S£*7 M. 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
429 
and if the operation of transferring is not to be carried 
out, a “stock” from which a swarm has issued may, to 
use an expression of a great bee-master, he “lifted” 
greatly by the gift of a fer f ile queen. There will then be 
no period when the cells will not contain eggs and larvae 
in various stages of growth. A man who has sufficient 
experience can generally detect a stock which is queenless 
without actual inspection, but if there is any reasonable 
doubt an inspection should at once be made. 
It must not be forgotten that in a swarm the bees are 
aged and many of them will die in a very short time, j 
while in a cast there is a far greater proportion of young 
bees which were unable at the time the swarm issued to 
leave the hive. Again, in the old stock from which both 
swarm and cast have issued nearly every bee will be 
young, and have therefore before it a longer life. The 
casts, especially when strengthened as I have pointed out, 
will therefore not improbably in many seasons overtake 
the swarms, and in all seasons will form the best stocks 
for another year.—F elix. 
NOTES ON BEES. 
THE SEASON. 
May, although cold and frosty at first, afterwards brought us 
genial summer weather. The 12th was the first fine day, a welcome 
change from the low temperature we have had throughout the 
spring. Notwithstanding the backward spring, and without feeding 
or other attention, my best stocks are ready for swarming or super- 
ing, but are not likely to swarm until honey is more plentiful and 
the weather warmer, as the bees are all located in full-sized hives, 
and supering will not be attempted until the honey season is at 
hand. Encouraging bees to fill supers with comb, either from 
sugar or from au early glut of honey, I do not approve of. Sugar- 
made combs are not nearly so delicate as those made at the plenteous 
season ; then combs that bees have access to when honey is scarce 
get discoloured. The work for next month in the apiary will 
simply be watching and preparing hives for swarms, supers for 
honey, and stands for nuclei. Should the fine weather continue 
for a few days all anxiety as to bees suffering from want will have 
passed away. Of course my hives have room for surplus stores. 
The brood nest is not likely to be occupied with honey at this 
season. In earlier districts, supering should be begun and continued. 
FRAME FOR SECTIONS. 
While looking through my lumber loft lately, I found one of 
my earlier-made crates and frames filled with sections. As I 
consider it a good plan for marking sections on any hive, and has 
never been described before, for its simplicity will do so now. 
The frames may be of any size to suit the bee-keeper, and the 
crate to suit, but if necessary, of the roughest description, so 
that if used as packing cases to send sections to market, will not 
cost much. My own crates of this sort were simply similar in 
every respect to a division of the cheap hive previously described ; 
in fact, one of them. The frames are made of hoop iron 1 inch 
broad bent so as to form a frame minus a top bar, having ears half 
an inch and one-sixteenth long. This length preserves a space of a 
quarter of an inch bitween crate and frame, sufficient to rest on 
the rebate of the crate, which is half an inch down, for the top 
liar when used as a body box, and five-sixteenths in. Little blocks 
<>f wood to preserve the distance between frames, and to raise the 
frame level to the top of the crate, arc held by a screw nail passing 
ihrough top of the frame and one of the tin clips. These are for the 
purpose of keeping the sections securely in their place, whether by 
transit, or when stationary on the hive. They are easily made, and 
very cheap. There are two lengths required, one to preserve the 
<li>tance of frames at bottom angle, and the otheis for section only. 
They are made thus for sections 1J broad, the tin is cut into 
lengths 2$ of an inch long by 1 inch broad. Pierce a hole with a 
•chisel the breadth of the hooping in the centre lengthways, then 
fold and double up, turn up the ends, using a template of wood 
lined with iron to have them accurately made to suit the section of 
whatever breadth is required. Before the iron is bent as a frame 
slide the required number of these guides on to it, and in case the 
sections may not be used all of one size, or less than 2 lb. ones, put 
on an extra guide. The two required at the bottom angle are cut 
21 inches long, and are bent the same way as the others, but on a 
wider template, so as they will preserve the proper distance, and 
with a pair of pliers turn in each corner of the guide, so that while 
the outside preserves the proper distance of frame, the inner 
catches the section. The frame must have a hole punched at both 
upper ends underneath the ear, so that a small screw nail will pass 
through and hold the upper guide and block of wood. It will 
be observed that by using iron for frames little space is taken 
up, and by using frames of that sort the bees have access to as 
many sections in one compartment as the bee-keeper cares to gives, 
while the bees having access round the ends of the frames, the 
sections are better filled. Then if the sections are sent to market 
in the frames the risk of the comb being broken is lessened. I am 
convinced that if bee-keepers would adopt this, or a similar plan, 
they would approve of it. 
DOINGS OF THE PAST WEEK. 
As the weather is now improved, a greater interest will be taken 
in bees and other rural pursuits. The past few fine days has been 
favourable for work, and I will tell what I have done. The articles 
upon the cheap hives have been the cause of numerous inquiries by 
letter and otherwise, some doubting, and others anxious for further 
information. So to make certain that there should be no mis¬ 
take, I procured new material to make a hive from, the cost of 
which amounted to under 2s. 8d. The hive is in three divisions, 
with hinged alighting board, and hinged bottom to the ventilating 
floor and stand. The time I was occupied in making this, without 
the aid of machinery, rusty person and tools, was five hours, and a 
lady bee-keeper who saw it, said it was a superior and better-looking 
hive than some she had purchased lately at thre:: times the cost 
this could be made for. I know for practical purposes a better 
hive cannot be had, and out of old boxes, when suitable, cheaper 
cannot be made. To complete the hive, I made an outside case out 
of old boxes, which are easily got here from factories. They are 
got for 9d. each, and there is sufficient timber to make four outside 
cases in each box. The iron, which costs about fid. for each roof, 
is all that is wanting. The sides of the case are 2‘3 inches high by 
1'8 inch wide, and the wood runs vertically. It is jointed with 
plough-planes, and nailed to two square frames, one near the top 
and the other near the bottom. These frames are easily made, 
being simply four pieces of wood the proper length required, 
2 inches broad by seven-eighths of an inch thick, nailed together at 
each corner, the one being simply laid upon the other. Two pieces 
of wood, either tapered or combered, form the gables, and are held 
together by two side pieces about 1 j inch broad by half an inch 
thick, and the iron is held by four screw nails, one at each corner. 
This completes one of the cheapest and best protectors of a hive 
made ; even with new material would cost less than 2s. The front 
of the case bears upon the alighting board, and the back is held up 
by a piece of hooping screwed to the stand at one end, and held at 
the other by a piece of hooping, double, below where the horizontal 
piece rests, and is supported by the piece above the screw, so that 
it cannot fall away sideways. This piece of hooping held fast at 
the one end only, can ba turned out of the way when the case is 
removed. From the many inquiries I have regarding these cheap 
hives and covers is an assurance that such like are wanted, so trust 
the foregoing will assist those desiring them to attain their ends. 
But I have not revealed all yet. These boxes are thin, ranging 
from three-eighths to half an inch only in thickness. Are unsuit¬ 
able for hive making, some will say. Not so ; I overcome the 
difficulty by simply doubling the wood, and for an amateur hives 
are easier made this way than any other. The front and back 
inner pieces are cut exactly to the width the hive is required, while 
the inner and outer side ones are cut to the length of the top bar, 
or a sixteenth longer to give clearance. The front and back ones 
are cut to cover the ends of the side ones properly. Two tackets 
used in each frame preserve their distance, and are better than 
metal ends, which for such a hive will cost more than the hive 
itself.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
° 0 * All correspondence should be directed either to “The 
Editor ” or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. 
Hogg or members of tha staff often remain unopened un¬ 
avoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
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unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
