77

SEEKING A NEW HOME.

open air through an empty Hive, which is a sort of

A strong stock will new land, instead of

entrance-hall to the full one. soon take possession of this being forced to the painful step of sending out a colony, and thus seeking a new home. This seems as painful to Bees as it is to Englishmen, for they avoid it whenever, and as long as they possibly can, though it must often be done by both. My plan is, as if an empty country, as big as England, were by some magic art moored alongside our little isle, and were to present an open field for our over-teeming people. Such a move would doubtless increase the happiness of Old England as it does that of the Bees. As the matter now stands, Canada or New Zealand must be the Englishman's home, just as the new Hive is to the Bees. You do not like to leave your own fire-side, and go many miles across the rough sea, unless you are forced to do so; but many more of your children must make up their minds to quit their own fire-side, unless God sends a plague or a war to cut us off by thousands and tens of thousands at once. This cure for the evil none of us, I hope, wish to see, though we must take it patiently if it comes. We must send out Colonies, for England cannot be enlarged as a Bee-hive may. I will now teach you how this may be done. It sounds very pretty in writing, and would be as pretty in prac

tice if you will but try. Look at the wood cut. The bottom board is made so long that two Hives

can stand on it, side by side; the ring in the middle shows the place where your old stock must work during April and the beginning of May.

When it gets so full of Bees that it will soon swarm, shift the old stock to the right, and put an empty Hive on the other ring to the left. Stop them nicely round; the Bees will soon become used to their new house, and you may take

78

BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME.

it as soon as it is full. Nothing is easier: you have only to blow a little smoke into the new Hive, and the Bees will quit it, then take it to a small distance, and they will fly home; if they are unwilling to leave it, you may be quite sure that the Queen is in the Hive. She is gone to visit her new kingdom, just as Queen Victoria will go some day to visit Ireland and Scotland. Put it back to its old place, and comfort yourself with the good old proverb,

Better luck next time.

Try again some fine day, and you will find, I hope, the Queen in her own proper home. Any old box, or a large flower-pot, will do to put on, very well, instead of a second Hive. A drum which has had figs in it will do capitally, for you can put a bit of glass neatly into the back, and thus see when the Hive gets quite full, as well as watch the Bees whilst working. Mind that you cover this glass over, when you are not looking at them, as the Bees do not like the light. The square hole, which is under the new Hive, is to let in cold air for ventilation, of which I shall talk to you presently. A plan something similar to this is mentioned in an old book on agriculture, printed in 1681, by Thomas Dring, at the corner of Fleet Street; but it failed, from the ignorance which the

author shows in it, on many points, about Bees. I am glad, however, to find that some one else has thought of that before, which was found out afresh by a clever Welsh gardener, Robert Jones, in the summer of 1837.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

He found it so, as others. The man mentioned in Thomas Dring's book put a glass Hive in front of his full straw Hive, and did not put on any cover to keep the light out, and then wondered that the Bees did not take to it kindly. It would have been odd if they had done so. But Robert Jones covered his glass, and so the Bees straightway took to their new home.

A board should of course be fixed to the top of the straw Hive, to carry the cap. It should be strong, so that it may not warp. If you make it of inch and a half stuff, you may drive four auger holes from the outside into the hole by which the Bees pass from the full Hive. Nail a piece of zinc with holes in it, at the end of each hollow way, to prevent the Bees passing through them into the open air.

Now, the black mark in the left-hand side of the board (p. 77) is a square hole cut in it, with two bits of zinc sliding in it, one full of holes, the other without any. When the Hive gets hot, pull out the one without holes; open the hole at the top of the

D

79

TO VENTILATE CAPS.

Hive, and put something full of small holes there, to prevent the Bees coming out, or insects getting in. A piece of cotton wool will do. You all know hot air goes up; so there will be a free draught through the Hive, which will keep the Queen away, and make the Bees work all the better. A little care in opening and shutting these holes will keep the honey quite pure. And this is what ventilation means. Side boxes should be ventilated when the thermometer is at 70°, not before. A cottager must guess at it, if he cannot get a "thermometer," which means a measurer of heat, and costs about four shillings.

This plan of ventilation may also be used with the small caps, or glasses, if you have any. They sometimes get so hot (for the heat, as I said before, all goes up) that the Bees cannot stay in to work. Fit a cork to each hole on the outside. When the cap gets too hot draw them out, and the cool air will pass into the cap without altering the heat of the Hive, or hindering the hatch of the young grubs. If this does not make it cool enough, take a turn with your smoking bellows, if you have a pair. You must every now and then poke a piece of pointed wire down these holes, to clear out the gum with which the Bees will stop up the holes in the zinc. Like men, they do not know what is best for them. But in this act you are wiser