174 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
tilation is ample except in excessively hot 
weather, at which time the hive-covers can be 
raised slightly, to the comfort of the bees. — 
(I. W. Demaree. 
I use and prefer an opening of from | to $ of 
an inch, and clear across the end of my hive, 
which is 11| inches. I prefer the triangular 
Langstroth blocks to the many devices that I 
have tested, and all I have ever heard of. 
These entrances, with the aid of the bees, 
furnish all the ventilation needed ; all upward 
ventilation in summer has proved worse than 
useless with me. — James Heddon. 
I prefer an entrance made by cutting a 
piece a of an inch deep out of the front end 
of the bottom-board, extending clear across 
the front end, running to a point son ething 
like a V, about four inches from the front end. 
Give a full entrance by pushing the hive even 
with the first end, which gives all necessary 
ventilation The entrance is reduced by 
sliding the hive back. — R. L. Taylor. 
1. The entrance should be the full width 
of the hive, and about f of an inch deep. The 
triangular blocks of the Langstroth hive are 
about as good as we could wish. 2. The 
ventilation secured at the entrance of the hive 
is usually sufficient.— The Editor 
BEES NATIVES OF ENGLAND. 
From British Bee Journal. 
Bees are mentioned in some of our earliest 
national records, and the mention of them is 
such as demonstrates how highly they were 
valued. Nor is this a cause for surprise, inas- 
much as that mead or metheglin was the 
choicest drink of the Britons’ feasts ; and 
although the household of the Prince of 
Wales one thousand years ago comprised but 
twenty-four officials, the eleventh of them was 
the mead-maker, and he ranked next before 
the royal physician. 
So highly was superior mead prized in 
those days that one of the royal privileges was 
to have the first offer of every cask that was 
intended to be sold. 
We are accustomed to consider our fore- 
fathers of those days as rude and barbarous, 
and they were so if measured by our present 
standards of habits and education, but com- 
pared with contemporary nations they ap- 
pear to advantage, for their laws and customs 
were fully equal in good sense to those of 
their neighbors on the Continent. As an 
illustration we will quote from the laws 
relative to bees enforced by Howel Dlia, who 
was chief ruler of Wales about a.d. 940. 
“ Op the Price of Bees. 
An old hive is valued at 24 pence. 
A spring swarm at 16 pence. 
A second swarm at 12 pence. 
A swarm from a first swarm at 12 pence. 
A swarm from a second swarm at 8 pence. I 
A swarm after the Calends of August at 
4 pence, and that shall be the price unti the 
Calends of November. 
After the Calends of November an old hive 
is valued at 24 pence, and the swarm which 
came off after the Calends of August shall not 
be considered as an old swarm before the 
Calends of May, and then it shall be value! 
: at 24 pence. 
Three huntings are free (that is, yon may 
follow them upon another man’s ground), of a 
swarm of bees settled upon a branch, and of a 
Fox, and of an Otter, because they have no 
certain abode. 
Bees were first born in Paradise, and were 
driven thence on account of man’s sin, but 
God blessed them : therefore mass ought not 
to be sung without their wax being present. 
He who finds a swarm resting on a branch 
in another man’s land shall receive 4 pence 
from the possessor of the land, if the latter 
wishes to retain the swarm. 
No swarm shall be valued at more than 
1 pence until it has remained quietly for three 
days and three nights in the same place, and 
that in fine weather. Of those days the first 
is required to ascertain whether it will settle; 
another in examining whether it will cluster, 
and the third whether it will continue here.” 
Wotton’s Leges Wallies ’ , page 254. 
inquirers’ Column. 
Can you assign any reason why colonies of bees 
begin a civil war amongst themselves ? A large 
colony with plenty of sealed honey, but little 
coming in at tlm time, so began to fight, until 
half their number and the queen (which had 
only been introduced a few days previous) was 
slain. — T asman. 
It may be noticed that in opening a hive which 
has no mat on the top of the frames or section 
I boxes, that a large number of bees are congre- 
gated on the top, who are apparently doing 
! nothing particular, but are distended with honey, 
so much so, that, although the stock may be but 
Hybrid, these bees would give the impression 
i that a purely-mated queen was within — showing 
clearly three bands, in consequence of the fullness 
of honey distending their bodies. Are they 
loafers, or are they fulfilling any important or 
secondary part ?— Tasman. 
HCmertisemeuts. 
Iiccln'ccpcrs' §up(n Co., 
18 FRANSi&SN ST., 
L. T. CHAMBERS, Manager. 
“ Langstroth,” “ Heddon,” “ Alley,” or any 
other style of Hive in stock or made to order. 
Foundation Honey Extractors, Solar Ex- 
tractors, Section Boxes, and all the requisites 
of the Apiary. 
Bees. Queens, Brood, Eggs, supplied in m 
quantities. 
