December 22, 1887. ] 
551 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTaGE GARDENER. 
of the floor, which ought to be a ventilating one—a wide 
stretch in advance of an empty box beneath. The top 
of the hive must be covered with a piece of flannel, and 
over it a good layer of dried grass, and this should 
extend down the sides as well. A sheet of galvanised 
iron, bent to a semicircle, and held in position by two 
wires completes a hive costing, when made by a trades¬ 
man, not more than 10s., forming the cheapest and best 
hive made. As a comfortable domicile for bees and for 
producing honey in greatest quantities it cannot be im¬ 
proved upon, all other extras only add to the appearance. 
If the above simple arrangements are properly performed, 
the bee-keeper need not concern himself about his bees 
until the months of April or May, further than to widen 
the entrances as required. These, with the arrangements 
and hive so described, should not be wider than from 
1 to 2 inches. Where no ventilation is provided it is 
necessary to give more doorway, but remember that cools 
the interior of the hive, causing the bees to consume 
more food and producing a greater desire to fly out at an 
unfavourable time and so be lost. Keep in mind that it 
is important to have dryness, a uniform temperature of 
about 60°, plenty of food and air without draughts. 
During the whole of my life I never had a hive that 
required the dead bees to be drawn out with a hooked 
wire, unless in several cases with Syrian nuclei. 
QUEEN REARING. 
A judicious system of queen rearing at the proper 
time is the best means to ensure a successful issue, and 
a nearer approach to dispensing with the brimstone pit 
than all the noise that has ever been made about saving 
“ condemned bees.” Keep the hives strong during the 
honey gathering season, and prevent an undue increase of 
colonies by swarming. This is most easily effected by 
introducing young queens to all hives shortly after they 
have swarmed. Therefore, to have a supply of queens on 
hand at the proper time should be the aim of every bee¬ 
keeper. Either after the first hive has swarmed or the 
queen of one is deposed (at as early a time of the year as 
will warrant the act, which may be the month of May, or 
when drones are likely to be numerous) examine the 
hive between the eighth and tenth days, just when the 
queens are beginning to creep out. Have in readiness 
plenty of queen cages, either made from perforated zinc 
or wire cloth, I prefer the latter. They are from 1| to 
inches long, and about three-quarters of an inch in 
diameter, having one end closed with the same material, 
and a gateway close to it, having a gate made of one piece 
of wire, scrolled at one end to shut the way, and the 
other hooked to prevent its turning. The other end is 
left open, to be closed with a cork or pipe cover, about 
half an inch down. Two wires are stretched across, which 
prevents the cork slipping down too far, and supports a 
bit of honeycomb or candy for the queen to feed on, 
should the workers neglect her. The pipe cover is called 
into requisition when food is put in, but the cork when 
not. As the queen creeps from the cells either catch her 
by the wings and put her into a cage, or place the open 
end of the cage over her on the comb, and so secure 
her, and then stop the open end as described. 
There are various ways of preserving the queens—• 
that is, the surplus ones, because some of them ought 
to be at the head of nuclei, and these are formed by 
taking one or more combs with bees and brood, placing 
them in a box suitable in size by using dividing boards, 
but otherwise the same as the ordinary hive or portion 
thereof, covered and treated as a weak swarm. There is 
no difficulty in getting plenty of queen cells, but there is 
sometimes a difficulty in procuring a queen when wanted, 
.o e ° ec ^ this, take a tube of perforated zinc the same 
size as the cage; by a circular motion press it into the 
comb until pierced right through; now withdraw it, and 
push the cage containing the queen into the hole. Many 
may be so placed ; but a more handy way is to have a 
number of frames with holes on the top bar the size to 
receive the cage with the queen. Each frame may have 
irom three to five holes about 2 inches apart. Place 
these frames amongst queenless bees and they will 
attend to them for a long time, or until wanted. There 
is still another way of preserving queens by putting 
them into cages similar to those Mr. Frank Benton sends 
over queens in from the East. After securing the queen in 
mi, eSe .f Ca ° eS ’ ^ iem . * n a P 0 °ket where they will be warm. 
Ihe frames for holding the cages, however, is an admir¬ 
able plan, and so far as I have seen never been used by 
anyone but myself. Whenever a hive swarms, at least 
the following day after, overhaul it and excise every royal 
cell; then take a frame containing one of these queens 
(if you have not a fertilised one at hand) and insert in 
the hive, although I prefer putting the queen into one of 
my safety cages, which is about 3 inches square, divided 
into two compartments and covered with glass. When¬ 
ever the bees are seen to cling loosely to the partition of 
perforated zinc between them and the queen, and all loud 
humming ceased, she may be let loose by drawing the 
sluice, when the bees and the queen will join and frater¬ 
nise at once. When putting the queen into this cage it 
is only necessary to replace the glass with apiece of wood, 
having a hole to receive the round cage, and put it in and 
release the queen from the one to the other by drawing 
the sluice. By following this course all risk as to 
handling the queen is done away with. The advantages 
gained by introducing queens are: it entirely prevents 
after swarms, insures a young queen at the head of the 
stock in a laying condition at least two weexs earlier than 
if it had been allowed to swarm, thereby insuring a 
harvest of honey that otherwise would have been nil. 
Moreover, if a first swarm is not wanted it may have its 
queen deposed and swarm returned to stock. In this 
case, however, a fertilised queen should be given with 
additional breeding space given at the time. The above 
is the surest way of controlling swarming and having 
bees at the right time, a large harvest is insured, and 
there are no condemned bees. 
STAND AND FEEDER. 
In my various articles I have frequently alluded to 
the above, but never described it. I will do so now. It 
is a box the same size as the hive, which may be of any 
depth suitable to the tastes of the bee-keeper, but must 
be of sufficient depth to hold frames. It is provided with 
an alighting board (moveable), and must have a doorway 
and door the depth of the box at the back. The bottom 
is solid throughout, but the top> must be either nearly, 
wholly, or partially open for several reasons—such as if a 
ventilating floor or a large or small feeder is desired. 
These before me of my own are divided into three—one 
in the centre open, and the back and Iront close by pieces 
of wood half an inch thick. Underneath this is a drawer 
also divided into three spaces, all of them fitted with very 
thin floats. The front space is, however, closed on the 
top by another thin piece. This is for the purpose of 
preventing bees escaping when the drawer is taken out 
to be filled with syrup, which may be from 6 to 12 lbs. 
or more. With all deference to those who differ from 
