262 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April , 1880. 
KOOF3. 
Wherever these have been made with plinths better to 
discard at once and make new ones of a good depth to go 
outside the hive, working telescopically with thin wood, nail 
on the top, and cover with zinc. The zinc and workmanship 
for covering a hive will not exceed 8d. The zinc must come 
over the sides a little, which forms a drip, and when fastened 
properly at the corners to allow for expansion or contraction 
never becomes unsightly. I have had these roofs in use for 
thirty years and are still good. They are light and cheap, 
and if thorough ventilation has been secured efficient, which 
no wooden roof is, unless it has been protected by waterproof 
material. None of this is so cheap or efficient as zinc, which 
does away with frequent painting, which is expensive. 
MAKESHIFT COVERS. 
Every bee-keeper should have a supply of these constantly 
on hand to meet emergencies. Many a swarm I have seen 
destroyed for the want of a waterproof covering on the sud¬ 
denness of a thunder shower coming on while the bees were 
beginning to cluster, wtiich would have been saved by the 
timely appliance of a sheet of iron or zinc. These, too, are 
useful for covering extra hives in summer, and are indis¬ 
pensable in many cases when at the moors. The following 
are what I have had in use during my bee-keeping career :— 
Felt, which can be bought for less than 6d. per yard when 
well tarred, and as much powdery lime pressed into it as it 
will absorb, makes a lasting cover. Lime seems to petrify, 
and the felt seems to become everlasting after being so 
treated. Covering felt with sand, as so often recommended, 
is of little use. After using felt for ten years I have had it 
buried for as long a term, and when taken up have used it 
again. Painted or tarred paper are handy makeshift cover¬ 
ings, but do not act so well if fastened to wood, as its 
shrinkage is liable to rend the paper. Good canvas 
thoroughly painted, laid on a bed of paint, and occasionally 
painted afterwards has lasted for seventy years, and some I 
saw done in this way forty years ago is still waterproof. 
Zinc galvanised, plain and corrugated iron, are all cheap and 
useful, and if the latter could be had in sheets circled of the 
right size for hive roofs there is nothing better. The corru¬ 
gations admit a free circulation of air, keeping the upper 
part of the hive cool in summer and dry in winter—the 
essential points towards profitable bee-keeping. Canvas of 
any sort tarred or painted is a good temporary covering, but 
is soon cut, and is liable to create damp. Other coverings I 
have seen, but the foregoing are the cheapest, and what I 
have found serviceable in the apiary as well as the garden. 
DYSENTERY. 
Should any of the bees show signs of abdominal disten¬ 
sion, brought on by cold and damp through defective hives 
or disturbance, take immediate steps to put matters right 
whenever a fitting opportunity occurs, which is when the day 
is fine and the bees from healthy hives are flying. In all 
cases where the ordinary and moveable floorboards are in use, 
these removed, and clean dry and heated ones substituted, 
will greatly strengthen the bees and enable them to fly and 
return safely to their hives. If this occurs with bees in hives 
with fixed and damp combs, ventilate from below and above 
by placing an empty box on the top, carry the hive of bees 
into an apartment having a brisk fire, and keep them there 
until the bees outside are again flying, then place them on 
their stand. By this process the hives will be made drier and 
more genial for the bees. With frame hives it will only be 
necessary to transfer bees and combs into a dry and empty 
hive, unless the combs are the worse from damp. In such a 
case it will be advisable to supply the bees with dry ones, either 
from combs kept for the purpose, or of those from other hives 
that can spare them. It is to be hoped that there will be 
few cases requiring such treatment: there should be few, if 
previous instructions have been attended to. Occasionally, 
however, from unknown causes, a chance case may occur in 
which the above treatment will greatly mitigate the evil. In 
fact with healthy bees it is beneficial to assist them in their 
first flight when it can be done with a little artificial heat.. 
Those hives having a dropping bottom with ventilating floor, 
a thin firebrick slightly heated and placed on bottom, then 
closed to zinc, has proved beneficial.—A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
FEEDING BEES IN THE SPRING. 
UNSEALING CELLS—INCREASING SPACE. 
Will some practical bee-keeper inform me if it is necessary to feet} 
bees in the spring if there is plenty of uncapped store in the hive, and 
should anything be done to promote an increase of bees 1 Shall I be 
doing right in unsealing the cells to allow of the bees consuming thet 
honey, thus providing additional room for the queen to deposit eggs and 
raise brood ? A little advice on the above will oblige.—A Novice in Bee¬ 
keeping. 
[If bees have a sufficient store of honey in the hive now, say not less 
than 12 lbs., or if the hive is of sufficient size, there is no advantage 
gained by feeding ; nay, it is detrimental when it can be avoided. Un¬ 
capping cells is also a great mistake and wasteful of honey, as well as 
wearing out the bees, causing loss amongst them by inducing them to fly 
out. 
If your hive is not large enough to contain 30 lbs. of honey indepen¬ 
dent of breeding space it is too small, and you should take immediate 
s'eps to increase its size. Horizontal sections or divisions, as in the 
Stewarton, is the proper way to accomplish that. Some people have an 
idea that bees require open ventilation above. This is a great mistake-, 
and simply destroys them wherever it is resorted to. It is also damaging 
to hives when the crown of the hive is rendered non-porous. As bees 
carry on breeding at least nine months in the year the covering should 
always be uniform, ample to retain the heat, but so that vitiated air may 
pass through the covering without causing a draught, but not overmuch, 
or the moisture may condense and fall back on the bees and honey, 
chilling the former and rendering the unsealed honey unwholesome and 
likely to lead to disease. 
Where the bees have dwindled to a mere handful these should be at 
once confined into space consistent with their powers of breeding ; hut 
wherever hives have been managed in a thoughtful manner they should 
require little or no attention until swarming time beyond cleaning floors, 
giving peameal and water where these necessaries are scarce in the apiary 
during spring. I think the foregoing covers the questions. 
The following gives conclusive evidence that long experience is the 
best guide. On the 7th of February there was a slight relaxation of the 
severe winter weather, when a few of our bees flew out without much 
loss amongst the snow, as I had it cleared away from the front of the 
hives previously. Young bees aired themselves in great numbers. After 
that the weather turned more severe, the thermometer sinking to 7° in- 
March, and snow fell every day, unless three, up till the 20th March, or 
in other words it snowed for ten weeks. On that date the snow was 
thick with much ice, which the rising temperature of that day began to 
dissolve. The bees now began to fly, but it was not till the following day 
that they were enabled to have a thorough airing. From the large per¬ 
centage of youthful bees showing at all the hives, together with the pre¬ 
served old bees, as well as young drones at some of them, they are in a. 
fit state to gather surplus honey at the earliest and first opportunity. 
This means that feeding, uncapping cells, spreading brood, <fcc., are unne¬ 
cessary to promote breeding. Teat depends upon autumn management, 
by having a young mother, plenty of bees, a roomy hive of proper form- 
free from damp, and containing plenty of stores, means for keeping up a 
free circulation of air throughout the hive without creating a draught,, 
and a sufficient quantity of dried grass on the top to retain the heat, but 
not so much as to cause the perspiration to condense and fall upon the 
bees. I have several hives in my apiary that have not shown a bee dead 
or alive from the end of October till the 21st day of March, yet these 
are healthy, have had no loss, and are far advanced with brood. They are- 
Carniolian bees, and are in deep hives and in such an advanced state that 
it is impossible to interfere with them without injuring them. The only 
thing required is not to allow such hives to have less than 12 lbs. of honey 
in store until the honey season sets in. I have, perhaps, gone beyond the 
limits allowed for answering queries, but I considered that a brief descrip¬ 
tion of the state of my bees would be interesting to more than “ A Novice,”" 
and encourage and induce them to adopt proper forms of hives with 
consistent management, without which success cannot be obtained.— 
Lanarkshire Bee-keeper.] 
*„* All correspon deuce should be directed either to “The Editor”" 
or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
