16 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 
October 7 . 
July, and ran lbs. of honey. No brood was observed. 
On the .Ith August, added J lb. bees; 20th August, lbs. 
bees. Prepared food, b lbs. sugar, IJlbs. honey, was given 
previous to 1st September, when it weighed 7 lbs. From 
the swarm No. 10, when taken up 24th August, Tflbs. of 
honey were run. 
No cast has issued from either of these hives. My 
assistant and myself, in thinking over the case of No. 13 
within the last few days, have considerable doubts as to the 
existence of any royal cell in it. On taking up No. 7, that 
had not swarmed, none was found. I must leave you to 
judge of the merits or demerits of the new mode. On these 
! particulars you may rely. It is my intention to try it again 
next year, but I would not recommend it to be adopted with 
all the stocks in an apiary, since, from the wholesale and 
sudden expulsion of the drones, and the uncertain nature of 
our climate, the requirements of the queen might not be 
met in time. Huber, if I remember i-ightly, states that this 
should be within thirty days. 
I send you herewith an account of what twelve stocks and 
four swarms have done with me. North Bucks, and having 
had under my notice from fifty to sixty other hives that 
have been taken up, a very large portion of which I fumi- 
migated myself, I am of opinion that my own apiary pre¬ 
sents a more favourable report than I should have been 
able to give, could I have ascertained in all cases the weight 
of honey run from each hive. In many cases of stocks and 
swarms, of which I have heard, it has varied from four to 
six pounds. I fear there' are very few stocks or swarms in 
this locality that can stand the winter without feeding. I 
shah, hope that ive may be favoured next year with a season 
as productive as that of which C. K. K. writes. Query. Does 
he weigh his hives, swarms, honey, &c. ? As accuracy is so 
essential to the formation of correct opinions, I would sug¬ 
gest to him and your other correspondents, to avoid in 
future the terras “very large,” “enormous," “amazing 
quantity;” the ideas they convey are so vague. A bee¬ 
keeper of forty years standing sent me, as he said, an 
“ enormous” quantity of bees, and laid a wager, for which I 
reproved him, with the person who brought them, that they 
weighed 51bs. I weighed them accurately, and they were 
found to be only 2^ lbs. B. B. 
P.S. I should feel much obliged to C. E. E. if he would 
give me the size of his “ very large ” hive, the weight of his 
“enormous” swarms, as well as that of his “ amazing quan¬ 
tity” of honey of other sorts than top honey. 
Particulars of Twelve Stocks and four Swarms.—Season, 1S52. 
91 
ii 
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ied Aug., 1852. 
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j Description and kind of Hive used. 
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Sept., 1852. 
Sept., 1851. 
Nov., 1851. 
Remarks. 
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Stocks. 
1. In Neighbour’s cottage hive 
9 
1851 
g.71 
11 
Sug. Hon. 
231 
m 
24 
Swarmed and cast, 1851 j cast re- 
2. In straw-hive, wood top, 12 by Slin. - 
turned; lbs. comb in glass 
taken, 1851. 
12i 
1850 
•• 
21 
•• 
' 21 
5 li 
7 
141 
Twoswarms IQtb June, 1851; Mjlbs. 
comb taken in small hives in 1851. 
3. In Taylor’s bar-hive, lijin.sq. byS^in. 
s 
63 
1651 
43 
., 
11 
3 11 
93 
161 
151 
Sent out a swarm of 7 lbs. 2l8t June, 
5. In straw-bar hive, wood top, 15byl0in. 
1851; 3j lbs. honey taken from 
side combs in 1851. 
8J 
151 
3upd. 50 
li 
25 
183 
24 
Formed from 7 lbs. bees put into 
6. In common straw-Hve, 12in. by 8Jin. 
empty hive at various times, be¬ 
tween 11th and 18th Aug., 1851. 
lU 
161 
1851 
11 
123 
25 
23i 
Swarmed and cast, 1851; 1:1 lbs. 
7. In do. do. do. 
comb in glass, taken in 1851. 
7J 
• • 
supd. 50 
; p.6i 
• • 
12 
• * 
• • 
19 
Formed from 7 lbs. bees put into an 
empty hive at various times, be¬ 
tween 26th August and 8th Sept. 
8, In straw-hive, wood top, 14in. by 7in. 
1851. 
41 
1850 
•• 
3 
•• 
•• 
121 
14i 
Swarm of 1st of June, 1851 ; de¬ 
prived of 134lbs. honey, and fed 
9. Inboxdiag. bars, lljin. bydiin. 
freely for winter of 1851; cast of 
2 lbs. added 17th June, 1852. 
6 
. . 
1851 
g'6 
3 
, , 
253 
181 
I7i 
Two casts of 1851; no honey taken 
10. In straw-hive, wood top, 12in.by84in» 
in 1851. 
31 
101 
unkwn. 
91 
13 
Stray swarm of 1851 purchased 19th 
11. In do. do» do. 
June; no honey taken in 1861. 
7i 
11 
1851 
g.l 
144 
kO 
to 
tOH 
203 
Swarm of 21st June, 1851, weighing 
12. In common straw-hive, 12in. by Si in. 
on that day 64 lbs.; no honey 
taken in 1851. 
9i 
10 
supd. 50 
, , 
,, 
61 
16 
Did not swarm, 1851; no honey 
13. In do. do. do. 
taken in 1851. 
Si 
41 
1851 
3 
NU 
•• 
153 
Cast of 2lbs. 23rd June, 1851; no 
honey taken in 1851. 
Swarms. 
14. In Taylor’s bar-hive, lljin. by 8iin. 
, , 
1851 
10 
This hive increased from 3rd to 10th 
15. In common straw-hive, 15 in. by 7io» 
July, 84 lbs. 
. . 
. . 
1851 
7 
., 
. , 
12 4 
i5i 
,, 
, , 
This We increased from 3rd to lOtli 
Id. In do. do. do; 
July, 94 ibs* 
, , 
, , 
73 
, . 
,; 
This hive increased from 3rd to 10th 
4. In straw-bar hive, 12in. by 8jin. 
July, 64 lbs. 
. , 
,, 
7 
This hive increased from Ist to 10th 
July, 9J lbs. 
• • 
22 
23 
52:J 
7i 
20 63 
1453 
• • 
.. 
I cannot speak with certainty respecting all these hives, 
I'ut, judging from the eight which I weighed several times, 
l am of opinion tliat they have, on the average, decreased 
since the 18th July. Looking at the above statement, it is 
evident that had no honey been taken from these 16 hives 
they would, after consuming 20 lbs. sugar, and OJlbs. honey, 
and receiving 7^1bs. bees, have only weighed on the 1st 
September, 1862, 243 lbs., or 77 lbs. less than they should 
have done to stand the winter. Your readers must form 
their own judgment from these facts. B. B. 
