58 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[April 24. 
RESULTS OF BURYING BEES. 
WINTER 1850—51. 
Winter treatment of bee-liives, communicated by “ A Country Curate.” 
What kind of 
hives ? Whether 
swarms, casts, 
old hives, or pre¬ 
served bees, have 
been buried or 
otherwise win¬ 
tered ? 
Probable age 
of queen. 
Has she ever 
swarmed ? 
Date of win¬ 
tering the 
bees, and 
state of wea¬ 
ther at the 
time. 
State here 
the peculiar¬ 
ity of each 
plan of win¬ 
tering 
adopted. 
Was any¬ 
thing done 
to them in 
the winter, 
and if so, 
what ? 
Original 
weight of 
contents of 
each hive, 
including 
bees, comb, 
and food 
also. 
Weight of 
contents on 
restoration 
to the sum¬ 
mer stand. 
Perceptible 
diminution 
in weight 
during the 
winter. 
If buried in 
the ground, 
in what soil '! 
at what 
depth? and 
in what as¬ 
pect ? North 
best. 
What system of 
ventilation, if any, 
was adopted ? 
E. 
Stray swarm of 
June 27th, 1850. 
Cannot tell; 
supposed 
cast, and 
therefore the 
queen j'oung. 
Nov. 8 ; 
mild, dry 
weather. 
Buried in 
the open 
ground. See 
Cottage 
Gardener, 
vol. v., page 
120. 
Nothing. 
11 lbs. 7oz. 
Gross weight 
18 lbs. 
Dug up on 
the 1st of 
April; 3 lbs. 
short of an 
ounce. 
Gross weight 
94lbs. 
8£lbs. in 
four months 
and three 
weeks. 
In a gravelly 
soil and in 
an open plot 
of ground, 
facing no 
particular 
quarter; 
three feet 
deep. 
None, save only 
that the hive was 
surrounded with 
slates overlapping 
each other, and 
sloping away from 
the crown. The 
whole also was 
surmounted with a 
large milkpan, be¬ 
fore the hole was 
filled up. 
H. 
Cast of the latter 
end of June, 
1850; exact date 
of issue un¬ 
known. 
Born last 
spring. 
Oct. 29; 
cold, dry 
weather. 
Suspended 
from a Sal ton 
balance in a 
dark hay¬ 
loft. 
On the 6th 
of March the 
hive was ex¬ 
posed in a 
sunny place 
for the day, 
to give the 
bees an air¬ 
ing. Sus¬ 
pended again 
15 lbs. 4 oz. 
Gross weight 
23 lbs. 5 oz. 
Finally libe¬ 
rated on the 
11th of 
March. 
8 lbs. 4 oz. 
Gross weight 
l61bs. 5 oz. 
7 lbs. in four 
months and 
eleven days. 
Hive simply hung 
up on a board 
having a trap-door 
beneath it, which 
was occasionally 
left open, and any 
dead bees (seldom 
more than two or 
three found) re¬ 
moved. Entrance 
always fully open. 
B. 
Cast of June 18, 
1849; did no¬ 
thing in 1850. 
Born in the 
spring of 
1849. 
Oct. 29; 
cold, dry 
weather. 
Left on its 
summer 
stand, facing 
the direct 
east. 
Weighed re¬ 
gularly at 
different 
times. 
174 lbs. 
Gross weight 
29 i lbs. 
Finally 
weighed 
April 3rd. 
l)£lbs. 
Gross weight 
234 lbs. 
6 lbs. in five 
months and 
four days. 
Eat only 41b. 
of food in 
March. 
Hive entrance left 
open. 
Z. 
Prime (artificial) 
swarm of May 11, 
1850 (not my 
own). 
Unknown; 
but supposed 
born in 1847 
or 1848. 
Nov. 8 ; 
mild, dry 
weather. 
Left on its 
summer 
stand, facing 
due S.E. 
Ditto. 
27 lbs. 
Gross weight 
37 lbs. 
Finally 
weighed 
April 4th. 
184 lbs. 
Gross weight 
284 lbs. 
8Jlbs. in 
four months 
twenty-five 
days. 
Ditto. 
F. 
Artificial stock 
of August 5, 
1850; fed entirely 
on a beer and 
sugar and honey 
mixture. Pre¬ 
served bees out 
of four hives. 
Unknown; 
probably 
born in the 
spring of 
1850. 
Oct. 28; 
cold wea¬ 
ther. 
Left in its 
summer 
situation, in 
a window, 
with shade 
from the sun, 
facing 
S.S.W. 
Ditto. 
14ilbs. 
Gross weight 
22Jlbs. 
Finally 
weighed 
April 2nd. 
94 lbs. Gross 
weight, 
174 lbs. 
54 lbs. in 
five months 
and four 
days. 
Hive entrance in 
general closed at 
night, and fre¬ 
quently for some 
days together; once 
for nine days, but 
many bees died. 
Further Observations. 
The buried hive (E), on disinterment, was found slightly covered with mildew externally, and there was much black dirt on the bottom 
board, but the after evacuations were of the usual colour. The bees appeared in prime health, and were shortly flying about in crowds, for the 
day was fine and mild. About 200, or rather less, were found dead in the pit; these had probably become impatient of confinement, and so 
had crept out and perished, not being able to find their way home again. The bees have since been busy pollen gathering. As, however, the 
hive was light, and the business of feeding would have been tedious, I set the hive over F (whose population was small) on the 8th of April. 
During the first three weeks after the suspension of hive H, several young grubs, in different stages of forwardness, were cast out of the 
hive dead. Their own dead also the bees invariably rejected, but there were not many. Some few flew out and were lost. They carried pollen 
actively within a short time of their liberation, on the same day, and they have been very busy since, while the population is very large. Under 
these I set stock B on the 9th of April, as their own stores must have begun to fall short, and this hive contained plenty of honey though 
few bees. 
Of hive B the population was actively collecting farina so late as the 14th Novembeq but they have been quite idle this spring. 
Z, artificial swarm, is now the most active stock in the apiary, and promises great things. I cannot help thinking that the old queen 
must have died some time last summer, and that a young and vigorous queen has taken her place, otherwise she would now be drawing near 
her term of life. This is the swarm forced on the 1 1th of May, 1850, whose history has been given in The Cottage Gardener. 
I tried several experiments with F last autumn and in the winter by confining the bees, often to the entire exclusion of the external air, 
but I destroyed many hives by so doing, and the population is but thin in consequence at present (April 8th), though very active. Saw bees 
enter this hive with pollen so early as tbe 12th of January this year, and several young bees were cast out dead on the 25th of February. 
I forbear to add in this place any comments on the above facts; perhaps you will allow me to say a few words when all the papers sent 
out by me in the autumn have come in.— A Country Curate. 
RECEIPTS FOR THE COTTAGER. 
The comforts of the poor might, as I have before ob¬ 
served, he much increased if a little trouble were taken by 
the “ gude wife ” in varying the humble meal. Change of 
diet is both wholesome and agreeable; we see it is neces¬ 
sary for animals, and, I am sure, every one feels it is so for 
man. Sheep and cattle, if kept long on one piece of land, 
get “ pasture sick,” and willingly change it for the coarsest 
herbage. Thus if people sit down, day after day, with 
nothing before them but bread and potatoes, they must 
become tired of it. Do not think I am trying to make you 
discontented with your lot. No: I well know that content¬ 
ment is great gain, and I also remember that we are com¬ 
manded to be content with such things as we have ; but at 
the same time it is our duty to make our homes (be they 
ever so humble) as comfortable as our means will admit. 
The hard earnings of the husband should be laid out to the 
best possible advantage by the wife, and his cottage home 
made as comfortable and happy as it can be. Happiness, it 
is true, does not consist in having a good dinner; for 
“ Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled 
ox and hatred therewith.” Yet of this I am very sure, that 
much unhappiness would be spared if the arrangements of 
the cottager’s fire-side were more studied. Nothing drives 
men so quickly to the public house as an untidy, mismanaged, 
home. And now, having said so much on what ought to be 
avoided, I will give you a few hints on what I consider the 
