November 22, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



421 



10 inches deep. These were both, filled, the lower division 

 containing a quantity of brood. Exclusive of this, 37 lbs. 

 of nice honeycombs were taken. 



No. 3. A ten-framed hive. — Queen from original Ligurian 

 obtained from Mr. "Woodbury. Supered on May 9th with 

 large square glass box, 13 by 7 inches. Honeycomb, 36 lbs., 

 of prime quality. 



No. 4. Flat-topped straw hive.— A swarm of 1858, which 

 has been a most prolific honey-giver. Raised May 14th on an 

 octagon Stewarton-box, furnished with empty combs. When 

 the queen had commenced laying eggs in the lower division 

 the old straw hive was removed, the bees driven out, and 

 transferred to the box. It now promises to make a nice 

 hive. It is worthy of remark that, although eight years 

 old, the combs in the straw hive appeared by no means 

 worn out, and were, at the time of removal (July 11th), 

 occupied by five times the quantity of brood and eggs that 

 the lower and newer box of combs contained. 



No. 5. An eight-frame box. — Supered early in May with 

 an octagon ^Stewarton-hive, which was raised on a shallow 

 eke on June 5th. From this, though not filled, 31 lbs. of 

 excellent combs were obtained. 



No. 6. A ten-frame box. — On May 9th a large but shallow 

 nine-bar super was given. The bars fit the frames in the 

 stock-hives. Honey taken, 30 lbs. 



No. 7. Adjuster-hive. — Old combs in a very dirty state in 

 the spring, and hive very light, but strong in bees. The 

 adjuster super having been slipped down over the stock-box, 

 communication was opened into a space of about 13j- inches, 

 by 6 inches in depth. From time to time, according to the 

 bees' progress in comb-building, the super was raised an 

 inch or two, until a depth of 11 inches had been attained. 

 This hive afforded me 37 lbs. of beautiful honey. 



No. 8. A ten-frame box. — Supered early in May with a 

 bar box similar to that of No. 6. After the bees had about 

 two-thirds filled it with combs, a swarm was thrown off the 

 last week in May, and a stop put for a time to any further 

 progress. Eventually the hive regained its strength, and a 

 fine box of honey was taken; nett weight, 27 lbs. 



No. 8. A flat-topped straw hive.— Stocked with a pur- 

 chased swarm on May 19th. No honey given by it. 



No. 10. Ten-frame box. — My original Ligurian stock, 

 having a young queen raised from the brood, after the un- 

 timely death of the old Ligurian queen, caused by her own 

 subjects in the previous autumn. A shallow bar-box super 

 was first put on ; three others of similar size, but without 

 top, bottom, or bars, were slipped in between the super and 

 the stock until a box of 13} inches square by 15 inches deep 

 was filled by the bees. This contained an enormous weight, 

 but unfortunately the queen bred in the lower part of it 

 extensively. Having removed the supers, and forcibly ex- 

 cited the bees, all the comb which contained any brood, or 

 showed signs of having been used for breeding, was merci- 

 lessly excised, and given tc another stock for hatching out. 

 One of the ekes was taken away, and the rest returned to 

 the bees to make good any deficiency. Eventually 40 lbs. of 

 prime and pure combs were taken as my share of the spoil. 



No. 11. Large octagon-box. — The bees would not work in 

 a super, nor _ did they appear to become very populous until 

 rather late in the summer, when a swarm was thrown off, 

 and, unfortunately, lost altogether. This swarm flew to a 

 neighbour's house, and entered a small crack in the brick- 

 work below a window-sill, taking up their quarters under 

 the flooring of the bedroom. They were smoked out with a 

 great deal of trouble, but not saved, 



No. 12. A flat-topped straw hive. — A late swarm on the 

 11th of July, the previous summer. The honey-harvest was 

 virtually over by the 18th of the same month, yet late as it 

 was the bees filled the stock, and collected about 4 lbs. of 

 honey in a super. The hive was in good condition early 

 in the year, but whether owing to throwing off a swarm 

 undiscovered, or from want of fecundity in the queen, I can- 

 not say, but it did not answer the expectations formed of 

 it. A nice bell-glass of 12 lbs. 8 ozs. was the total amount 

 of the harvest afforded. 



No. 13. A frame-hive. — Brood-combs at different times 

 were removed for forming artificial swarms, and the majority 

 of the bees taken at another for the same object. This 

 hive, though subjected to such severe deprivation, has re- 

 covered its strength. 



No. 14. Eight-frame box. — Hybridised Ligurian stock. A 

 large octagon glass box put on May 1st. On the 18th a 

 second box, without bars or top, was slipped between the 

 stock and first super. These formed, unitedly, an octagon 

 super 13 inches in diameter by 144- inches deep, which was 

 completely filled, and removed on the 16th of July, weighing 

 72 lbs. nett, of the finest and richest honeycomb I ever saw. 

 A second super, partially worked, was then put on in its 

 place, and the bees added 3-j- lbs. to its contents. Total 

 weight of honey obtained 75 lbs. S ozs. This hive is an 

 artificial swarm of 1862, headed by a pure Ligurian queen, 

 given to me by Mr. Woodbury, being fertilised by a black 

 drone, her bees are, of course, hybrid, but do not seem to be 

 any the worse as honey-storers on that account. This hive 

 gave me 50 lbs. of honey in supers last year. The stock is 

 very heavy and populous at the present time. 



No. 15. A ten-frame box. — An artificial swarm formed by 

 driven bees last autumn. Deprived of several brood and 

 honeycombs this summer for strengthening artificial swarms, 

 and 10 lbs. S ozs. of rich honeycomb removed in frames from 

 the stock-box, empty frames being substituted, the defi- 

 ciencies were quickly filled up. 



No. 16. A fine swarm, purchased a week after being hived. 

 Inbringing it home by rail every comb fell. The bees were but 

 little injured. On being liberated they went quietly to work, 

 but a few hours afterwards suddenly poured out of the hive, 

 and flew right off, without collecting together in the ah-, so 

 that no one could distinguish in the least the direction they 

 took. After a minute search and inquiry the swarm was 

 given up as lost. About 7 o'clock in the evening a neigh- 

 bour's gardener called to say that he had just discovered 

 the swarm in a holly tree close to the ground, only about 

 50 yards from my garden. The bees had to mount over 

 some very high trees and descend almost perpendicularly. 

 Having hived and brought them home, I transferred them 

 to a frame-box, first taking the precaution of putting in a 

 frame of nice brood-comb, removed from a non-honey-col- 

 lecting stock, thinking it possible that there might be no 

 queen with the swarm : however, on inspection a day or two 

 afterwards a fine queen was discovered. This being a common 

 stock I killed all the drones, and in so doing let fall the 

 comb on which I had just found the queen. The weather 

 was very hot, and it was a complete smash. I collected the 

 bees as well as I could, but saw nothing of the queen ; but 

 she afterwards proved to have been uninjured, and must 

 have been taken up with the rest, as I found her on one of 

 the frames before leaving. This hive was subjected to many 

 drawbacks in the removal of combs and bees — nevertheless, 

 it is now tolerably strong and well filled. 



No. 17. A ten-framed box. — Supered with the rest — never 

 worked very well ; and I believe a swarm was thrown off and 

 lost from it on a Sunday, when no one was near. A super of 

 15 lbs. 8 ozs. fell to my share. 



No. 18. A ten-framed box. — An artificial swarm raised _ 

 this summer. Mr. Woodbury kindly offered me a sealed* 

 royal cell from one of his best Ligurian stocks. I at once 

 made a nucleus from No. 13 by removing a comb of well- 

 advanced sealed brood, together with a sufficient number of 

 bees, confined them within doors for a day, after which 

 liberated the bees, and fixed the royal cell just cut out from 

 its own hive in the brood-comb. A week afterwards a fine 

 queen was at liberty, and the nucleus-box was removed to 

 Mr. Woodbury's garden for the purpose of being near to his 

 Ligurian drones. The plan seems to have proved successful. 

 She is a beautiful queen, and her offspring are apparently 

 pure. By their own exertions, and the great breeding 

 powers of the queen, together with the assistance of a comb 

 or two from other hives, this nucleus has been built up into 

 a fine stock. 



No. 19. An eight-frame box. — Afforded a nice super of 

 12 lbs. weight. 



No. 20. A ten-frame box. — Supered early in May. This, 

 one of my very best working hives, while filling a large 

 super most rapidly, unfortunately threw off a swarm. Honey 

 taken, 23 lbs. 



No. 21. A ten-frame box. — A four-bar super, of the great 

 depth of 15 inches, was filled by this time. Weight of 

 honeycombs, 31 lbs. 



No. 22. An octagon-box, which filled a super with 15J- lbs. 

 of honey. 



