.*43 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 20, 1887. 
and these were not gorged with honey either, having been 
shaken from the combs before they had time to fill them¬ 
selves. One of these swarms, less a third of the number, 
was sent to a gentleman in England, who received them 
the following day they were taken from the hive in a semi- 
dormant state from hunger, but all were recuscitated, 
and were styled by him as “a fine lot of bees.” A third 
of the whole number was formed into a fine stock with a 
pure Syrian queen at their head, for the purposes of amuse¬ 
ment and experiment next summer. That queen is now 
the fourth generation from the first imported, I expect 
that by-and-by the climate will have the effect of smooth¬ 
ing the temper and making more hardy that beautiful and 
industrious race of bees. Having Carniolians to winter 
with her will insure her usefulness next year. 
However great the advantage may be of having strong 
swarms at this season, there can be no doubt but that 
medium, and very often weaklings in autumn, are the most 
profitable during the following summer, and beginners 
wdl do well to study, experiment, and find out the happy 
medium strength a stock should be. I then ask the 
question, What good would have accrued to me by j fining 
two 12-lb. lots of bees and putting them into one hive at 
this season ? I have an opinion on the strength a colony 
of bees should be now in this country as well as what they 
should be in one having a much lower temperature, but 
shall be glad for further information from anyone capable 
of answering, without prejudice as to the saving of con¬ 
demned bees. 
SWARMING versus NON-SWARMING. 
This subject has from time to time received a great 
deal of attention, and different opinions have been ex¬ 
pressed thereon. To answer definitely which is the best 
system without allowances for season and locality would 
be committing an error unjustifiable in all its aspects, as 
under certain circumstances the one is as good as the 
•other, and that which may be the most profitable one 
season may not be so the next. With the exception of 
breeding stocks I keep my bees on the non-swarming 
principle, and I am as often as not rewarded with swarms 
from almost every hive. To have full control and 
prevent bees swarming is an impossibility, We use the 
means to prevent it, and often, owing to the shortness of 
the honey season, so protract or delay swarming that the 
bees by instinct change their intentions, thereby prevent¬ 
ing utter ruin to themselves. 
Of all the plans contrived to prevent swarming none 
is reliable. The nearest approach to it is a full sized 
hive with little drone comb ; a young, fertile, and prolific 
queen; ample super room in advance of their wants ; 
shade and ventilation during hot weather. Where the 
former is wanting a wet blanket wrapped round the hive 
will keep the bees cod and at work. In order to 
show that neither ekes nor space in front nor supers 
prevent swarming, I will cite the following cases, and I 
could adduce hundreds of similar one3. I have two full- 
s zed lrives that have a ninth part of their hive beneath 
empty, never having been combed, and yet, with the addi¬ 
tion of unfilled supers, swarmed for three years in succes¬ 
sion. The first hive that swarmed this year occupied one- 
half of its hive only, although it had its under b >x and 
filled with foundation; several swarmed five days after 
being hived, while the space they occupied was not half 
filled. Two hives having young unfertilised queens and 
without eggs, had a spare queen caged on the top of 
their hives, and immediately both swarmel, but in neither 
case did the queen leave. When the caged queens were 
removed swarming ceased, but when restored again they 
swarmed. Just as the caged queen was left or removed 
did the bees swarm or settle, and not in one instance 
did the queen leave with the bees. Space will not permit 
to detail further the swarming propensities of bees, while 
to the beginner no good would accrue. 
As I have stated, I keep my bees on the non-swarming 
system as far as I am able, but do not care whether they 
swarm or not providing they do not do so before they are in 
full strength ; then a swarm is as good as any non-swarmer 
need be, provided all or a portion of the unfilled supers 
from the old stock are given to it, and all the better if a 
portion of the brood combs too find their way to the swarm. 
Care must be taken not to allow the swarm to build much 
drone comb, because if the honey season is a long one it 
will be liable to swarm again, particularly at the Heather. 
When a non-swarmer throws a swarm unexpect¬ 
edly, after dealing with the swarm as advised above, no 
time should be lost in providing the old stock with a 
fertile queen after excising all royal cells and surplus 
sealed honeycomb, and a'l empty space must be filled 
with comb foundation. Where Heather is available this 
should be attended to, and if the weather is unfavourable 
for honey gathering, a little feed should be given to en¬ 
courage breeding. This is seldom necessary, but should 
not be neglected when honey is scarce, as breeding stopped 
in July means no honey from the Heather. 
COMB FOUNDATION. 
I have before hinted at the desirability of having all 
comb foundation made from genuine native wax only, as 
well as to have all honey of the first quality that is 
meant for consumption. By having the former good 
depends greatly what the latter will be. 
Much of the foundation made from foreign wax that 
I have seen this year would not be used by me under any 
consideration; it is so soft and simply abominable, some 
of it so much so that honey stored in it after being 
extended was uneatable and incited nausea and vomiting. 
My attention has been drawn to several cases of the kind, 
the honey tasting of rancid grease or of castor oil. A 
bee-keeper informs me that three hives he purchased 
fitted with comb foundation, after it was drawn out, 
filled, and sealed by the bees was of the same disgusting 
nature, while a fourth hive filled with foundation made 
from native wax, the honeycomb was splendid. So care¬ 
ful am I of having my honey of first quality I do not even 
use wax made from combs that were originally built from 
foreign wax. Other subjects of importance to beginners 
will be tr eated upon as the season advances, but we may 
caution them to beware of being entrapped into pur¬ 
chasing articles unsuitable or unnecessary through 
testimonials from mere mvices.— A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
THE PAST HONEY SEASON IN IIALLAMSHIRE. 
SKEPS AHEAD. 
The past season on the whole has been quite satisfactory to all 
who use large hive3 worked in a proper manner, while those who 
use small ones and follow the teaching of the “ B. B. J.” declare the 
season a complete failure on account of the drought and consequent 
failure of the Clover in July. 
April was a grand month, the weather fine and warm, causing 
queens to breed heavily. May was damp and very cold, which 
caught those who had spread brood, completely ruining many fine 
stocks ; w’hile those let alone, with plenty of food left over winter, 
duly hatched, out all the April-laid eggs, and which gathered in the 
June honey flow. 
June began grandly and yielded honey in profusion from Apples, 
Sycimore3, and Raspberries, and in the last week from White 
