Augnst 23, 1364. 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAG-E GARDENER. 



163 



quantity of honey. Glasses require to be kept warm by an 

 external covering of flannel, or some other non-conducting 

 material ; and the absence of this precaution, and the pos- 

 sible want of decoy-comb in the glasses, are the most proba- 

 ble causes of failure.] 



BEES FORSAKING A STOCK-HIVE. 



Excepting myself, no one in this neighbourhood, so far 

 as I am aware, keeps bees, and the present is only the second 

 season of my doing so, and this must be my apology for 

 asking for information. 



In May last year, I bought what was considered, and, I 

 belieTe, was a good top swarm, which threw off another 

 after I had had it about a month. I kept them through the 

 winter, both being strong and healthy. This season the 

 parent hive threw off two swarms, the first in the end of 

 May, and the second about three weeks later, both of which 

 continue, so far as I can judge, healthy and active. About 

 a month ago I remarked that the occupants of the original 

 hive seemed to become lazy, not showing themselves outside 

 in numbers like those of the five neighbouring hives, and 

 such as I should have expected from their supposed strength. 

 Daily their numbers seemed to diminish, till within a few 

 days past there has been " no appearance," and no sound 

 of life from within. I lifted the hive off the board ; and not 

 a little, I confess, to my disappointment and surprise, 

 found that they had fled, leaving about If lb. of wax, but 

 not an atom of honey. Now, will you kindly inform me 

 how this is to be accounted for, and in what way I can 

 prevent similar casualties among my bee stock in future ? — 

 E.J. S. 



[The bees have, doubtless, vanished from the old stock 

 owing to the absence of a queen, and this may have arisen 

 from various causes after the departure of the last swarm. 

 The remaining bees may have failed to raise a queen. Tour 

 stocks may be placed too close together, and the young 

 queen may, therefore, have perished through mistaking her 

 hive on her return from her wedding flight, or she may have 

 been " worried to death " by her own subjects, as related 

 by "A Devonshire Bee-keeper," in page 80. All that 

 you can do in order to render such a misfortune less likely 

 in future, is to take care that your hives are a sufficient 

 distance apart.] 



DEPRIVING. 



I have adopted the Woodbury bar-hive and super as re- 

 commended in the manual of " Bee-keeping for the Many." 

 I find that the stock-hive contains from 45 to 50 lbs. of 

 honey, and the super is filled with comb, but there is scarcely 

 any honey. The space also between the bars of the stock-box 

 and adapting-board is filled with comb and honey so full 

 that it appears one solid mass. Now, I am anxious to take 

 about 25 lbs. of honey from the super and stock-box, so as 

 to leave 25 lbs. in the stock-box to supply the bees during 

 winter. What plan would you recommend me to adopt ? 



I should remark that I had to remove the adapting-board 

 upon three or four occasions when I first put on the super 

 as the bees would not take to the super at first, but would 

 work between the top bars of the stock-box and the adapt- 

 ing-board. My adapting-board has openings near the sides 

 about a quarter of an inch in width. 



As I have discovered a sure system of ventilation, I think 

 of having hives made of glass sides covered with board 

 shutters lined with flannel, so as to be able to expose all 

 four sides to view at once. In order to take the honey from 

 my present box, do you think I should succeed if I were to 

 remove the cover of the super and place on it a hive con- 

 taining 25 lbs. of honey, and to drive the bees into it by 

 tapping at the sides of the stock-box and super ? Perhaps, 

 however, a quarter of an inch would not be sufficient space 

 for the queen and larger bees to ascend. In that case I 

 should have to enlarge the opening in one part. I have an 

 empty box with frame-bars. — J. H. L. 



[If the bees can spare them there is no objection to your 

 appropriating the two side combs only from the side box. 

 Their places will be best left vacant during winter, and in 

 spring they may be advantageously filled up by a couple of 



empty combs from the super. The combs remaining in the 

 latter should be taken care of, as they will give the bees an 

 excellent start in filling the super next spring. Bees gene- 

 rally fill the vacant space between the bars and crown-board 

 with comb which may be scraped off when convenient, but 

 you need not have removed the crown-board purposely. 



You had better allow your bees to remain in their present 

 domicile, and stock your new hive with a swarm in the 

 spring.] 



AUTUMNAL UNIONS. 



I have bees in a common cottage hive, and I wish to 

 take the honey without destroying them. I am told I can 

 fumigate them with the puff ball. I tried doing so but 

 lost my bees. I was afterwards told I could effect my object 

 by using chloroform : this I also tried, but whether the 

 chloroform was good or bad I cannot say. I failed again. 

 Some people think it a good plan to drum the bees ; bat I 

 should fear to rely on it. If you do not object to kindly 

 advise me what plan you consider best to deprive them, 

 without destroying them at this season of the year, I shall 

 esteem it a very great favour. — J. H. 



[Chloroform is destruction to bees, and fumigation we 

 believe little better. The best mode of appropriating the 

 contents of common cottage hives in autumn is to drive the 

 bees and unite them to other stocks. Articles from the pen 

 of " A Devonshire Bee-keeper," describing the best way 

 of performing these operations, appeared in Nos 139 and 144 

 of our new series.] 



REMOVING AND TRANSFERRING BEES. 



I wish to ask one or two questions respecting bees, if 

 you will kindly answer them. 



1st. I find I must shift my apiary as follows : — One lot 

 some 20 feet to the right, but esaetly in the same line as 

 before, and another lot some 40 feet in front, to shift them 

 by the side of the first lot. Will you kindly inform me 

 whether it is practicable so to do, and the best time ? 



2nd. I have taken 30 lbs. good from each of my eight 

 hives, on the depriving system. Would you advise me to 

 take any from the stock-box ? 



3rd. What is your opinion as to transferring bees at this 

 season into an empty hive — say from a straw to a bar-hive ? 



4th. Which, do your prefer, the collateral or storifying 

 system ? — John Newland. 



[The best plan will be to remove your bees temporarily 

 to a distance of not less than a mile and a half. This may 

 be done at once, and in three weeks' time they may be 

 brought back and arranged in their new positions. 



We should say, as a general rule, do not plunder stock- 

 boxes. 



Bees with their combs may even now be transferred from 

 straw into frame-hives, but it requires a considerable amount 

 of apiarian skill to perform this operation successfully. 



We prefer the storifying to the collateral system.] 



A GOOD BEE-HIVE. 



Several correspondents have written to us inquiring what 

 is the best style of bee-hive, where it can be obtained, and 

 how it is managed. We have been at some pains to collect 

 information on these points ; and we shall now give the 

 results of our investigations, in the hope that they may 

 be of service to intending or actual bee-keepers. We 

 present herewith two illustrations of a hive, which, without 

 hazarding the assertion that it is absolutely the best in 

 existence, we have no hesitation in pronouncing a very 

 good one, and, on the whole, the best that has come 

 under our observation. It is manufactured by Mr. P. A. 

 Scott, an ingenious mechanic of Toronto. This hive bears 

 a strong resemblance in its leading features to the Lang- 

 stroth-hive, but embodies improvements suggested by other 

 eminent apiculturists, as well as some peculiarities of Mr. 

 Scott's own devising. A very fair general idea of its outward 

 appearance and internal arrangements may be gathered 



