The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-03-07 00:00:00

BEE-KEEPING IN DORSETSIIIRE.
LETTIR 111.

And now you can secure your harvest of honey, and
selecting a fine day (ebout 1 p.m.) proce d as follows:
—Pick sway the clay lnting with a knife, and have
ready a strip of tin or eheet-iron, which introduce
slowly and carefully till it covers the hole over the dock.
If done quietly and firmly the bees will not apparently
sere much about it, but the communication must be cut
.ciff from the stock hive, and combs, which at times are
exineected with the floor severed. Now raise the super
with a small piece of wood about one inch, and leave it
about ten minutes. Sometimes the bees will fly out,
at all events some of them. Have • hoard ready on the
ground, take eff the super, place it on the board,
keeping it all throngh the operation upright, and carry
it away into some shed or outhouse, where there
should be an open window ; leave it quiet for half-an-
hour, the bees will then be in confusion inside, and
will make a great uproar. Raise it then on two strips
of wood, about 2 inches thick, and they will begin
to evacuate the gaper, and fly off to the stock hive.
The reason being that finding themselves detached from
the stook, and from their queen, their imtinot is of
course to rejoin her, and by a few it • time they will,
before sunset, have left the super entirely for the stock
-
hive. It may then be carried into the house, and left
in its original position for a few days in a cool place;
•whem,if you want honey you mayextract the combs, but
iii. bad to attempt It at first The honey and combs are
thin, and • muddle is sure to follow the immediate
cutting them away. I find it best to let the honey alone
—it keeps well; and I have:kept such supers mare than
• year in perfect condition by luting them down to a
board, and plaiting them on a dry shelf.
You will within the super have the choicest honey
of the hive ; and as I have taken many isupers in the
mime manner, and never had but one disaster, I can
confidently assure the reader he may do the same ;
but I will relate to him that accident, because it is
one that may occur again. Having taken off my super
in the manner described above, and also raising it on
the wooden bars, I was astonished when evening came
to find no bees had quitted it. I therefore replaced the
super upon the hive, and returning to examine the
board, when some honey had ran out (very possibly
from some unealed re 11.),./ saw the qneen struggling
In the tenacious fluid. I immediately carried her
on a lea to the hive, and pissed bee among a crowd
l! of bees at the month. The bees instantly seised upon
her and hurried her within, where, no doubt, they soon
Itched her clean. All ended well, for I never observed
the mammy of the hive deranged from the event. A
l•Yr days afterwards I took it off again with the desired
reeult, but on extracting the combs I found the queen
had placed brood in the lower cells near the aperture,
and they were all half•formed drones. Tf therefore you
find the bees refuse to quit the enter, you may at once
conclude that she is within; therefore restore the super
for a day or two—she will not readily enter it again.
When the filled rupee is carried into the shed or out-
house, return to the stock hive, take off the tin strip,
and place an empty sniper over it, or one containing a
comb or two—for I generally leave One or two small
ones, or one unfilled—or at all events there is always
the foundation structure, and sometimes an inch or two
left, whe-ein lies the great advantage of wooden
Iva% The bees will recommence comb building, and
If not too late in the season refill with honey ; but as
you have secured about 301bs. of honey it is as well to
leave them sleep. Is &stoma they will carry it down
into the stock hive; and when you see it empty and
deserted, at bees take it off, paste a sheet of paper over
it, store it swey,and use it in spring as a starting super,
or for the purpose just described. When removed do
not replace the bung, but put • small piece of flat board
Over the hole; put a tile or some weight on it, and
.over with a mat or carpet till spring returns. Should
you find, when you have taken off your super, that it is
light end not worth while taking, put it on again ; the
bees will not care about your attempt, though it is
eertein they object very much to too mech interference
andmeddling,and it hinders them in their work. Some
are always experimenting with glasees,(vile inventions.)
opening shuttera,and letting in the light. The bees dis-
like it extremely, invariably discontinue work, and
move away. Never de more with them than is abso-
lutely necessary, and do that without foss; thus you
will seldom be attacked,nor will they attack any one who
attends to their wants or brings them food. There are
at times occasions when bees require feeding even
when the super is on—perhaps in a wet season towards
autumn. Though it is not often required, bore • small
hole at the top of the super sufficiently large to
receive the end of • small funnel; through this allow
the food to run into the super among the combs ; the
bees will very soon terry it away. This hole may be
kept Mopped by a peg of wood.
I have found no difficulty in persuading hive maker's
to make straw supers, but I have discarded them
altogether for the following reasons :—let, The window
st the back mute be cut out of the straw, which very
soon twists the super out of shape. 2nd, They are
always made round at the top, which increases the
difficulty of extricating the combs. 3rd. The wood
preserves the distinct comb foundations. The bees like
wood better than straw, and you cannot in • straw
num make the hole it the top for passing food indite.
The above plan of management is well suited to the
Dersetstdre apiarian, because we have an advantage in
oar patches of heath land, enabling them to gather late
'Mew; tint other counties have not. At the same time
1104 candidly admit it, it has its defects, the chief
LOBO IS when bees are thus treated and much additional
ltbein -afforded them they are reluotant to swarm. I
Affistelehad • first and second swarm from euper'd hives,
hie ones only; • beginner therefore may femme's*
' tektites stooks in the common bell hive. This will
"ISewithissix &annul swarms, and be quite enough for
• galsilleffilbe. If they are sound good pots they will last
-lebt ede seven years. After that he may close up alto-
of his sawed hives that have worked three
iiiiiie—eirasone. When they begin to fail, they will then
▪ aff swarms in the regular way. And here I wish to
meibst another prejudice that second swarms are useless,
isaa never be reared. Several of my best hives are
seeendsworms, and if you like to try my plan you will find
difficulty with them. Second swarms are very
Shout this same time—all about the 14th day
titer the first. If you have two about the same time
Imilierthem in the Mine manner described by all writers
subject. If you have only one proceed as
follows :—As soon as they are potted introduce a good
'UNA piece of honeyoomb, observing to let it stand
upright With the pits** inelination of the comb down-
yoa ;to not fasten down the hive to the
board. The next morning raise the hive, take away the I
ecomb, which will be empty, mid introduce another.
I believe bees will at times make up the old comb
afresh' or If you prefer it, fill sibsflowtin with pure
hopeiy, and cover with • piers of paper perforated,
arid made to fit exactly. Continue to feed them in this
manner for sometime, for as you 'supply them they will
Increase the quantity of comb. When you observe by
looking into the hive that they have more than half
filled it, fasten it down, if the season is fair, and the
beath flower or • field of clover is within their range of
Eight they will soon bring in sufficient store; if not you
most after that feed them at the top by the bottle, but
the bottle cannot very well be used at first. The combs
may be detached, as they are very tender, and bang by
very precarious fastenings. The reason why second
swarms perish,is that they cermet make efficient comb;
the hive is con•equently too cold for them in winter ;
at that time or about February they generally die. I
base seen several hives of this kind, the combs seldom
reaching half way down • it is commonly considered
to be deficiency in numbers. On that point I disagree,
beanie second swarms are not much smaller than the
first If I may venture an opinion, it is probably the hive
contains more young bees as yet not strong enough ; at
all evente I have had many second swarms, and always
have succeeded in rearing them. They should, in
addition to the above treatment, be kept warm by a
'covering of caepet. —Tote continued.
WELD TAYLOR.