244 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 22, 1883. 
II 
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HE BEE-KEEPER. | 
BEES AMONGST SNOW. 
In the changing and uncertain 'climate of Great Britain showers 
and falls of snow are not uncommon in the month of March, and 
sometimes we have had such in April. Experienced bee-keepers 
know that while snow is on the ground or around an apiary bees 
should never be allowed to leave their hives. During frosty 
weather they will not venture out, but when the thermometer 
rises and snow begins to melt the bees venture to fly, and in doing 
so many perish. They seem to be dazzled and bewildered by the 
light, and rapidly fall into the snow, and become motionless in a 
moment. The heat of their bodies melts soft snow, causing them 
to sink about an inch in it. When snow is crusted on the surface 
bees on touching it lose the power of their feet and legs by a 
kind of paralysis, and many of them are unable to take wing, 
roll on to their backs, and speedily perish. Many hives are 
weakened—some are destroyed by loss of bees in snow. This is 
well known. 
The severity of the present frost and its continuance in the 
middle of March is a new experience to British bee-keepers. The 
past winter was mild and favourable for bees. At the end of 
January hives were strong, and the bees of many of the hives in 
this section of the country began to breed, then when Snowdrops 
and Crocuses came into flower the bees in great numbers were 
seen on them. Some of the strongest hives had two and three 
seams of brood sealed, and doubtless much brood unsealed. At 
the beginning of March we had several days of cold and cutting 
winds, so cold that bees would not leave their nests for food ; 
afterwards severe frost set in, bringing down the mercury of the 
thermometer at nights below 20° ; one morning, the 10th of 
March, to 13°, or 19° of frost. The frost still continues, and snow 
is now falling in Cheshire on this the lGth of March. If the 
frost had come a month sooner little harm would have been done to 
hives. 
In my time we have never before experienced such severe and 
continuous frost in the brood-rearing season, and therefore I can¬ 
not speak from experience as to the extent of the injury probably 
done to the brood during the last fortnight. We know that bees 
dislike cold winds even in April and May, and in order to protect 
their brood then from chilliDg winds they contract their doors 
with compact masses of their own bodies. In the months of April, 
May, and June bees spread the eggs of their queens as widely as 
they can be covered and hatched, and when cold winds come they 
endeavour to keep them out by blocking or corking their door¬ 
ways. Hives are numerically weak in March generally speaking, 
and in severe weather, such as we have now, the bees have two 
difficulties to contend against—viz., first, their inability to feed and 
nurse their brood ; and secondly, their inability to keep it warm 
enough. In cold weather bees are very helpless creatures. In 
winter and early spring bee-masters will do well to give them all 
the protection possible. Before the present frost set in hives were 
in capital condition, and fruit trees covered with blossom buds, 
giving bee-keepers good hopes of early swarms and great results, 
and therefore this severe and unexpected weather is the more 
disappointing. Bv-and-by we shall learn what real harm, if any, 
has been done by it beyond stopping progress for a season, 
—A. Pettigrew. 
BEE-FEEDEBS. 
The interesting article on bee-feeders hy “ Y. B. A. Z.” appears 
to he particularly valuable at the present time, inasmuch as his 
verdict, after reviewing a three-shilling, a two-shilling, and a six¬ 
penny feeder, is in favour of the latter. In these days of expensive 
hives with expensive appliances the saving of 1.?. 6rZ. or 2s. G d. for 
each hive, where many are kept, is a matter of consideration, but if 
the owner of the said hives be a cottager the economy is a real boon. 
The points mentioned as requisite for a stimulative feeder—namely, 
the power to give much or little, prevention of robbing, ease of 
application, are in the first and second instances fully sustained 
hy the vulcanite stage and feeding shovel, and I might add flower¬ 
pots ; hut the ease of application may he made still easier hy a slight 
alteration which I would submit for “Y. B. A. Z.’s ” approval. 
The device is exceedingly simple, and, moreover, cheap, id. being 
an outside figure for each complete feeder. 
Before explaining it, perhaps it would be well to state the 
necessities that suggested the contrivance. The defective principle 
on which “socket” feeders are constructed is most clearly set forth, 
hut my experience with those, though not actually Mr. Blow’s, 
was attended with more direful results than those mentioned by 
“Y. B. A. Z.” Besides finding that bees took their “half pint 
regular” in spite of a “ temperance movement,” I have more than 
once flooded a colony hy lifting off a half-emptied bottle when 
preparing for examination, and instead of lifting off the cover with 
the bottle, left that useful appendage in the socket fast and firm. 
Doubtless this was careless. “Very!” I hear it muttered, hut the 
fact remains that many of these feeders are made too beautifully exact. 
After using for some time the wood swells, and thus gets a firm 
grip of the inverted cover, which is difficult to extract, even with 
the help of a screwdriver or some such tool. It occurred to me, 
therefore, to dispense with the assistance of the socket, and to make 
the stage as follows. 
Take two pieces of three-eighth red deal 5 inches square. Place 
them together cross way of the grain to prevent warping, and fasten 
them together with wire nails. Bore two 1-inch auger holes, or larger. 
Tack over these a piece of wire cloth 4 inches square. This com¬ 
pletes the stage. Any wide-mouthed bottle will do provided the 
rim is even. (Kuh on a rough paving stone if not square.) These 
have tin caps, which I order without any holes in, so that I can 
please myself as to number and place hy punching them as re¬ 
quired. My tinman charges 1.?. a dozen for these caps—be would 
doubtless be glad to make them in unlimited quantities—so that if 
the bottle he reckoned at 2d. and the wire cloth and wood Id., the 
feeder complete costs id. Of course it is an advantage to have a 
supply of these caps with the holes pierced in a variety of numbers, 
that fast or slow feeding may be regulated hy changing one for 
another. 
The ease of application is obvious. All that needs to be done is 
to fill the bottle, put on the cap, and place on the stage in the same 
manner as the two-shilling feeder. The feeding shovel is dispensed 
with, there is delusive half plate of imperforated zinc between the 
cap and the bottle, and no sticking fast of the cap in the socket.— 
H. V. Edwards. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Ormiston & Renwick, Melrose.— List of Farm Seeds and Potatoes. 
John Forbes, Hawick, N.B.— Descriptive Catalogue of Florists’ 
Flowers , Ferns, t fc. 
Vilmorin, Andrieux & Co., 4, Quai de la Megisserie, Paris.— Cata¬ 
logue of Seeds of Trees and Shrubs. 
James Lye, Clyffe Hall, Market Lavington, Wilts.— List of New 
Fuchsias. 
Louis de Smet, Ledeberg-lez-Gand, Belgium.— Supplementary Cata¬ 
logue of Plants. 
A. M. Scipion Cochet, Grisy-Suisnes (Seine et Marne), France.— 
Catalogue of Poses, Trees, and Plants. 
B. W. Warhurst, 33, Highgate Road, Kentish Town, N.W.— List 
of Boilers. 
*** 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 Poultry and Bee subjects, and 
should never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended 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. 
“ Single-handed ” (A. il. E., Gateshead ).—Your extremely kind letter and 
substantial expression of sympathy towards our correspondent have been 
forwarded to him, and cannot fail to do him good. 
Vines (II. S .).—Owing to great pressure on our columns answers to your 
questions, which are not urgent, must be deferred until next week, when we 
hope to be able to make the matter clear to you. 
Various (F. C .).—Continue stopping your Vines as usual. There is nothing 
on the Apricot wood except scale, and the petroleum and softsoap mixture will 
destroy it. The globules on the leaves are indicative of health. The white flower 
is Leucojum vernum, the scarlet one Aionsoa Warscewiczii. The weed is quite 
shrivelled. Our reply must be brief, as we go to press earlier this week. We 
may possibly refer to your letter again. 
Fir Tree Oil (J. Garrett ).—Try a dessert-spoonful of the oil in a wine- 
bottle full of rain water. This will probably answer your purpose for using with 
the spray-diffuser. If it neither kills the insects nor injures the plants you can 
