BEE CATCHING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 76, 24 May 1881, Page 2

BEE CATCHING.

A correspondent sends us the following : —Mr D Maydwell, Harewood road, Papanui, has been troubled with swarms of bees that have for the last five years repeatedly taken up their residence in the nide and roof of a bedroom in his house. Several, times he has destroyed the bees with sulphur, only to find another swarm take possession of the empty combs. This s tason the busy insects became so numerous that they worked away the canvas, and made their way into the room, so necessitating their removal or the giving up of the room to their sole use. Mr Maydwell last week obtained the services of Mr C. Chaplin, bee expert, who removed the bees and brood combs into two boxes which he had adapted to the bar frame principle, besides taking over 401 bof prime honey in virgin comb. One of the swarms had built a most beautiful piece of comb, measuring about 4ft long and 2ft wide, and on the edge that was stored with honey it was 3in thick. Several visitors watched the operation with some amount of fear, but on beine informed by Mr Chaplin that the bees would not sting, Mrs Maydwell, Mrs Charlesworth, and several lady friends took handfuls from him without being in the least injured by them. A neighbour of Mr Maydwell has thin season taken seventeen swarmsjtbat have strayed into his premises. — Canterbury paper.