84 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND GOTIAOE GARDENER. 
[ July 24. 1884. 
and success. We have dividers so constructed that by removing a 
wooden shutter access to front and rear of brood nest can be given 
to the bees through perforated zinc, oblong pattern. It is difficult 
to get the sections nicely or quickly finished ofl: in rear and front 
of brood nest. The bees take to them very readily when thej'^ are 
exposed at the right time, but as we are generally called upon by 
the rapid increase in numbers to place sections over the frames 
before those below are finished, these latter are often left for a long 
time in this unfinished state, sometimes never nicely finished, but 
the honey either consumed or partly removed to the upper regions. 
We now have a frame of four sections exposed to view behind the glass 
walls of a powerful hive. They have been constantly glistening with 
honey, and then the quantity reduced again, while two boxes above con¬ 
taining some 56 lbs. of honey are nearly finished off. Knowing this, 
the obvious lesson learnt is to get the foundation drawn out below, and 
then to remove the sections with bees adhering to the boxes above. 
This we render easy by so placing the section rack over the ten centre 
frames that the available space below is easily get-at-able, and 
serves as a nursery for the sections, which soon are removed to the 
upper tiers, empty ones taking their place. It is very seldom, indeed, 
that the queen will pass into the upper racks. She passes from 
comb to comb, but does not like to go through any intervening 
passage, neither to go through small apertures. Perforated zinc is 
therefore more detrimental than useful over the top bars. The rack 
is so arranged that the bees have some three-sixteenths of an inch 
space between the entrances to the sections and the top of the hive 
bars. When the first rack of sections has been well started, if the 
bees still show want of room, another rack is placed over the first, 
having in it a few sections commenced below or in the first rank, 
and with the adherent bees. 
Bee-keepers among our acquaintance have failed to keep bees in 
the sections when a sudden spell of colder weather has set in, through 
not having been careful to well wrap up the section racks. We are 
particularly anxious to see that our supers when properly'' arranged 
are well enveloped in flannel or other woollen coverings, and we use 
broad strips to tie up all tightly, so as to exclude the cold air and to 
prevent the escape of heat. We like to place flat bits of board over 
the top. Bees cannot secrete wax at a lower temperature than from 
90° to 95°, and a much higher temperature is good to cause the quick 
drawing-out of foundation, therefore supers cannot be too carefully 
wrapped up ; but the greater the heat the sooner will the sealing be 
soiled and turned yellow, therefore care must be taken to open up 
the racks at the proper time, so as to get the sections out as soon as 
possible after they have been sealed up. The middle ones will be 
ready first, and when they are taken the outer one should be brought 
to the middle, and new ones placed on the outsides. 
Bees often swarm after the supers have been entered, leaving a 
lot of incomplete sections. This is generally the case where prepara¬ 
tion for supering has not gradually and constantly been made from 
early spring. Now and then after the greatest care a sudden wave 
of heat, particularly heavy thundery weather, will cause supers to be 
deserted, but this is very seldom when all the preventive measures 
have been carried out which we have endeavoured to explain. Supers 
mu.st in such a case be taken off, the brood combs examined, queen 
cells excised, honey extracted from the outer combs of the brood 
nest, and the queen caged for a day or two, supers replaced, and 
queen released when the bees seem to take to their work again. If 
pretty early in the season when this happens we should never hesitate 
to hive the swarm, give plenty of foundation, feed with syrup for a 
fortnight, having placed the swarm in the place of the old stock, 
and then super the new colony. Greater results will thus perhaps be 
obtained than if we fought the natural propensity, and the old stock 
will work up into a good colony by autumn with a young queen at 
its head.—P. H. P. 
NOTES ON THE SEASON. 
Although the weather during the latter part of May and 
beginning of June was dry with bright sunshine, the thermo¬ 
meter sank often at night during that time to 30° and 32°, con¬ 
sequently vegetation made little progress. Large tracts of 
Strawberries are almost totally destroyed through the drought 
and insects. Plums that promised a great crop have dropped; 
Apples and Pears are stunted; Gooseberries, where they were 
not overpruned, are a fair crop; but with the exception of the 
last-named and Currants, the fruit prospects are very poor. 
I only removed the feeders from my hives on the 25th of June, 
as up till that time little or no honey was to be had. On the 
morning of the 26th it was doubtful whether I had acted wisely 
in removing the feeders, but a favourable change came, and on 
the 27th I put on supers, which were at once taken possession of 
by the bees, which wrought vigorously, especially in the after¬ 
noon, as it was t jo hot at midday. On Saturday the thermometer 
stood at 88° in the shade, but cooling down a little the next five 
days, when it culminated in a severe thunderstorm and deluge of 
rain. During that one week the bees increased much in weight, 
the strong ones completing from 12 to 15 lbs. honeycomb in 
supers, besides storing much in the body of the hive. 
Swarms or old stocks do not take to supers until young bees 
are hatching, unless these are in hives too small to be profitable. 
In such cases their whole ingatherings may be stored in a super, 
which I prefer to be stored in the body of a large hive, so that 
the bees will be kept in good heart, and then as they increase 
the supers will be filled far more rapidly, and more of them, than 
when bees are crowded into too small hives, which are often 
found at the end of the season with little stores and few bees for 
winter. 
Early swarms, and stocks that swarmed early, are showing 
signs of swarming, which, if they do, means many stocks but 
little honey. There are different ways of managing July swarms 
as well as non-swarmers. I very often keep the swarm off by 
placing it on the old stock’s site; I then transfer about two-thirds 
of its combs to the new swaiun, crushing all queen cells—not 
cutting, as that induces the bees to raise royal cells ; the rest of 
the combs I leave to the old stock to raise a young queen to 
form a stock for next season. Another plan is, if there are any 
weak hives not likely to be profitable, if the combs are fresh and 
free from disease, join the swarm to it, placing a super at the 
same time. This is an excellent way of utilising weak hives or 
empty combs. My next pilan is to double late swarms, as it is 
more profitable and agreeable to have a few good hives than 
many weak and worthless ones. In ten days of fine July weather 
two large swarms successfully joined will make great weight, 
while tbe combs of honey are of the purest. Then the old stocks 
are certain to have young queens, which enhances their value as 
stocks for next season. 
Not only has it been in my own apiary that queens have been 
deposed in April and May, but from every quarter I am in 
correspondence with it has been the same, which has been a 
great drawback, many hives through this not yet being in a position 
to collect much honey. Bee-keepers will, however, learn from 
the lesson the importance of having young queens at the head of 
every stock, and to avoid all unnecessary feeding and meddling 
with hives after September, for rest assured that autumn feeding 
is one of the causes of queens being deposed in spring. In some 
of my hives I have bees that were bred last summer, so the bee¬ 
keeper should turn a deaf ear to those statements that it is abso¬ 
lutely necessary for the well-being of a hive to cause the bees to 
breed in autumn—valuable enough if hatched not later than 
September, but dangerous if later.— A Lanarkshire Bee 
KEEPER. 
MOVING BEES. 
Will you kindly give me some advice in the pages of your Journal 
as to moving two hives of bees ? I have two strong stocks of bees in bar- 
frame hives, and am unfortunately obliged to move them to another part 
of the garden, about 40 yards distant, where I have two swarms in 
fckeps. 
1, At what time of year do you advise me to move them ? 
2, Must I move them by degrees, a little every day, or can I pick up 
the hives in the winter and place them in their new quarters without 
injuring the bees ? 
3, Would it be better to keep them in the hives as they are, merely 
placing them beside the skeps, or should I drive the skep bees and unite 
them to the stocks 1 
4, If they are to be united would it be necessary to bring the hives 
gradually near the skeps before uniting 1 
If you will give me the benefit of your advice I shall be very much 
obliged.—A delaide Feilbeeg. 
[Had you stated the position of all the hives it would have been 
easier to advise. Presumably they are facing the two straw hives; if not, 
turn them to face them, then separate the two frame hives (if nothing 
intervenes) say 5 or 6 yards laterally ; then if the day is fine move them 
forward 5 or 6 yards daily towards the desired spot, but unless the day is 
fine do not attempt moving them. 
1, Now is the proper time to move bees under the circumstances. 
Never move bees short distances unless in warm weather. 
2, We have often moved hives 40 yards when no others were near. 
The bees in a few minutes on a fine day soon discover their hive, but if at 
all chilly all the flying bees would be lost. When bees have to be re¬ 
moved a short distance in cold weather move them several miles for three 
weeks or so, then take them back. If there had been one hive only 
might be removed the distance at once. 
3 and 4, These questions are rather vague. If you wish to unite the 
bees of the straw hives do so, but if not let them remain as they are. 
This you must determine for yourself. When hees are driven they act 
not unlike a swarm settling in their new quarters, so that it is un¬ 
necessary at this season to have them near each other. Preserve the 
young queens if you double them.] 
