August 13, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
147 
■while it is unnecessary to glaze, or otherwise pack for show 
or market, than the usual packing between combs, covering 
the tops with stout paper and lashing two together. When 
under the eye the whole crateful is seen at a glance, and 
comb never looks better than in the position the bees built 
it. Such a crate can have all its sections of one size, or if 
preferred of various weight. 
The super is intended to be square, the front and back to 
be rebated, or better kept the thickness of top bar, narrower 
than the sides, which may have a pane of glass. The top 
bars should be If inch broad. Pieces of angled tin hold 
these down and close the openings between bars; two or 
three screw nails with washers beneath hold the whole rigid. 
The sections must be of the same breadth as top bars, and 
in three pieces only, minus the bottom bar, and for the purpose 
of allowing a thread to pass freely between top of hive and 
sections they should be a little shorter than the depth of case 
—less than one-eighth i3 sufficient. A staple, nail, or a 
small wedge should be employed at the bottom of the case to 
keep the ends of the sections in their proper place—in other 
words to preserve the f inch distance between the ends and 
case similar to a frame in a hive. 
To fasten the section to the top bar, pieces of tin bent thus— 
hold them firm and close to the bar. 
I The broad side is uppermost, and a tacket or 
hobnail driven on one side of these preserves the 
required distance between the bars and prevents 
moving under any movement. One of these on 
the sections each side is sufficient, but should be an inch 
road. There are many ways of bending these, but a pair of 
square-mouthed plyers will serve most bee-keepers. 
The Clover season is now past, and while many bee¬ 
keepers have a large field, many others, owing to the un¬ 
toward early summer even in good districts, will have to be 
content with a moderate yield. There is already a large 
quantity of honeycomb in the market selling at a fair price. 
I have just been examining a large quantity of honeycomb 
in its different form of packages, supers, and sections by the 
hundred, the latter quite up to the mark for colour and 
quality; but, seemingly strange, not one of them up to the 
ideal standard of perfection we read so much about, which 
I easily understand. Obstinate creatures are these bees! 
During my peregrinations I visited many honey merchants, 
who displayed large windowfuls of honeycomb, none of it 
standing in its original position, all of it bleeding, and many 
of the combs detached from their bar, exposed to all the dust 
and perfume of its surroundings, while the flies were holding 
a rich banquet on its beady surface, much reduced in appear¬ 
ance and value than when it was in the hands of the careful 
bee-keeper. Many of the honey merchants whom I conversed 
with showed little inclination to buy more of the same 
packages, for indeed if people are as fastidious as I am they 
will hesitate before purchasing the finger-marked comb in 
sections which will have to be broken up and sold in small 
pieces. While the above was the tone of all I talked with, 
every one of them was prepared to purchase supers of from 
3 to 6 lbs. in weight, because many people buy these for 
presents that would not otherwise purchase honeycomb— 
very congratulating to the ears of the introducer of small 
supers, and ought to be welcomed by all those who find a 
difficulty in bees entering sections and finding a market for 
the same. Surely this simple way of creating a market and 
teaching people to eat honey is a useful hint, and might have 
been first instead of third. 
The fourth one is perhaps important too as teaching 
what not to do. Mr. G. Abbey as well as myself have 
touched on the topic of slaughtering bees ; yet in the August 
number of the British Bee Journal, under the head of “Driven 
Bees,” we find, “ The bees should be carefully and quietly 
driven from the skeps, almost to a single bee, and the combs 
cut out clean and deposited indoors to prevent robbing, and 
the empty skeps returned to the garden to be cleaned by the 
bees.” Such information coming from one who assumes to 
teach the nation betrays his incapacity to do so, and natur 
ally raises the question, Should the teacher and pupil in this 
case not be reversed ? The following is the cottager’s useful 
hint. It is a well-known fact to all cottagers who have kept 
bees any length of time that by exposing honey, empty 
combs, or syrup in even very small quantities irritates the 
bees to stinging for weeks after, incites them to robbing and 
seeking everywhere for more, losing themselves in thousands 
in houses and factories, killing each other in the hive in the 
conquest to win, and disabling every queen the strangers 
can lay hold of. In short, so fatal to bees is the above prac¬ 
tice, that by exposing one ounce or less of honey whole 
apiaries may be entirely ruined, as has been already shown ; 
yet such is the “useful” hint given by our contemporary. 
No wonder that such calamitous inventions are sought after 
as spreading of brood and late breeding, resulting alike fatally. 
The same Journal contains a drawing and explanation of a 
“ mel pel,” said to be newly invented and provisionally pro¬ 
tected. I have not the number of the Journal of Horticulture 
beside me which to my memory contained a description of 
a similar machine, and from which many were made both 
here and elsewhere. Perhaps some of your readers will be 
able to give the extract. I think it appeared about fifteen 
years ago. Meanwhile, if any person has a desire to make 
such a machine they need have no fear they are infringing 
patent rights; besides, it is desirable to keep a watch that 
patents are not acquired for others’ inventions.—A Lanark¬ 
shire Bee-keeper. 
BEES DWINDLING IN A STEWARTON HIVE. 
I should feel much obliged if the “ Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” will 
give informat : on on the following points:—I got a Stewarton hive last 
autumn, into which I put the bees from two straw hives, and fed it well. 
The numbers kept strong during the winter and spring, but dwindled 
quickly during the summer. The hive had two breediug boxes, which 
I reduced to one, and after a while not over a handful of bees were left in 
it, with the queen—a Ligurian, which was introduced in autumn. There 
was a good deal of sealed honey, but the lower part of the combs had no 
eggs or brood, and the pollen which was in it and the oomb had a very 
foul unwholesome look. The floorboard, sides of hive, and moreable 
slips were black and damp-looking, and I think the loss of the bees must 
be owing to want of ventilation. Is this likely to be so ? and will he 
kindly say how the hive should be covered both for summer and winter, 
and also how best to ventilate it ? The hive itself has no provision for 
ventilation when all the slips are left iD. I did this during the winter, 
and had over the hive a wooden cover, supplied by the maker, which over¬ 
laps the floorboard, and has a moveable, but close-fitting, lid, with no 
ventilation. Between the hive and cover 1 put a quantity of thick close 
woollen cloth, but none on the top. 
Would it be an improvement to put ventilators on the top of the cover, 
and both for summer and winter to draw part or all of the slips on top 
breeding-box, covering with woollen material ? What is the best system 
of ventilating ? 
I have now two Stewarton hives, which I think of keeping over the 
winter, and will be grateful for any hints as to their management. They 
and straw hives, with one bar-frame, I mean to take to the Heather this 
week.—A. R. 
[From the description given by “A. R.” I am inclined to think that 
when introducing the Ligurian queen in autumn the proper precautions 
had been omitted, and a young queen was raised, remaining unfertilised ; 
hence the reason there was no brood. Much has been written in favour 
of introducing queens direct, and without the usual precautions that 
experienced bee-keepers found necessary, but the inexperienced say are 
unnecessary, because they may be successful with a chance queen. In all 
cases of introducing queens it is advisable to use every precaution 
necessary to insure success ; without that failure is certain some time 
or other. 
The hive seems to have been badly managed. Too much care had 
been taken to make the sides comfortable, while the all-important part, 
the crown or top, had been neglected. If the top of a hive is well covered 
with dry straw or meadow hay the covering of the sides may be dispensed 
with. When the crown of the hive is kept warm and dry the bees are 
able to dispel the vitiated air before it condenses on the top, sides, and 
floor of a hive. In a state of nature bees fasten their combs to the under 
side of overhanging rocks or shelves, protected from sun and rain; and 
though exposed at the sides they live and prosper in such a situation. 
Top ventilation, though advisable if done so as not to cieate a draught, 
is of less importance than under ventilation. The close-fitting roof and 
top of a hive barely covered would bring about results as above described. 
There should be no difference between winter and summer’s covering. 
Free ventilation around the hive at all times is absolutely necessary, while 
the top of the hive should never have less covering than 3 or 4 inches. 
Tolerably solid and dry hay, unless for supers, is preferable at all times to 
