November 15, 1888. ) 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
457 
entrance, proving conclusively to me that they really have no 
choice. But whichever way they build them they always leave 
a blank space in front of the entrance when left to their own 
natural instincts. 
I am not going to defend the longitudinal hive, further than to 
say that this matter of placing the combs is not one of its faults. 
Nor do I see why they cannot be safely taken to the moors and 
back. The frames in mine are 14 inches wide by lOf deep ; those 
with standard frames I threw out of use, as they were too shallow. 
These frames, when filled with Heather honey, weigh over 5 lbs. 
each, and though we always travel downhill at a good trot, I have 
yet to see the first comb break down, and most of the frames are 
without bottom bars too. 
Our friend “ Lanarkshire ” seems to imply that they cannot be 
safely taken to the moors. This I cannot admit for a moment. 
Perhaps his friend did not know how to pack them up. Certainly 
they are not fit for a novice to use in migrating his bees ; they 
require more knowledge of bee matter than he is likely to possess. 
The Stewarton hive, I freely admit, is easier to pack, safer to 
travel, takes up less room, and is vastly superior to the long form 
of hive ; but even in the best patterns I am not quite satisfied. I 
want a hive that always stands ready packed for a journey, no 
matter what may be its strength or condition ; then one can take 
advantage of a distant Bean or Clover field or fruit plantation, as 
mentioned by our friend, and several times also by myself. When 
we arrive at this perfection, and agriculturists or horticulturists are 
educated up to the value of bees as fertilisers, we shall have quite 
a demand for moving apiaries, simply to secure fertilisation of the 
various blossoms, and no doubt an apiculturist with a good apiary 
might receive enough money payment to pay all his expenses of 
moving. This is dreaming of the future, mind. 
IN WHAT PART OP THE HIVE DO BEES STORE THEIR HONEY ? 
As my bees, except the Punic3 I have so highly spoken of, 
failed to gather enough Heather honey for winter food, I have had 
to give syrup, and this at a time when all the bees were on the 
alert for robbing. We should think, if they had any reason for 
placing their stores the most remote from the entrances they 
would surely do it at this time, particularly when thousands of 
would-be robbers lay killed under the entrances, in fact one stock 
most beautifully loop-holed the entrance -with propolis to keep 
them out. 
All the bees were clustered to the front in every hive, as the 
sun shines more on that side—fi’ames, mind, all parallel with the 
entrance. Well, not one stored their syrup in the back combs ; in 
nearly every instance the front comb was filled and sealed nearly to 
the bottom, and all worked from the front to the back. This was 
just what I expected, or w r as sure they would do. 
THE HEATHER SEASON. 
This has been a practical failure this year with us here. I am 
inclined to think our friend “Lanarkshire ” has had much better 
weather for his bees. I am pleased to note he has been trying the 
“ mile away from the Heather,” as I recommended last year ; and 
though he does not show that it is better or even as good as close 
on it, still his report is very favourable, and I trust he will try it 
again. There w T as not a really good day during the whole season. 
When it was fine, with the sun shining, there was a terrible gale ; in 
fact, one day I was watching the bees flying against the wind to 
thejnoors, and before they had gone 100 yards I could see thousands 
drop. This I noted by placing my back to the sun and watching 
them fly along a high hedge side. Many of these would get chilled 
and never rise again, which would partly account; in the falling off 
of honey. Tn fact I must say I never saw bees dwindle more 
during the Heather season. 
WHAT RACE OF BEES 13 THE BEST? 
I have not decided this important matter yet. If the Punic 
race sealed their »comb as beautifully and w r ere as clean in their 
habits as Carniriian®, I should certainly give them the pre¬ 
ference, though they are very cross-tempered when they have- 
the swarming impulse on. They have always been remarkable 
workers. Whenever a humble bee can be seen these bees would 
sure to be in full work carrying in pollen and honey, even if all 
other bees seemed fast asleep. They are the only bees I have riot 
fed this year, the only ones that got enough for winter, and the only 
ones that got too much. They dwindled not at the Heather, obi 
which they worked nearly every day, whether the sun shined or not.. 
I am positive they never stole a drop of what they had, as I watched 
them too,closely and should quickly have noted if they entered 
other hives. On October 1st we had a heavy snowstorm and 12.° 
of frost, which cut down most plants. Since the 14th Michaelmas 
Daisies have been in bloom with fine warm weather. On these- 
they have worked in a manner that does one good to see them,, 
particularly as I had left them on a crate of my new glass sections,, 
which I trust they will not fail to finish—I am sure they will iff 
it keeps warm. 
The next in order are Cyprians crossed with blacks. I have not 
had any crossed with Carniolians, though I have succeeded this year- 
in crossing two Carniolian queens with Cyprian drones. Crossed- 
Syrians have come well up. Carniolians are very good, and I intend' 
trying to cross them with the Punic race both ways, as I say. 
I am not decided winch is the best, all things considered. Each- 
race has certain good points. Probably we shall retain and use them 
all, for the same reason we use such a variety of everything else 
in sheep, cattle, horses, vegetables, fruit, or even flowers. 
ARE CYPRIANS SPITEFUL? 
In another journal “ Amateur Expert ” says everyone who has; 
had Cyprians two weeks are convinced that they are practically un¬ 
manageable. Two weeks is a very short time. At this age— 
presuming he had a queen—they would be too young to fly off' 
their combs, and every “ expert,” amateur or not, knows that it is- 
only the oldest bees in any race that ever do the stinging business- 
Then he speaks of “ everyone who has had Cyprians.” Surely he-, 
must be either a careless or reckless writer to make such an- 
assertion, as there are hundreds of people who have had Cyprians 
for years, and who say they are as easy as anything to handle. I 
have had them two years and Syrians seven years, and I have had 
twenty stocks of Cyprians this summer ; and I must say that, 
handled in a proper way they are about the tamest and easiest of 
any race to handle. I am quite prepared to admit that they are 
not fit for nervous people to have, who would first accidentally, of 
course, give the hive a kick and then drop a frame when he had 
got it half-way lifted out, &c. The secret way to handle these 
bees is to give them no jar. If you lift each comb out with bees 
on and slowly turn it over, first putting it back in the hive before 
treating the next one, by the time the last one is done you can 
shake, brush, jar, or do anything with them, and when you have 
shut them up they are not cross afterwards. 
THE EVILS OF POND'S alias “SIMMIN3”’ SYSTEM OF QUEEN 
INTRODUCTION. 
All will remember that I have several times pointed out in the 
Journal, also Mr. Bonner Chambers, F.L.S., has done so, that 
when queens are introduced on this system the queen introduced is 
mostly superseded, and that a daughter of hers often, if not 
invariably, takes her place. Yet in the face of what we have 
shown to be the truth, and which has never been denied by anyone, 
“ Amateur Expert ” has the hardihood to say elsewhere that 
dealers are sending out Carniolian queens for pure imported, which 
produce banded workers ; and that they are also sending out in the 
fall virgin queens for fertile ones. Had he been up with the times, 
and have digested what has been so frequently proclaimed in this 
Journal, a little reflection and common sense would have told him 
that the Carniolian queens producing banded workers were 
daughters of the imported ones introduced and mated in the bee¬ 
keeper’s own apiary, where perhaps all kinds of the yellow races are 
