242 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 19, 1885. 
frame hives, 1882 ; 6, 7, 8, and 9, bar-frame hives, 1883, the dates show¬ 
ing when they started as separate colonies. The intention in 1881 were 
to get stock, and as everybody was keen in tendering advice 1 resolved 
to rely solely on my own judgment. Besides, what could I have better 
forsolvingdoubts and answering hard questions than the “The Bee-keeper” 
in the files of the Journal of Horticulture? Well had it been if I had 
not only read but heeded, yet beginners do not like the rutted road, they 
must take a smooth path offering a near cut, and they see no danger 
until lost in a quagmire. Some beginners, it is true, follow their leader 
and are safe, but labour under the disadvantage of not making any 
discovery, as they know nothing of disaster. 
Taking the hives in the order named the following were the results: — 
No. 1, straw skep did not swarm naturally, though the bees had clustered 
since the third week in May, and were therefore driven on the 13th June, 
and so effectually that but few bees were left in the skep. Though set 
in its old place they kept to the queen, and the original colony, which 
was a runaway swarm, died out; indeed I found its entrance sealed by 
the cocoons of the worms of moths, and I consigned the lot to the flames. 
The bees of No. 2 straw skep were driven on the same day, and as the 
disaster to me was even then foreseen, I took pains not to drive so keenly, 
taking only a weak swarm, and leaving about half the bees in the skep. 
These recruited famously, and I intended to find them som in the 
possession of a fertile queen, and then transfer them to a bar hive. Strong 
they were and heavy, and just as I was thinking of transferring I was 
prevented doing so by circumstances to be afterwards described. 
In No. 3 bar-frame hive the bees swarmed naturally on May 17th. 
A second swarm was sought by artificial means on June 16th, and this 
though making fair progress died. This was a great blunder. I got but 
a weak swarm, and it so weakened the parent hive that they did not 
recover, and fell an easy prey to robbers later on. Thus I lost the stock 
aod the second swarm. No. 4 bar-frame hive produced a swarm on 
May 20th, and another swarm issued on May 30th, both naturally. The 
last died in the dog days. The stock succumbed to robbing. The bees 
of No. 5 bar-frame hive swarmed naturally on May 24th, and in seeking 
a second swarm by driving on June 14(h a failure was experienced. 
No. 6 bar-frame hive did not swarm naturally, and failed in driving on 
June 14th. I failed to find a queen, and it fell a prey to robbers. No. 7 
bar-frame hive was made to yield a swarm on June 14th artificially, and 
I failed to take a second on June 26th. I began to think of retrieving 
the apparent disaster, therefore returned the queen to her disconsolate 
subjects. No. 8 bar-frame hive gave a strong swarm by artificial means 
on June 14th, and it failed in making a second on June 26th, or rather it 
was so poor that I returned it. No. 9 bar-frame hive made no effort at 
natural swarming, and I made an effort at an artificial, and with so little 
success that it wa3 returned. Then I sought a multiplication of the 
swarm of May 17th from 3 bar-frame hive stock, and so poor was this 
that it also was put back, and I tried the swarm from 4 bar-frame hive 
stock for increase, and had to return it. 
Up to the middle of July I had sixteen stocks or prospective stocks, as 
none of them had then collapsed, which I did not consider bad 
progress, especially as I had seven swarms out of as many stocks ; but I 
saw an enemy on the frontier in the information conveyed to me that a 
neighbour who keeps bees for profit had taken 2£ cwt. of honey by the 
extracting system—a worse than the brimstone pit system, or from the 
bars at the height of the honey season. I knew what it meant, as honey 
was scarce, the Clover was drie 1, and other sources of supply were almost 
nil. If the honey were taken from the bees where were they to draw 
their food from ? The weather was very hot, to close the entrances was 
out of the question, so I got some perforated zinc, cut a hole to admit one 
bee only at a time, and placed it over the entrances of all the hives. This 
was not done a moment too soon, for down upon the hives was a host of 
Ligurians and half-breds. The Ligurians first tried the 2 straw skep, 
and though the battle was fierce the blacks (ours are all blacks) had to 
yield, and I took it up—as they had driven out the bees—to save the 
honey, which was in full store ; but there was no brood, so I suppose the 
bees had failed to rear a queen, or her majesty bad been lost. 
The robbers would have nothing to do with No. 1 skep, which was 
soon explained when I found the entrance sealed by the cocoons of the 
moths. Foiled in getting the honey from No. 2 skep the robbers fixed on 
No. 5 bar-fr ime hive. The slaughter was severe, but what could one do 
against twenty-six, the number of hives of the famished Ligurians? It 
fell. I closed it to save the honey (not less than 72 lbs.), and the robbers 
repeated the compliment on No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 bar-frame hives, but 
in no case were they allowed to take the spoil. Tee efforts of the Ligurians 
on the other hives were remarkable. They tried to gain an entrance by 
every crack, that on the floorboard being clustered with them, also where 
the cover joined the hive. The sixteen were by early August reduced to 
ten, and 1 began to despair of even these, as wasps came and gained an 
entrance, which I thought showed the bees were wearied out ; but any 
doubts on this head were soon dispelled, for if a Ligurian showed at the 
entrance it was soon expelled, and so were the wasps. These I trapped 
by gallons, for to get at their nests was impracticable beyond a radius of 
a quarter of a mile in two directions— i.e., north and south, and we 
destroyed over eighty nests where we had liberty of action. I may 
mention that the Ligurians entered the bottles of sweetened beer set for 
the wasps, yet they soon found out the mistake. Still they sought the 
hives until September 4th, when something occurred which I had not 
anticipated, although I had noticed the black bees were gaining more 
confidence and were more frequently seen from the hives ; for from the 
middle of July to early September they kept very closely to the hives, 
appearing to care for nothing only to guard their stores. 
A neighbour who keeps bees on the old lines—straw skeps and brimstone 
pit system—kindly offered before the disasters began to let me have the 
bees he intended destroying, and he had to send word several times before 
I could be prevailed on to fetch them, for I feared their falling a prey to 
the Ligurians, as I intended to put the driven bees into the old hives 
which were heavy in honey. As he would take no denial I took four 
hives and transferred a3 many stocks. One was a second swarm, and 
though having a good queen I deposed her and put the bees to one of the 
other stocks stood in the place of the poor hive on purpose. I therefore 
had three stocks, and being put in hives with plenty of stores, I made no 
question of their doing well, only having a slight doubt of one, which was 
an old stock, only moderately populated, and to which the bees of the 
second swarm hive had joined. No somer were these got home than on 
came the vandals again, I think in stronger force than ever. They gained 
an entrance, and the black bees simply rushed out of the hive and gave 
up the combat. What became of the queen I do not know, for though 1 
sought for her I failed to find her dead, and she certainly was alive when 
the Ligurians made the onslaught on the hive. The black bees seemed to 
fight more languidly in thi3 hive, but in the other two they defended the 
entrance with the keenest determination, and they were subjected to 
daily warfare until the 14th Sep'ember, when I noticed black bees in 
fierce battle with the Ligurians at the entrance to the hive they had 
driven the bees from, but it was closed by perforated zinc. The blacks 
from the ten hives that had been on the defensive for six weeks fought 
most courageously and victoriously. From that day to this (Feb. 13th) 
I have not seen a Ligurian bee near the hives. The black bees had the 
honey, I gave them another full of their unfortunate comrades garnering 
yesterday and to-day, which they seemed to much enjoy. The black bees 
have not the greed of Ligurians, but they have pluck, and will, I feel sure, 
outlive any number of foreigners. 
I have now twelve colonies all in bar hives. Only one is weak, and 
it is seeking to become strong, as I notice pollen is being gathered which 
I think is obtained from the catkins of the Hazel. Except the two taken 
from the skeps all are carrying pollen, so that I am improving, and shall 
be careful in future to make all stocks before the middle of June, and 
always have stocks strong enough to resist invaders. I must say in con¬ 
clusion that I hesitated about sending my experience in bee-keeping for 
1884, yet I thought it would be cowardly to shrink even from an attack 
of hostile criticism, especially as I was so inexperienced ; but the best of 
apiarians must have been schooled in experience of a similar character, 
and d saster only nerved them to greater effort. I have more to say 
yet.— G. Abbey. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Keynes, Williams & Co., Salisbury. —List of New Boses for 1885. 
Webb & Son, Wordsley, Stourbridge.— Catalogue of Special Manures. 
Harkness & Sons, Bedale, Yorkshire.— Catalogue of Florist? Flowers and 
List oj Lawn Mowers. 
*#* All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor’ 
or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
members of the staff often remain unopened unavoidably. We 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended for insertion should be written on one side of the paper 
only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, and we 
do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Books (IF. C.). —The work you name is out of print. ( L. E .).—We know 
of no other work on the Tomato than Mr. Iggulden’s, which is practical and 
good. It is published at this office, Is. Id., post free. 
Tea Roses (A. B.). —The vendor to whom you refer was not justified in 
sending plants different from those ordered, and if he had sent them to us 
we should have returned them immediately, as the grafting would then 
have been quite apparent. This being so, and you having accepted and 
planted them, we suspect you have no remedy, but you had better consult a 
solicitor. 
Pruning Yew Hedge (B. T. S.). —If the Yews have been well planted 
and the roots are kept moist throughout the spring and summer we think 
there will be small risk of failure. In the warm afternoons of bright days 
during the same period a good watering over the foliage, or syringing, 
would be beneficial. The protruding side growths may bo shortened now 
with the knife, next spring still more closely, also with the knife, and in 
August afterwards, or in 1886, the shears may probably be used. Your 
1 letter on bees being marked “ private,” we presume no reply is expected. 
