96 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  2,  1899. 
BEE-KEEPER 
Skep  Overturned— Drones  in  Hive. 
During  the  night  of  the  18th  ult.  I  had  a  skep  containing  a 
swarm  of  1898  overturned  by  the  wind  ;  the  combs  being  severely 
fractured,  the  skep  old  and  in  bad  condition.  I  got  together  four  combs 
of  stores  and  placed  them  into  a  frame  hive.  This  and  the  skep 
containing  the  bees  were  taken  into  a  warm  room,  and  on  my  lifting 
the  skep,  which  was  placed  close  to  the  entrance  of  the  frame  hive,  the 
bees  entered  the  latter  readily,  including  the  queen.  I  then  took  the 
best  piece  of  comb  which  had  a  little  store  at  the  top  and  tied  it  in  a 
frame,  and  widening  the  four  frames  containing  stores  placed  the 
empty  one  in  the  centre  for  the  bees  to  cluster  on.  The  hive  was  left 
all  night  in  this  warm  room,  and  next  morning  all  seemed  well,  so  I 
put  on  plenty  of  warm  covering  and  removed  the  hiv«  to  the  same 
stand  that  the  overturned  skep  occupied.  As  a  novice,  I  should  like 
to  ask  your  bee  correspondent  if  there  is  anything  else  that  can  be 
done ;  and  as  this  skep  was  meant  to  have  been  transferred  to  a  frame 
hive  later  on,  would  not  it  be  preferable  to  do  it  now  instead  of  waiting 
until  spring,  when  much  brood  will  have  to  be  sacrificed  ?  Of  course, 
one  .would  not  always  be  in  a  position  to  supply  four  frames  of  sealed 
stores  ;  but  supposing  we  had  them,  and  a  comb  of  drawn  foundation, 
and  a  warm  room  (65°  to  70°)  for  operating,  would  not  transferring 
now  be  more  desirable  ?  1  may  say  that  we  lost  from  twelve  to 
twenty  bees  during  the  operation,  and  neither  myself  nor  man  was 
protected,  and  we  only  received  one  sting  each. 
I  should  just  like  to  ask  one  more  question.  On  taking  a  frame 
from  one  of  the  well-stored  hives  I  saw  a  drone,  and  on  examining 
found  several,  also  drone  larvae  here  and  there,  and  as  this  hive  had  a 
young  queen  supplied  last  autumn  what  is  wrong,  and  what  is  to  be 
done  ?  I  take  it  that  the  hive  is  queenless,  and  has  a  working  bee 
ovipositing,  which  is  naturally  a  drone  breeder.  The  stock  in  question 
is  very  strong  in  numbers,  and  had  a  young  queen  supplied  in  October. 
— Novice. 
[“Novice”  is  to  be  congratulated  for  the  ready  manner  in  which 
he  overcame  a  somewhat  difficult  operation.  Many  apiarists,  who  do 
not  consider  themselves  novices  in  bee  management,  would  have 
hesitated  before  attempting  to  transfer  bees  from  a  straw  skep  to  a 
frame  hive  at  midwinter.  Had  the  bees  been  left  to  take  their  chance 
in  the  skep  in  the  case  recorded  above  they  would  probably  have 
succumbed  before  the  spring,  as  the  combs  were  broken  down, 
which  shows  that  it  is  sometimes  an  advantage  to  leave  the  beaten 
track  and  judge  each  case  on  its  merits. 
The  only  fault  we  have  to  find  with  “  Novice  ”  is  that  he  did 
not  go  far  enough.  Instead  of  tying  only  “  the  best  piece  of  comb 
into  an  empty  frame,”  it  would  have  been  much  more  beneficial  to 
the  bees  in  the  future  if  the  whole  of  the  combs  had  been  transferred 
wish  the  exception  of  that  containing  drone  cells.  It  would  then  not 
have  been  necessary  to  disturb  them  again.  All  that  is  requisite  is 
a  few  pieces  of  narrow  tape  or  raffia.  We  prefer  the  former  for 
winter,  as  it  would  probably  have  to  remain  tied  round  the  combs 
for  a  couple  of  months,  whereas  if  transferring  is  done  in  the 
summer  or  early  autumn  the  ties  may  be  removed  within  twenty- 
four  hours.  Have  them  of  sufficient  length  to  go  round  the  bottom  of 
the  frame  so  that  the  ends  are  fastened  at  the  top.  Fill  the  frame 
with  the  best  pieces  of  comb,  taking  care  that  the  cells  slope  upwards 
the  same  as  they  did  in  their  original  position.  With  a  little 
practice  the  combs  may  be  placed  firmly  in  the  frames,  so  that  they 
will  require  little  attention  from  the  bees,  as  they  would  be  unable  to 
fasten  them  securely  at  midwinter. 
There  would  probably  be  sufficient  combs  in  an  ordinary  skep  to 
fill  four  frames.  Were  these  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  hive,  and 
the  four  frames  of  stores  on  each  side,  with  plenty  of  warm  coverings, 
as  has  already  been  done  by  “  Novice,”  no  further  attention  would 
have  been  necessary  until  the  brood  chamber  required  enlarging. 
We  do  not  recommend  any  interference  with  the  bees  at  present, 
as  the  temperature  is  now  lower  than  at  any  time  during  the  winter. 
There  will  be  ample  stores  in  the  hive  for  at  least  two  months,  as  the 
bees  will  be  able  to  cluster  on  the  piece  of  comb  inserted  in  the  empty 
frame.  If  bees  can  possibly  avoid  it,  they  will  not  cluster  on  sealed 
stores,  owing  to  the  surface  being  so  cold.  It  therefore  shows  the 
advantage  of  having  some  spare  combs  for  an  emergency  like  the 
above.  The  spare  combs  from  the  skep  may  be  fastened  into  frames 
in  readiness  for  future  use,  to  be  afterwards  stored  in  a  dry  place.  By 
working  on  this  plan  the  brood  will  not  be  sacrificed,  as  suggested  by 
your  correspondent,  as  the  frames  may  he  placed  in  the  hive  when 
necessary  in  the  spring. 
Without  a  doubt  the  stock  having  drones  and  drone  larvae  at  this 
season  will  either  be  queenless,  or  the  queen  is  injured  and  unable  to 
fulfil  her  duties.  At  various  times  we  have  had  several  cases  similar 
to  the  above,  principally  with  stocks  having  young  queens  introduced 
the  previous  autumn.  More  often  than  otherwise  the  queen  has  been 
dead,  but  we  had  one  interesting  exception  a  few  years  ago.  Some 
drones  were  observed  on  the  wing  during  early  spring,  and  on  examin¬ 
ing  the  stock  a  fine  queen  was  observed,  but  not  any  brood ;  they 
were  fed  with  thin  syrup  for  a  fortnight,  but  this  bad  not  the  desired 
effect,  and  after  experimenting  for  several  weeks  the  queen  was 
destroyed,  and  the  bees  were  united  to  the  two  stocks  nearest  to  it  on 
the  stand.  This  is  what  we  should  advise  “  Novice  ”  to  do,  as  soon 
as  the  weather  is  warm  enough. 
Bees  that  have  been  queenless  for  some  time  will  often  ball  the 
queen  when  united  to  another  stock.  It  is  therefore  advisable  to  cage 
the  queen  for  a  few  hours,  and  unite  the  bees  in  the  usual  manner, 
either  by  sprinkling  them  with  flour,  or  by  placing  the  combs  alter¬ 
nately  without  disturbing  the  bees. — An  English  Bee-keeper.] 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
Atlee,  Burpee,  &  Co.,  Philadelphia. — Seeds. 
Dobie  &  Mason,  Oak  Street,  Manchester. — Seeds. 
Collins  Bros.  &  Gabriel,  Waterloo  Road,  London. — Seeds. 
A.  Cross  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  Glasgow. — Seeds. 
T.  Lambert  &  Sohne,  Trier. — Seeds. 
H.  Merry  weather,  Southwell. — Seeds  and  Plants. 
A.  Robinson,  1  A,  Bishonsgate  Street  Without,  London. — Seeds. 
.J.  Russell,  Richmond,  Surrey. — Seeds. 
B.  Soddy,  Walworth  Road,  London. — Seeds. 
W.  Sydenham,  Tamworth. — Pansies  and  Violas. 
Thyne  &  Raton,  Union  Street,  Dundee.— 8’ef(Zs. 
Vilmorin,  Andrieux.  &  Co.,  Quai  de  la  Megisserie,  Paris. — Seeds. 
Wright  Bros,,  .51,  Market  Street,  Mansfield.— 
Ail  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to“  The  Editor,”  s,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  S.W.,  and  HOT  to  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street,  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately  to 
any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking  information  on  matters 
discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to 
unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense,  and  departmental  writers 
are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters  they  may  receive  on 
Gardening  and  Bee  subjects  through  the  post.  If  information 
be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from  any  particular 
authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be  made  to  obtain 
it  by  the  Editor.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accompanied  by 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will  neither  be 
published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  nom  de  'plumes  are  given 
for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  All  articles  intended 
for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only  ;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer' must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Ivy  Leaves  Eaten  (/.  C.  B.). — The  Ivy  leaves  appear  eaten  by  some 
animal,  and  from  the  gnawing  on  the  part  of  the  larger  leaf  on  the 
specimens,  which  has  the  veins  left  in  part,  we  think  by  some  larvse,  such 
as  the  night-feeding  caterpillars,  those  of  the  “old  lady”  moth  (Mania 
maura)  feeding  on  Ivy,  though  the  yellow  underwing,  dart,  angle-shades, 
and  other  winter-feeding  moths  (by  their  larvm)  are  sometimes  not 
particular  as  to  food  plants.  Whatever  the  enemy,  we  think  it  would 
yield  to  spraying  the  Ivy  with  Paris  green  paste,  1  oz.  to  12  gallons  of 
water,  it  sufficing  to  just  coat  the  leafage  with  a  thin  film  of  the  poison, 
applying  when  the  foliage  is  perfectly  dry.  Of  course,  the  Paris  green 
will  destroy  or  injure  other  animals  partaking  of  the  leaves,  therefore 
judgment  must  be  exercised,  so  as  not  to  affect  domesticated  animals  or 
those  it  may  be  desirable  to  protect  from  injury,  such  as  rabbits,  which 
are  very  fond  of  recently  planted  Ivy.  The  paraffin  preparation  named 
in  answer  to  “  Dorset  ”  acts  well  as  a  deterrent,  diluting  to  3  gallons, 
and  applying  by  means  of  a  syringe.  Perhaps  you  would  find  the 
marauders  at  work  if  you  were  to  examine  the  Ivy  after  dark  with  a 
lantern,  especially  if  caterpillars,  though  these  may  have  passed  into  the 
pupa  state,  when  they  may  be  found  in  the  ground  in  earthen  cocoons, 
and  an  inch  or  two  beneath  the  surface. 
