350 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 4, I860. 
STICKS IN HIVES. 
I Commenced tee-keeping a few years ago, to my subsequent 
very great gratification, with Taylor as my guide, whom I have 
always found most useful, though not quite infallible. 
In the hives prepared to receive the swarms from my first two 
straw skeps purchased from a cottager I acted then (as I have 
done since) on the advice of my author, that sticks in hives were 
superfluous, and only an annoyance to the bees, and therefore 
left them out, thinking at the time I was greatly in advance of the 
cottager, the ends of whose sticks were only t oo visibly protruding 
through the sides of the skeps. Subsequent experience has con¬ 
vinced me to the contrary—-that first autumn I was disappointed 
to find two or three combs had fallen in one of my stickless hives. 
As it had not been in the least disturbed, I endeavoured to allay 
my doubts by ascribing the misfortune to the flat wooden roof, 
and the sudden importation of a considerable quantity of honey 
from a neighbouring queenless stock the inmates had pillaged. 
Yery recently, however, I have been deprived of one of my best 
stock-hives from the same cause. This hive (a common straw) being 
stored well with honey, and the queen not breeding to my satis¬ 
faction, I resolved to remove the bees, joining them to another 
colony, introducing a young vigorous queen and her train instead. 
To accomplish this I selected the middle of a warm day, care¬ 
fully removed the stock to a little distance, inverted it, placing 
an empty hive above. A few taps caused the beeB to ascend beauti¬ 
fully, and in a few minutes they were back in their new home on 
their own stand. I was very much chagrined on examining the hive 
to find the combs in a very shaky condition ; and still more so, 
on placing it over the inverted skep containing the new tenants 
destined for it, to see the combs come tumbling down on the top 
of the poor bees, deluging them in a complete shower of liquid 
sweets—in plain English, a perfect mess. Another very weighty 
straw one I am too nervous now to raise from the board to ascer¬ 
tain its weight, as I fancy on making the attempt, I feel the con¬ 
tents twisting about—the precursor of another catastrophe. 
An improved hive I promised to send to a friend ten miles off, 
which promise I dare not now fulfil. My weaker stocks would 
be much benefited by a change to the heath five miles away, but 
I will not trust them five yards. 
The omitting supports in shallow moveable bar-hives for ex¬ 
perimental purposes is all right enough ; but in any stock-hive 
destined for work, the combs must and shall be supported in 
future, if of ordinary depth, by at least one good cross stick, and 
if very deep with two, so as to preclude me from being ever again 
placed in this pitiable fix with my hives’ fixtures.—A Young Bee- 
EEEPEE. 
API AM AN NOTES.—No. IX. 
Ligurian Bees. —I have to record another disappointment 
and failure in the attempt on my part to establish the Ligurian 
race in my apiary. On July 17th, I received from M. Hermann, 
through Messrs. Neighbour, a box containing a queen and some 
bees. They appeared somewhat weak and exhausted, but revived 
considerably on being opened, and on the removal of the sour, 
messy comb which had been enclosed with them. Having been 
uncertain as to the time the box would reach me, I had not pre¬ 
pared a hive for their reception by previously removing the com¬ 
mon queen. This I at once proceeded to do; and after taking 
out every bar but one from an octagonal box, discovered her on 
the last comb—and a magnificent queen she proved to be. I 
never saw so large a quantity of brood in all stages in any hive 
before, and it was with no small degree of compunction that I 
disturbed the stock and removed such a queen from the colony. But 
I was resolved that the Ligurian mother should be at the head of 
a first-rate stock, and that every precaution should be adopted to 
command success in this my second attempt to cultivate the race. 
The combs having been returned to the box, and the bees 
quietly settled, the cover of the little “cassette” was removed,a 
piece of large-meshed muslin substituted for it, and the box 
inverted over the aperture in the top of the hive. In this state 
they were allowed to remain until the following day, when I 
thought the bees must have become sufficiently acquainted with 
her presence, and the odour assimilated, so as to admit of her 
introduction among them without further delay. But being first 
desirous of ascertaining the safety of the queen, I lifted the little 
box, and to my great regret found her quite dead, her companions 
being still living and active. I could not be certain, but it seemed 
as if she had been stung by the “ black bees” (as Hermann calls 
them), through the net. Although a dark queen, I think she 
was, most probably, a pure Ligurian, as I could make out the dis¬ 
tinguishing signs of the reddish bands on the abdomen. 
On the capture of the common queen, in the first place I put 
her in a tumbler on the top of an old hive which had been with¬ 
out a queen for many weeks, in consequence of my having driven 
out the bees to form an artificial swarm. In a few hours the 
perforated zinc was drawn out, and she was gladly received by the 
very few bees in the hive. About twenty-four hours elapsed from 
the commencement of the operations before the discovery of the 
death of the Ligurian queen; and in about the space of twenty- 
four hours more the bees were driven with but little trouble from 
the old stock, the queen captured, and again secured in a tumbler, 
this time over her own original people. Two of these individuals 
were admitted into the glass, and immediately attacked her with 
great fury, making it necessary for me to expel them instantly. In 
about six hours I withdrew the perforated zinc, and due homage was 
at this time assiduously rendered her, and she once more took her 
place at the head of her thriving colony. The hive (which has from 
the commencement of its existence been suspended from a salter’s 
balance), exhibited a loss of 3) lbs. in weight in consequence of 
the disturbance. During the temporary exile of the queen, it is 
probable that she made good use of her egg-laying capabilities 
in the black combs of the old hive, for since then the bees have 
manifested a very great increase in activity, particularly in the 
conveyance of pollen. I hope an artificial queen was the result 
of these manipulations, although the hive has been long doomed 
to destruction on account of its age. 
Management. —In such a season as we have, and do still ex¬ 
perience, I think it is important that all supers be promptly 
removed, and all the energies and strength of the bees confined 
to their stock-hive. Any combs containing unsealed honey had 
best be returned to them. 
It is probable that wasps, where numerous, will be particularly 
annoying, and that robber-bees will be more than usually on the 
alert to gain an entrance into weakly-defended domiciles. There¬ 
fore, it will be well to use the precaution of contracting the 
entrances much earlier than usual. I fear that a nice swarm in 
a distant apiary of my own has been seriously injured, if not 
destroyed, by wasps, within the last few days, from my inability 
to visit it, and render the necessary assistance. With me all 
hives have been gradually diminishing in weight for some weeks 
past. I have, therefore, commenced the autumnal feeding, and 
expect (with seventeen hives), that it will prove a rather serious 
pecuniary affair this year, to say nothing of the trouble it will 
involve.—S. B. Eox, Exeter. 
FEEDING BEES. 
Finding there is some difficulty among apiarians in obtaining 
a suitable food for bees at a moderate price, it may not be out of 
place to state that we are in a position to supply any quantity of 
really good honey at 45s. per cwt. 
“ One Cured or Apimania ” and others keeping bees will find 
the above a far more economical and acceptable food than sugar 
in any form that may be offered.— Geo. Neighbour & Sons, 127, 
High llolborn. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Comb of Dorking IIen f Chanticleer ).— We know that the authority to 
whom vou refer does not object to the comb lopping over, and we admit 
that it is not a fatal objection to the bird when in the exhibition-pen; but 
when the lopping becomes excessive, as in the birds to which we referred, 
we think it materially detracts from the bird’s beauty. We wish never to 
see it lop more than in the portrait of Capt. Hornby’s Dorking hen given 
in “The Poultry Book.” 
Duckling Lamed [B. S. P.).—The lameness of the duckling arises from 
a strain caused hv its efforts to get up when thrown over on its back. It 
will recover from it. The blister on the bill was made at the same time, 
and had the same origin. It will dry up and disappear. If it increased, 
we should advise you to puncture it. 
LONDON MARKETS.— September 3. 
POULTRY. 
The supply of poultry is far greater than the sales, prices are low in 
consequence. The demand for Grouse is on the decline. Quotations are 
not so high, but we have seen nothing to alter the opinion we formed at 
the opening ot the season. 
Each- 
—s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Each— s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Large Fowls. 
4 
0 
to 
4 
6 
Turkeys. 
. 0 
0 
to 
0 
» 
Smaller Fowls. 
3 
0 
3 
6 
G uinea Fowls 
. 0 
0 
0 
0 
Chickens . 
. 2 
0 
O r 
3 
. 0 
8 
0 
9 
Geese. 
. 6 
0 
6 
6 
Grouse . 
. 1 
9 
2 
9 
GoslingB . 
. 0 
0 
0 
0 
Leverets . 
. 2 
e 
»> 
4 
o 
Ducks . 
0 
6 
ft 
9 
Rabbits . 
. 1 
4 
1 
5 
Ducklings. 
. 0 
0 
)> 
0 
0 
Wild ditto. 
. 0 
8 
»» 
0 
o 
