You must have depriving hives. You must take from the bees their surplus
honey, only leaving them twenty or twenty-five pounds of honey for the
winter. To take the honey out of a common skep, you must either burn the
bees or leave them to perish of hunger--alternatives too barbarous to be
thought of.
* * * * *
_Gravesend._
Sir,--Having read with interest your letters in _The Times_ about
bees, I thought you might like to see the following extract, which I
met with the other day. I always think that the cottagers waste much
honey, and my husband and I have frequently thought that it might be
made quite a productive source of income to them; but I fear that in
these parts the plan of supers, nadirs, &c., would be above their
comprehension. If you think that clay hives are suitable to this
climate, you might give a hint in _The Times_.
Obediently yours,