Chapter I: Part 1

Transcriber Note

Emphasis denoted by _Italics_ and =Bold=. Whole and fractional parts of numbers as 123-4/5. Table of Contents added to aid the reader.

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No. III.

BEE-KEEPING.

BY THE LATE J. H. PAYNE Esq.

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=BEE-KEEPING FOR THE MANY;=

OR

THE MANAGEMENT OF THE
COMMON AND LIGURIAN HONEY BEE,

INCLUDING

THE SELECTION OF HIVES
AND
A BEE-KEEPER'S CALENDAR.

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By J. H. PAYNE, Esq.

A NEW EDITION REVISED AND ENLARGED BY THE EDITORS OF
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BEE-KEEPING FOR THE MANY.

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CONTENTS

Natural History 3
Situation of the Apiary 5
Hives 6
Payne's Improved Cottage Hive 6
Neighbour's Improved Cottage Hive 8
Neighbour's Observatory Hive 9
Taylor's Amateurs' Hive 10
Fenn's Hive 11
The Stewarton Hive 13
Tegetmeier's Hive 14
The Woodbury Hive 15
Method of Securing Combs in Frames 19
Swarming 20
Uniting Swarms 23
Ventilation 24
Feeding 25
Manner of Taking Honey 28
Stupifying Bees 29
Method of Draining Honey from the Combs 29
Preparation of Wax 30
Mead 30
Honey Vinegar 31
Remedies For the Sting of a Bee 31
Bee Dress 32
Purchasing Stocks 32
The Ligurian Or Yellow Alp Bee 32
To Unite a Ligurian Queen to a Common Stock Or Swarm 34
Multiplying Swarms of Ligurians 35
Bee-keeper's Calendar 37
January 37
February 38
March 40
April 42
May 46
June 50
July 53
August 55
September 59
October 61
November 63
December 65

NATURAL HISTORY.

The following brief but comprehensive epitome of the principal facts in the natural history of the Honey Bee is from the pen of Mr. Woodbury, of Exeter, better known to the readers of The Journal of Horticulture as "A Devonshire Bee-keeper."

"The Queen.--There is in every prosperous colony of Bees a queen, or mother Bee, whose peculiar office is to lay the eggs from which the future Bees proceed. Her fecundity is amazing, it being computed that she is capable of laying from 1500 to 2000 eggs a-day.[1] She receives the greatest attention and respect from the other Bees; none of them appear willing to turn their backs upon her, but all are watchful to offer food and anticipate her every want. The cells in which queens are reared differ very considerably from those of the workers or drones, being much larger, and hanging in nearly a perpendicular position, generally from the edges of the combs. Queen Bees occupy about sixteen days from the laying of the egg to the evolution of the perfect insect, and take wing when a few days old, in order to pair with a male Bee or drone. When once fecundated, a queen Bee continues fertile during the remainder of her life. According to Huber, fecundation is imperfect when delayed beyond twenty days, and drone eggs only are laid ever afterwards; but the observations and experiments of Dzierzon and Berlepsch, which have been confirmed by Yon Siebold, the distinguished German naturalist, prove that this phenomenon is rather to be ascribed to parthenogenesis, and that a drone-breeding queen is in reality a virgin queen. I have myself succeeded in repeating and verifying the microscopical investigations of Von Siebold, which establish this remarkable fact beyond the possibility of a doubt. Queen Bees are readily distinguished by their larger size, being fully one-third longer than the common Bees, and are armed with a sting, which, however, they rarely use, except in combat with one another.

[Footnote 1: Queen Bees of the Ligurian species are stated to lay as many as 2000 to 3000 eggs per diem.]

"The Workers are imperfect females. There is no doubt that every worker egg or grub not more than a few days old is capable, by appropriate treatment, of becoming developed into a perfect female or mother Bee. If the queen is removed from a hive the Bees avail themselves of this power by enlarging certain worker cells, and raising therefrom queens which differ in no respect from those bred in the usual manner.[2] When this interruption of the ordinary course of things has taken place, it is occasionally found that the ovaries of some of the workers have become sufficiently developed to admit of their depositing drone eggs, although Yon Siebold declares them to be perfectly incapable of pairing with the male. The workers constitute the great majority in every healthy colony, and upon them devolves the labour of collecting honey for the subsistence of all, pollen for feeding the young, and propolis for stopping any crevice which might harbour an enemy. They are also occupied in secreting wax,[3] building combs, feeding the young and the queen, as well as guarding and ventilating the hive. Huber noticed two kinds of working Bees, which he denominated respectively nurses and wax-workers. This division of the workers into two classes has evoked ridicule from some, and has been regarded with incredulity by many. My own observations prove, however, that there really is a division of labour among Bees, and that whilst the younger portion of the community devote themselves to the home duties of the hive, their elders are employed in ranging the woods and fields to provide sustenance for the entire family. Workers arrive at maturity in about twenty-one days from the laying of the egg.

[Footnote 2: Advantage is taken of this remarkable fact in the formation of artificial swarms, c.]

[Footnote 3: Wax is a secretion from the body of the Bee, and not a material conveyed into the hive. In order to form wax Bees must have access hitherto honey or some other saccharine substance.]

"The Drones are males which take no part in the duties of the hive, and whose use appears to be that of fecundation. They are allowed to exist only during summer, when they are very numerous, apparently out of all proportion to the perfect females. But this apparent disproportion is only a means to secure the important end, that when a queen takes her wedding flights she may have a good chance of attaining her object. Although the drones are much larger and stronger than the workers, they have no stings wherewith to defend themselves, and are thrust out of the hive to perish when their office is accomplished. They mature in about twenty-four days after the egg is laid and are bred in larger cells than the workers."

SITUATION OF THE APIARY.

Aspect.--I will commence by giving the aspect best suited for the Bees to be placed in. I have tried all aspects, and have no hesitation in saying that the south is the best. Bee-houses of all kinds I very much dislike; many hives are ruined by them; they are expensive in the first place, and they form a shelter for their worst enemies, mice, moths, spiders, &c., and not the least, _dampness_, which is ruinous to them. I would recommend the hives being placed south, or as nearly so as may be convenient; if at all varying from it, give them a little inclination to the east, and be sure to place them so that they have the morning sun, for the honey-gathering for the day usually finishes by two o'clock; therefore an hour in the morning is of much importance to the Bees, as well as to their proprietors. Another inconvenience arising from Bee-houses is that several hives being placed upon the same board encourages pilfering, and renders it almost impossible to operate upon one hive without disturbing the whole.

Stand for Hive.--Having, therefore, for these reasons, recommended the abandonment of Bee-houses altogether, I would say, Place each hive upon r separate board supported by a single pedestal 4 or 5 inches in diameter--a piece of wood with the bark on does remarkably well; place it firmly in the ground, and about 15 inches from its surface. Upon the top of this post should be nailed firmly a piece of board 8 or 9 inches square, upon which should be placed the board the hive stands upon, but not united to it, so that the hive may be removed whenever required without disturbing the Bees.

Clay or mortar should never be used to fasten the hive to the board; the Bees will do that in a much more effectual manner themselves, with a substance they collect from resinous trees called propolis. Mortar or clay tends very much to decay the hives; and hives managed on this principle are expected to stand for fifteen or even twenty years. Let the hives be placed about 3 feet apart from each other, and in a right line. The best covering, as a protection from rain, is a large flat earthen pan (a milk-pan) sufficiently large to prevent the drip from falling upon the board. It would in all cases be well to give them the shelter of a wall or fence from the north, but on no account place them close to it, but leave a space of 4 or 5 feet at least for a path; for the operations of taking off small hives, glasses, or boxes of honey, are much more conveniently effected at the back than in the front of the hives. It would be well to clean the boards on which the hives stand four times in the year--namely, in January, March, April, and November. January and March are the most important.

The place where the hives are fixed should be kept clear of weeds; and plants which rise in height equal to or exceeding the entrance of the hives should not be suffered to grow near them.

HIVES.

I am more and more convinced, from experience, that Bees do much better in broad, shallow hives, than in any others. All the hives that I have used myself for the last three years, and those that I have had made for the last two, have been of this kind--namely, 7 inches deep, and 14 inches wide, measuring in the inside. The only inconvenience that can possibly arise from a hive of this shape is, that from the great weight of supers which year after year it will have to bear, the top will sink a little; therefore it should never be used without an adapting-board of 12 inches square; this will take the weight of the supers from the centre to the side of the hive; indeed, it would be better to let the adapting-board remain a fixture upon the hive when once fastened down by the Bees, and should the corners at all interfere with the cover, where the milk-pan is used, they may be rounded off a little to the size of the hive.

PAYNE'S IMPROVED COTTAGE HIVE.

With regard to the materials of which hives are made, I believe it to be a matter of indifference whether straw or wood be used, but the facility and economy in the construction of straw hives must always be a recommendation, especially to the cottager. Having, therefore, decided upon the materials for cottagers' hives, their form must now be considered. For straw hives I would recommend the following size:--7 inches deep and 14 in diameter; straight at the sides and flat at the top; in shape like a half-bushel measure. A hole should be made in the top 4 inches in diameter, and a piece of straw-work, like that of which the hive is made, large enough to cover it, must be fastened over the hole; not to fit in, but to cover _over_ it.

It is better to have a groove made in the floor-board for an entrance than to cut a piece out of the hive. The entrance should be 3 inches wide by three-eighths of an inch high, to which affix a piece of copper or zinc, about 6 inches long by 3 inches wide, having a groove to admit two sliding plates, one perforated, and the other having a hole large enough to allow but one Bee to come out at a time.

Great advantages arise from this little apparatus; the perforated slider is used to confine the Bees to their hive when snow lies upon the ground, which entices them out, and they perish; it is useful, also, when feeding becomes necessary, to exclude all intruders. The other slider is used both in spring and autumn, preventing either robbers or wasps from entering; for three or four Bees, with the help of this slider, can guard the entrance more effectually than ten times that number without it.

Supply of Hives.--To those persons who are disposed to adopt the very simple method of managing their Bees that I have for so many years successfully followed, I would say, Procure a supply of _Payne's Improved Cottage Hives_; also of small hives, 8 inches in diameter and 7 inches deep, flat at the top with a bit of glass in one side covered by a shutter. This hive is in shape the same as the large one, and with a hole in the top covered with a piece of straw-work in the same manner.

Boxes and Bell-Glasses.--Should boxes be preferred, those which I use are made of inch-thick deal, 9 inches square, and 8 inches deep--inside measure; with a piece of glass 6 inches by 7-1/2, let in on one side, and covered by a shutter to exclude the light. Bell-glasses may also be used with equal success if the light be effectually excluded. I usually put on a bell-glass first, and when partially filled, raise it up and place between it and the parent hive the small hive or box above described. I say _partially_ filled, because, if allowed to remain till filled, the Bees would very probably swarm, which the additional room and ventilation given them, by placing either the box or small hive between the glass and parent hive, will prevent.

Adapting-Board.--A good supply of adapting-boards must also be in readiness. They should be made of mahogany, for it will allow of being worked very thin, without the risk of warping when used. They are a quarter of an inch in thickness (_this is important_), 12 inches square, with a circular hole in the middle 4 inches in diameter.

NEIGHBOUR'S IMPROVED COTTAGE HIVE.

I would say that it consists of a straw, circular, lower compartment, having three windows and outside shutters; a thermometer is fixed across the centre window, so that the Bees cannot work between it and the glass, and thus intercept the view of the graduated scale. This little thermometer is found to be a useful appendage, as it affords to the apiarian a correct indication of the state of the hive at all seasons of the year. This lower or stock hive rests on a stout wooden floor, at least 2 inches in thickness, projecting in front as a landing-place for the Bees, which enter under the hoop attached to the straw, by means of a sunken way; the _hoop_ is used to overcome the uneven surface of the straw, as well as to give durability to the hive. The top is also of wood, having three or more circular openings, of about 3 inches diameter, to receive as many glasses.

In the top of each glass is a small hole, through which a tube of perforated zinc is suspended, upon which guide-combs may be fixed; it also forms a convenient support, to which the Bees attach their combs. Over the glasses is placed a cover of straw (also _hoop_-bound), closely fitting the top of the stock hive, and secured by means of thumb-screws, so that it can be removed with great facility, to allow of inspection or operations. This straw cover is surmounted by a ventilator, forming a neat finish, and by which the temperature of the glasses may be regulated.

NEIGHBOUR'S OBSERVATORY HIVE.

Is of very stout glass, with an opening at the top of about 2 inches diameter, over which a small glass may be placed when necessary. The large, or stock hive, stands on a mahogany floor-board, with a circular sinking to receive it; there are holes in the floor-board, covered with perforated zinc, for the purpose of ventilation. Within the hive, on an upright support rising from the floor-board, are arranged, in parallel lines at right angles, eight bars of about an inch wide, leaving a space next the glass all round, to which the bees in the first instance attach their combs, guide combs having been placed upon them. There is a cover made of straw for the whole, which reaches the floor-board, and can be raised at pleasure; a landing-place, projecting as usual, with a sunken way to allow the Bees egress and ingress, which completes the contrivance.

TAYLOR'S AMATEURS' HIVE.

Having thus far given my plan for managing Bees in the _Improved Cottage Hive_, I would now address a few words to the amateur, for the purpose of recommending to his attention one of the 'best amateur's hives that I have ever seen. It was invented by Mr. Taylor, author of "The Bee-keeper's Manual," and is called "Taylor's Amateurs' Bar Hive."

By the introduction of _bars_ each comb is made available, whether for separate extraction or for experimental purposes. Indeed, in this hive both the Bees and their store are at all times completely under the command of their proprietors. From this hive fine honey may be obtained, swarming effectually prevented, and artificial swarms, when required, insured. I was kindly favoured with one of the above hives from the inventor in time to have a swarm hived into it on the 28th of May. In about three weeks from that time, I found it necessary to put on the upper box; and early in September I took it off, containing 30 lbs. of the finest honeycomb, yet leaving a full supply in the lower or stock-box for the Bees during the winter and spring. Another great advantage from this hive, above all others, is, that _a comb may be extracted at any time_, which, where glasses or boxes are used, cannot be done; these must be filled before they are removed, or much loss of time is occasioned to the Bees.

Having already described the hive I most approve of, I will now give a description of a newly-invented one of my own. Convinced, as I have for some time been, of the many advantages arising from having every hive fitted with bars, I have at length constructed a _square straw hive_ of that kind, which, from its inexpensiveness, I trusted would have come within the reach of almost every cottager; but since putting together the little items of cost for its several parts I fear that I am mistaken, for it can cost but little, if any, less than 8_s._ The hive, as I have already said, is of _straw_, and perfectly _square_, 13-1/2 inches by 13-1/2, fitted with eight bars of 1-1/8 inch wide, with a cover of wood--the bars are kept in their places by zinc fittings. The openings in the crown-board are so placed as to allow of one large glass, or two or three small ones, being worked. It is protected from the weather by a milk-pan only in the winter, and in the summer, whilst glasses are on (which may be covered with an old hive), by a milk-pan and zinc shade. From the facility given by the bars to renew the combs, this hive may be expected to stand for many years: therefore, two or three coats of paint should be given it before the Bees are put into it, and an additional one every year or two afterwards; and, as a further means of preserving it from decay, the floor-board should be the exact size of the hive, so that the drip from the milk-pan clears it. A slight projecture in front for alighting must of course be allowed; but by a careful adjustment of the milk-pan the drip may be made to escape this also.

FENN'S HIVE.

There is an admirable hive contrived by Mr. Robert Fenn, of Woodstock, described in the _Journal of Horticulture_, and which has proved one of the best of what may be called "cottage hives." It consists of a straw hive, _fig. 13_, 3, 16 inches in diameter, 11 inches deep, straight-sided, quite flat on the top, the permanent mahogany adapting board having a central hole about 3 inches in diameter, over which is placed a thinnish round of plaited straw, slightly secured with wall nails, though sufficiently so to prevent the egress of the Bees. Two pieces of hard-wood sticks run completely and centrally through at right angles to support the comb. The central hole of the adapter, _fig. 9_, is fitted with a moveable round piece of thin deal that fits exactly to the size of the hole, and this is supported by four pins that are let into the sides of the hole, and project about one-eighth of an inch, so as to allow the flap to rest upon them. The edges of the rounded flap are cutaway as represented _fig. 9_, so as to leave openings between the flap and the adapter of not more than one-quarter of an inch, which will admit the worker Bees to ascend upwards, but not the queen or the drones. Two other openings may be cut not quite one-quarter of an inch broad, and three-quarters of an inch from the sides. Two rows of holes may be bored, or a slit too narrow to allow a Bee to pass, may be formed along the centre of the flap to act as an air-passage. A strip of paper pasted to the flap and the adapter will form a sort of house. Paste another piece of adhesive on at the opposite end of the flap only. When the permanent adapting board is placed--for it is never removed during the honey-gathering season--upon the hive, take off the small round piece of plaited straw from the top central hole, and quickly place a glass tumbler inverted over the hole, which effectually prevents a Bee from escaping to place itself in jeopardy or to annoy the operator. Then if the top of the hive is at all sunken, which is frequently the case, have small deal fillets (_fig. 8_), a trifle wider in diameter than the central hole of the adapter, and of various depths, to slip over the tumbler, and a wind of cotton wadding also to lay nearly around the outside circumference on the top of the hive.

Then place on the permanent adapting board (_fig. 9_), when the tumbler will obtrude itself up through the flaphole, and no insect will ever be able to pass the cotton wadding one way, nor, by reason of the fillet, will the Bees be able to go between the hive and the adapter on the other. Now moisten the end of the adhesive paper, quickly take away the tumbler, down with the flap, press the adhesive paper on to the board, and place the super-board (_fig, 10_), which must have a flap in its centre to exactly correspond with the one below. Two guide pencil-marks on each board, previously marked, will point out their proper positions; and by reason of these duplicate openings in the flaps it will be seen by illustration to admit of two glasses (fig. 10 _a a_), being worked in lieu of one, which is another great point gained in a good and early honey season. Now slip a carpet-bag over the glasses to keep them warm, and the super-over-hive over that; and then cover the whole with a brown glazed milk-pan.

_Fig. 11_ is a second small super-board to correspond with the above, excepting that the central hole remains without a flap; for, unless double supers are worked throughout the season, a third flap is unnecessary, and the super 3 inches high or so, and of any diameter one likes coming within the measurement of the board, is of wood, glass, or straw. These are mostly fig-drums cut in halves, or at least to the required depth, having a piece of glass let nearest the board, so as to admit of one's seeing when the Bees have nearly completed their combs, and are ready for another. When the time arrives, when it will be seen by examination that the Bees have nearly completed their honey-combs in the glasses, and are in want of more room; all that one has to do to accommodate them is merely to lift up board and glasses, _fig. 10_, slip a board and super and fillet on top in its place, _fig. 11_, and set _fig. 10_ on the top of it, which will then represent _fig. 13_. The narrow fillet will prevent the board from coming flush down on the top of the newly-inserted super, which has a hole of only about 1-1/2 inch in diameter in its top; a second small super-board would answer this same purpose--viz., leave a vacuum there for the Bees to ascend to complete the sealing-over of their combs in the glasses, which they will presently do, and till when, of course, the pieces of carpeting and super-over-hive is reinstated.

Payne's straw supers are generally used for the third removes. They cost there about 1_s._ each of Mr. Major in the Traverse, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

_Fig. 12_ is the super-over-hive, a foot deep, and about 14 inches inside diameter. Holes are worked in their tops, about 3 inches in diameter, the same as for the Bee hives, to allow the foul air to circulate up and away, or the top may be omitted altogether as is represented in engraving.

THE STEWARTON HIVE.

During the last few years there have been great changes introduced in the form and arrangements of Bee hives, which have met with the highest approval of our best practical apiarians. Of these we shall just notice those which have come in for the greatest share of favour, and which are obtainable at a price which is within the means of persons of ordinary income.

The Stewarton Hive may be said to have revolutionised the whole system of storifying bar hives. It has been in use for many years in Ayrshire, and their introduction to the south is due to the late Mr. Eaglesham, of Stewarton--an enthusiastic and very successful apiarian

These hives consist of boxes of an octagonal shape, three of which are set one upon the other and constitute a hive. The inside measure is 13-3/4 inches across from side to side, or from back to front. The height of the box, measured inside, is 5-3/4 inches. The bottom is perfectly open. The top is quite flat, and consists of seven fixed bars, each 1-1/2 inch wide, placed parallel to each other in the direction from back to front. The spaces between the bars are three-eighths of an inch wide, and are capable of being closed by strips of wood, which slide in grooves made in the sides of the bars, and which can readily be drawn out behind when required. Across the middle of each box, at half its height, is a cross bar serving to support the comb. Windows with sliding shutters are placed in the back and front of each box, and an entrance is cut out of the front, 3 inches in width by half an inch in height, with a slide to close it to any required extent. In addition to the set of three boxes, a shallow honey-box 3-3/4 inches in depth, and without an entrance in the front, but otherwise made in precisely the same manner, is used as a super. These boxes being used on the storifying system, they are furnished with buttons and hooks for the purpose of securing them together.

The general outline of the management is as follows:--A swarm is hived into two boxes communicating with each other. When these are nearly filled with comb a honey-box is placed above, neatly furnished with guide-combs on the bars. When the Bees are fairly at work in the honey-box, the third body box may be added below to give increased room and prevent swarming. In the winter this third box is removed, and the comb it contains left in, as it possesses a value well known to every skilled Bee-keeper. Feeding when required is liberally pursued, enough being given at once in the autumn to last till spring. The feeding-box, 8 inches square by 1-1/2 inch deep, is divided by strips of wood into divisions half an inch wide. This is placed on the top of the hive, covered over with a box, and the slides withdrawn to permit the Bees to ascend to the food.

TEGETMEIER'S HIVE.

A modification of the Stewarton boxes was proposed by Mr. Tegetmeier, who adopted the square forms instead of the octagonal, and which certainly has this advantage over its prototype, that the moveable bars will fit any place in any box. The Stewarton may be described as consisting of two or more storifying-boxes, each furnished with seven loose bars to which the combs are attached. These are kept in their places by eight slides, which, when in position, render the loose bars perfect fixtures, so that the boxes may be inverted without the bars or slides losing their position. The size of Mr. Tegetmeier's boxes was originally 11-3/4 inches square inside, and of two sizes in depth--viz., 7 inches and 5 inches, but now he recommends them to be 13-1/2 inches square inside by 11 inches deep, each containing eight frames.

The plan of working the Stewarton and Tegetmeier boxes is the same. A very strong swarm, or two weak ones, are placed in two boxes, and when these are well filled, as may be seen by looking through the window behind, a honey box or glass is placed over, and communication made by withdrawing the slides.

THE WOODBURY HIVE.

Best, by far the best, of all this form of the bar hive, is that introduced by Mr. Woodbury, who has done so much of late to extend our knowledge of, and acquaintance with, the habits of the Bee.

The following is Mr. Woodbury's own description of the hive, as it appeared in the _Journal of Horticulture_:--

"In compliance with the wishes of numerous correspondents, I have much pleasure in submitting to the readers of the _Journal of Horticulture_, a description of my frame hives, supers, and outer cases, as at present in use in my apiary.

"Frame Hives are made of inch wood, 14-1/2 inches square, and 9 inches deep inside, dovetailed and put together with paint, the ends of the dovetails being pinned through with stout iron wire driven from the top and bottom, and meeting in the centre. A window 7-1/2 inches long by 4 deep affords a slight view of the interior from the back (not the front as engraved), but is much obstructed by the frames. The crown-board which is raised in the engraving, _fig. 14_, is keyed to prevent warping, and is secured by four long brass screws passing through the ends of the keys. A two-inch central hole for feeding is the only aperture, and this is closed when not in use by a circular block of one-and-a-quarter-inch wood 5 inches in diameter. A three-eighth rabbet is cut out of the top inner edge at the back and front, and below this are notches seven-eighths wide by three-eighths deep, in which rest the ends of the frames. This arrangement affords the Bees a free passage above the frames as well as below and at their sides. The annexed sketch, _fig. 15_, of the interior angle of one of my hives is drawn the full size, and will serve as a guide for the arrangement of the frames, which are ten in number, and are placed at equal distances apart.

"Compound Bar-frame.--This is a contrivance of my own, which I have found very advantageous in enabling me to use frames in stock hives and bars in supers without forfeiting the advantages arising from the unlimited interchangeability of every comb in every hive and super in the apiary. Its construction will be readily understood by an inspection of the annexed sketch, _fig. 16_, in which the comb-bar is shown slightly raised from its frame. The bar itself is 13-1/4 inches long by seven-eighths wide and three-eighths thick; these dimensions must be rigidly adhered to, as _every comb-bar should fit every hive and super in the apiary_.[4] The slips of wood forming the frame are seven-eighths of an inch wide and five-sixteenths of an inch thick, with the exception of the projections at the top, which are the same thickness as the bars, and are five-eighths of an inch long. When the comb-bar is in its place the whole forms a frame 13 inches long by 7-1/4 inches high (inside measure), with a five-eighth projection at each end, which rests in its appropriate notch in either the back or front of the hive. The accompanying engraving, _fig. 17_, represents the frame filled with comb, in which state the bar becomes so firmly cemented to the frame as to admit of its being handled with the greatest facility.

[Footnote 4: It is a good plan to commence by making a pattern bar of mahogany, which should be taken are of and used as a guide whenever comb-bars are required.]

"Improved Comb-bar.--This little contrivance has proved very effectual in securing straight combs when guide-combs are not attainable. The annexed sketch, _fig. 18_, is a section of the new bar. It will be perceived that the lower angles are rounded off; whilst a central rib is added of about an eighth of an inch in breadth and depth. This central rib extends to within half an inch of each end, where it is removed in order to admit of the bar fitting into the usual notch. All that is necessary to insure the regular formation of combs is to coat the underneath surface of the central rib with melted wax. My practice is to use plain bars whenever guide-combs are attainable as these can be attached with much greater facility to a plain than to a ribbed bar; but whenever I put in a bar without comb I always use one of the improved ones. By this method crooked and irregular combs are altogether unknown in my apiary.

"Floor-boards.--My floor-boards are made of one-and-a-quarter-inch wood, keyed to prevent warping, are 18 inches square, and show a projection of about an inch beyond the exterior of the hive, from which they are chamfered down on all sides nearly three-eighths of an inch. An entrance 3 inches or 4 inches wide is cut in front out of the substance of the board commencing at the edge, and continuing on the same level until inside the hive, where it slopes upwards. The entrance formed in this manner is five-sixteenths of an inch in height where the hive crosses it.

"Alighting-boards are moveable, being attached to the floor-boards by means of a couple of pins of stout wire; they are made from a piece of a silk-roller, 2 inches in diameter by 8 long, rounded off at the ends, which when quartered makes four alighting-boards. The surface should be roughened by a toothed plane.

"Supers are 13 inches square inside and of various depths. Six inches deep is a convenient size, and, when filled, will contain nearly 30 lbs. of honey. The engraving, _fig. 19_, represents a very neat glass super of this size, which is manufactured by Messrs. Neighbour. It shows also the adapter with its longitudinal communications near the sides of the hive, and which replaces the crown-board when a super is put on. As the honey-combs in supers are better when made of a greater thickness than those intended for breeding, I place only eight comb-bars in a thirteen-inch super.

"Hive-roofs and Outer Cases are made of half-inch wood 11 inches wide. The former is separate, and is cross-bradded together at the angles with a two-and-a-quarter-inch turned acorn in the centre; its frame fits loosely over the cover and rests on angle-pieces at the corners. A half-inch opening is left under the eaves all round for ventilation. The hive-cover is dovetailed together and glued, with a brad driven through each of the tenons; it rests on the exterior projection of the floor-board, and is retained in its place by a plinth 2 inches wide, which fits loosely outside the latter. It must not be forgotten that all wooden roofs and outside cases require to be kept well painted, whilst no paint should ever be applied to the hive itself.

"When a super is put on a second outer case becomes necessary, and this fits loosely on the first, when the hive appears as it is represented in the annexed engraving."

METHOD OF SECURING COMBS IN FRAMES.

When transferring combs into frames we temporarily secure them in position by the aid of slips of wood a sixteenth of an inch thick by half an inch wide, tacked on each side, and one or more zinc slips as delineated in the engraving.

All these artificial supports should be removed as soon as possible. The combs will generally be found firmly fixed in less than forty-eight hours.

SWARMING.

It frequently happens when Bees are managed upon the depriving system, that for want of timely room and ventilation being given, a swarm comes off from the stock hive, leaving the bell-glass, or small hive which has been placed upon it, in an unfinished state. Now, whenever this happens, let the swarm be hived into "The Improved Cottage Hive," and the bell-glass or small hive, with the adapter, immediately removed from the stock hive, and placed upon the newly-hived swarm; and as soon as the Bees are a little settled (say in fifteen minutes), remove the new-hived swarm to the place in which it is intended to remain, care being taken to fasten down the straw cover upon the parent hive; for no further profit can be expected from it beyond a second, and, perhaps, a third swarm, which are almost sure to follow. In this method of immediately removing a swarm to the apiary, Gelieu agrees with me, and for which he gives the following reasons:--"Most people who have Bees allow their swarms to remain till the evening in the place where they have alighted, and do not move them to the apiary till after sunset. This method has many inconveniences. As soon as a swarm has congregated in the new hive, and seems to be at ease in it, the most industrious among the Bees fly off to the fields, but with a great many precautions; they descend the front of the hive, and turn to every side to examine it thoroughly, then take flight, and make some circles in the air in order to reconnoitre their new abode; they do the same in returning. If the swarm has taken flight in the morning, the same Bees make several excursions during the day, and each time with less precaution, as, becoming familiarised with their dwelling, they are less afraid of mistaking it; and thus, next morning, supposing themselves in the same place, they take wing without having observed where they have spent the night, and surprised at their return not to find the hive in the same place, they fly about all day in search of it, until they perish with fatigue and despair. Thus many hundreds of the most industrious labourers are lost; and this may be entirely avoided if the swarms be removed as soon as the Bees are perceived coming out: this sign is alone sufficient." Experience has long since proved that the custom of beating warming-pans, and the like, at the time a swarm leaves the hive is perfectly useless. Much trouble may be spared the Bees if the loose straws be removed from its interior; and the best method of effecting this is first to singe them with a wax taper and afterwards to remove them with a hard brush.

It is now an ascertained fact that the old queen accompanies the first swarm; the period which usually transpires between the first and second swarms is from nine to thirteen days; between the second and third the time is much shorter. If second swarms come by the middle of June, and stocks are required, it will be well to preserve them, for after-swarms have always young queens, which is a great advantage. Should second swarms not come till July, let them be returned to the parent hive, or put two of them together.

Symptoms of Swarming.--The symptoms preceding a _first_ swarm are the rapid increase in numbers clustering, or hanging out, and drones becoming numerous and unusually active. Those of an after-swarm are much more certain, for, nine or ten days after the departure of the first swarm, a singular noise, called "piping," may be heard in the stock. The first note, says Mr. Golding, is long and plaintive, and is uttered by the princess already at liberty; she traverses the hive, and stops upon, or near, the royal cells which still contain brood, and emits her long plaintive note. This, when the other young queens are sufficiently forward, generally in about two days, is answered by them from _within_ their cells in a quick, short, hoarse note; after these last have been heard for about two days the swarm may be expected to come off. Third swarms should either be returned to the parent hive, or added to a second swarm, for by themselves they are totally valueless. Sometimes an early first swarm, when additional room is not supplied at the time required, will send out another swarm: this generally occurs in about a month, but it is a thing by no means to be desired, and should carefully be prevented by giving timely room.

Hiving.--"Whatever system is adopted let everything be in readiness for the reception of swarms, for even where the depriving system is followed, from some oversight on the part of the apiarian a swarm will occasionally occur. Watch the swarm in silence, and after it has once collected, lose no time in housing it into a new, clean and dry hive (its weight with the floor-board being first taken and marked upon it), and let it he placed where it is to remain within ten or fifteen minutes after the time of its being hived; it will not be necessary even to wait till the Bees clustered in front or on the sides of the hive are reunited to their companions inside, as they are never long in being so.

Hives with Comb in Them.--Hives of comb, in which swarms of the last year have died, should be carefully preserved for hiving swarms into them; it gives a swarm treated in this manner full three weeks' advantage over another put at the same time into an empty hive.

Putting Glasses of Small Hives upon Swarms.--The most proper time for putting the bell-glass, or small hive, or box, upon a swarm, will be from the eighteenth to the twenty-first day after their being hived; and should it be quickly filled, and more room required, which may be known by the crowded state of the Bees inside the glass, and by their being seen to cluster at the mouth of the hive at nine or ten in the morning, let no time be lost in lifting up the glass, and placing between it and the stock hive a small hive or box with a hole in the top. (See page 8). It is necessary to use this precaution at all times, but more especially in a rainy season, as a greater disposition amongst the Bees to swarm then prevails. "Dry weather makes plenty of honey, and moist of swarms," says good Mr. Purchase; and, however, incorrect this position may at first sight appear, the attentive observer will quickly become convinced of its truth.

Second Swarms.--A second swarm generally leaves the hive about nine days after the first; but the time may be exactly ascertained by standing quietly beside the hive after sunset, when the queen may be distinctly heard "totun in hir treble voic," (_Butler's Feminin Monarchi_, Ed. 1643), which is a certain indication that a second swarm will leave the hive. Should two or three queens be heard one after the other, it will be on the following day, if the weather be not very unfavourable. Should the queens continue to pipe after the departure of a second swarm, a third will _certainly_ follow in a few days; but if one or two queens be found dead beneath the hive on the next morning, no more swarms can be expected.

UNITING SWARMS.

I must here observe that second and third swarms are very seldom, if ever, worth preserving by themselves; but two second swarms, when joined, are very little inferior in value to a first swarm, and the union is very easily effected in the following manner:--When two second swarms, or a second and third, come off on the same day, hive them separately, and leave them till an hour and a half after sunset; then spread a cloth upon the ground, upon which, by a smart and sudden movement, shake all the Bees out of one of the hives, and immediately take the other and place it gently over the Bees that are heaped together upon the cloth, wedging up one side about half an inch, that the Bees outside may pass under, and they will instantly ascend into it and join those which, not having been disturbed, are quiet in their new abode. Next morning before sunrise, remove this newly-united hive to the place in which it is to remain. This doubled population will work with double success, and in the most perfect harmony, and generally become a strong stock, from which much profit may be derived.

Two second swarms, or a second and third, may be joined in the same manner, although one of them may have swarmed some days or even weeks later than the other; taking care, however, not to make the first one enter the second, but the second the first. A third and a fourth parcel of Bees may be joined to them at different times in the same way till the stock becomes strong. It is almost impossible sufficiently to impress upon the mind of every one who keeps Bees the necessity of having his stocks _all strong_; for weak stocks are very troublesome, very expensive, and seldom, if ever, afford any profit.

Mr. Taylor says, "The stronger the colony at the outset, the better the Bees will work, and the more prosperous it will become. I never knew a weak one do well long; and a little extra expense at first is amply rewarded by succeeding years of prosperity and ultimate profit." And again, "Thus strength in one year begets it in succeeding ones; and this principle ought to be borne in mine by those who imagine that the deficient population of one season will be made up in the next, and that the loss of Bees in the winter is of secondary consequence, forgetting how influential is their warmth to the earlier and increased productive powers of the queen; and how important it is, in the opening spring, to be able to spare from the home duties of the hive a number of collectors to add to the stores, which would otherwise not keep pace with the cravings of the rising generation."

It is a remarkable fact, that two weak stocks joined will collect double the quantity of honey, and consume much less, than two of the same age and strength kept separately. Stocks must be joined after sunset, upon the day that one of them has swarmed; and the double stock must be placed upon the stand it previously occupied; great care must be taken not to shake the hive, nor must it be turned up. The combs being new and tender, will easily break, and the stock by that means be destroyed.

VENTILATION.

Much has been said about ventilation, and many are the inventions for effecting it, but I have not seen one that is really efficient; its advantages, both in preventing swarms and in preserving the colour of the combs, no person at all acquainted with the management of Bees will deny.

The best ventilator that I have seen is this of Mr. Taylor's. "The ventilator I use," says Mr. T., "consists of double tubes, both resting on a flaunch in the hole prepared for them; the outer tube is of one-inch diameter, and 6 inches long, with six half-inch holes dispersed over it; it is soon fixed down in its place by the Bees, and so must remain. The inner tube is perforated zinc, with a tin projecting top as a handle, and a cap to put on or off this as required. The Bees will stop up the zinc tube when they can get at it, when it may be turned round a little to present a new surface; when wholly stopped it may be withdrawn from its place, and a clean tube substituted. This may be done without the least danger to the operator; but it should be inserted carefully, to avoid crushing any Bees that may have crept within the outer tube. An exit to these is afforded by the hole at the bottom. The substance with which Bees glue up all crevices and attach their combs is called propolis, a resinous exudation from certain trees, of a fragrant smell, and removable by the aid of hot water."

In adapting Mr. Taylor's ventilator to the small hive or box, the inner tube must be made without "the projecting top as a handle," and the cap made even with the flaunch.

After, all, however, the most certain, as well as the most simple, plan is to lift the stories apart upon small pieces of sheet lead, especially between the stock hive and glass box, or small hive in immediate connection with it. The stock hive itself may also be raised half an inch from the floor-board by blocks of wood of that thickness. This precaution is necessary only in very sultry weather, and when swarming is likely to occur. No fears need be entertained at this time of robbers; for when honey is to be had abroad the Bees will not pilfer it from their neighbours at home. As soon as the very hot weather is over, it will be necessary to remove the blocks and restore the hives to their original position.

FEEDING.

The best kind of food that can be given to Bees is honey liquefied with a small portion of warm water; but where honey is scarce and dear, an excellent substitute will be found in lump sugar. Three pounds of sugar to a pint of water, boiled for two or three minutes, and then mixed with a pound of honey, this will make five pounds of excellent food, which the Bees appear to like quite as well as honey alone. Or three pounds of lump sugar may be dissolved in two pounds of water by being boiled a minute or two. This is a very cheap and simple Bee food, and really answers every purpose.