Cardin il, but not the crested one. 



Liodrian Bbes (Surrey). — Write to T. Woodbury, Esq., Mount Radford, 

 Exeter. Bees will not injure poultry, but it too near neighbours the latter 

 will do mischief by picking up tired bees, which frequently drop and rest 

 on the ground near their hives. 



Work about Parrots [B. £T. W.).— We know of na such publication. 



Advertisement (Cymo).— We cannot give any opinion on the subject. 



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