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Having written the "Cottager's Guide for the Management ofhis Bees, upon the Depriving System," which has been printedunder the direction of the Suffolk and Norfolk Apiarian Society,for gratuitous distribution amongst the Cottagers, I am induced, atthe particular request of several Apiarian friends, to enlarge theabove little work, and to give in addition a description of Nutt'snewly invented Hive, and other practical remarks in Bee-knowledge,resulting from nearly forty years close observation.

Should this little work be the means of inducing any person topromote the culture of Bees amongst the Cottagers in his immediateneighbourhood, upon the Depriving System, I shall be amply repaidfor the trouble it may have occasioned me; and the hope thatsuch will be the result, must be my apology for adding to the numberof books (perhaps already too numerous) upon this subject.

Reaumur in a letter to M. de la Bourdonaye, in 1757, says, "Thepreservation and also the increase of Bees is an object of such interestto Britanny, that the peasantry cannot be too much encouragedto turn their attention to it." Surely this is equally applicableto our own country at the present time, when the condition of thelabouring poor calls so loudly for relief.

I have little hesitation in saying, that Cottagers who are able tokeep from four to six Hives of Bees, may make from four to eightpounds, yearly profit, after paying all expenses upon them. I paidlast year to one Cottager seven pounds, fifteen shillings, and to anotherfive pounds and one shilling for Bees and Honey.

The following anecdote has so much the appearance of truth init, and is so well suited to my present purpose, that I cannot refrainfrom giving it.

A good old French Bishop in paying his annual visit to his Clergy,was very much afflicted by the representations they made of theirextreme poverty, which, indeed, the appearance of their housesand families corroborated. Whilst he was deploring the state ofthings which had reduced them to this sad condition, he arrived atthe house of a Curate, who, living amongst a poorer set of parishionersthan any he had yet visited, would, he feared, be in stillmore woful plight than the others; contrary however to his expectations,he found appearances very much improved, every thingabout the house wore the aspect of comfort and plenty. The goodBishop was amazed. "How is this, my friend?" said he, "youare the first man that I have met with a cheerful face and a plentifulboard. Have you any income independent of your Curé?"

"Yes, Sir," said the Clergyman, "I have; my family wouldstarve on the pittance I receive from the poor people that I instruct,come with me into the garden and I will show you theStock thatyields me an excellent interest."

"There is the Bank," he continued, "from which I draw myannual dividend.—It never stops payment."

Ever after that memorable visit, when any of his Clergy complainedto the Bishop of poverty, he would say to them, "KeepBees! Keep Bees!"

In the words of an Apiarian friend, I solicit information fromevery one who may have it in his power to transmit it to me, andon the other hand, I profess my perfect readiness to impart whateverknowledge I may possess in the management of an Apiary, toany person who will favour me with the application; my aim isgeneral utility, and the establishment of a national advantage.

Since the first appearance of this little Treatise I am most happyin being able to state that Apiarian Science has in this neighbourhoodand in the adjoining Counties, made very considerableadvances, that the ridiculous notions, and foolish prejudices entertainedrespecting Bees, are fast wearing away—that theCottagersare generally managing them upon the depriving system, makingthem a real source of profit and of comfort, and that a number ofinfluential persons are making themselves acquainted with the practicalmanagement of Bees, upon the simplest and most profitablemethods, for the sole purpose of setting an example, and for qualifyingthemselves to give instructions in the management of themto their poor neighbours. Nor is this spirit of well directed benevolenceconfined to these Counties only, for at Oxford a Society isjust formed to promote an improved and more extensive system ofBee management among the Cottagers by the diffusion of informationon the subject, and theloan of hivesnot the gift, their cost tobe repaid from the produce, and also to promote a more extensiveand scientific knowledge concerning the Natural History and cultivationof Bees among the higher classes; the society I find isflourishing, a piece of ground has been taken and laid out as anexperimental Bee-garden, there is already a very considerablenumber of stocks of Bees placed in it in common straw, and experimentalhives. Subscribers pay half a guinea a year, and non-Subscribersa shilling each visit This is an example worthy ofimitation.

I am just favoured with a letter from a Gentleman who hasrecently visited the above establishment giving me a certain andsimple method of Autumnal union of weak stocks, which he therewitnessed, but it comes too late to be embodied in this treatise thewhole of that part being already in the press, still as I consider theunion of weak stocks important, and Gelieu's method which I havegiven too troublesome for most persons, I will venture to give it inthis place. "The process" he says, "is merelyfumigating the Beesfor which they have invented a tube much more simple than Nutt'swhich they insert into the mouth of the hive; under the hive ispreviously pushed either an empty one reversed, or a shallow boxwith a wide rim, this receives the stupified Bees; cut out the combsand remove all the remaining Bern from them that none be lost.- vi -Now take a little sugared ale and sprinkle it over them just as theyare recovering, place upon them the hive to which they are to beunited, this hive requires no sprinkling nor any fumigation, theBees in the latter are soon attracted by we ale and go down intothe hollow containing the fumigated ones licking them over, thewhole are mixed and go up without the least disturbance, it is unnecessaryto take any trouble about the Queen," he adds "I wasassured that not a Bee would be lost" and he further says "uponmy return home I tested it with entire success on some of my neighbour'sBees, it was the work of but a few minutes, and not the smallestdanger. I left the hive placed upon the other all night, and thenext morning every Bee had left the bottom one, more perfect quietI never saw. I think there were nearly two quarts of Bees fumigated."

Puff-ball is generally recommended being the safest, mild tobaccoanswers very well, great caution, however, is required in its use, orthe Bees may be killed. Common fumigating bellows, or even atobacco-pipe may be used for this operation: After this discoveryit will be absurd not to unite weak stocks, or to destroy a single Beeon taking up an old hive.

I have always considered the keeping of Bees and the advantagesarising from them to be the undoubted privilege of the Cottagersand theirs alone, other persons may keep a few for amusement, orto endeavour to learn something of their natural history, but allshould in my opinion be made subservient to the Cottagers' benefit.

The present season has been a most unpropitious one, especiallyin this neighbourhood, perhaps the most so that I remember, butI am disposed to think that this is not a favourable district for thecollection of honey. I have frequently compared the produce ofmy own apiary with that of others at a distance, and this yearespecially, with that of a friend upon the Essex bank of the Stour,which I assisted in forming and have frequently visited, the quantityof honey obtained from this is small, but it is five times asmuch as that of any one in this neighbourhood consisting of thesame number of stocks.

I cannot close this preface without acknowledging the very flatteringmanner in which my little treatise has been mentioned invarious publications, and my thanks to the many correspondents ithas obtained for me. The addition which I have been enabled tomake to it, will I trust be acceptable and useful.

I still solicit information from any who will give it me, and amready to impart it to all those who will ask it.

I have no hesitation in saying, that a Southaspect is decidedly preferable to any other situationfor an Apiary. I have tried various aspects,but the Bees in the South I have always found tobe the healthiest, and to collect the largest quantityof honey. It is very important that the hives besheltered from the wind by trees or houses, and- 2 -that they are not placed in the vicinity of pondsor large rivers, for high winds will dash them intothe water, where numbers will perish.

It was the opinion of the ancients, that Beesin windy weather carried weights to prevent themfrom being driven about by it. Virgil says,

This is now ascertained to be erroneous, andis ascribed by Swammerdam and Reaumur, topreceding observers having mistaken the MasonBee, for a Hive Bee; the former builds its nestagainst a wall, with a composition of gravel andits own saliva, and when freighted with the formerarticle, may easily have led a careless observer intothe erroneous opinion alluded to. The Abbe dellaRocca appears to have fallen into, and perpetuated,the same error.

Though large ponds are very injurious, a small- 3 -stream is beneficial to them, which if they are notsupplied with, water must be given them, for it isabsolutely necessary, and enters, as much as honeyand farina, into the composition with which theynourish the brood. The plan that I have for manyyears adopted, is to fill an unglazed earthen pan,eighteen inches by eight, four inches deep, andsquare at the sides, with water, upon the surfaceof which floats a very thin deal board perforatedwith holes: in Spring and Summer, the Bees maybe seen coming in great numbers to drink, orrather to carry water into their hives to mix withthe farina they collect so abundantly at this seasonof the year for food for their young. In myopinion, Dr. Bevan says very justly, that "theApiary should be near the residence of the proprietor,as well for the purpose of rendering theBees tractable, and well acquainted with thefamily, as for affording a good view of their generalproceedings."

I am a decided enemy to Bee houses of all kindsfor they are the means of causing the ruin of a- 4 -great number of hives, by affording a home totheir worst enemies, viz. mice, moths, spiders,earwigs, and various other insects, thousands diefrom imprisonment, and many hives are destroyedby humidity. The method of placing severalhives upon the same bench is also very injurious,it very much facilitates pilfering, and renders itimpossible to operate upon one hive, withoutdisturbing the others.

The hives should be placed upon separateboards, supported by single pedestals four or fiveinches in diameter, firmly placed in the ground,and standing about fifteen inches from the surface,(seefig. 1. plate 1.); upon the top of this postshould be nailed firmly a board nine inches square,upon which should be placed the board the hivestands upon, but not nailed, the double boardswill be found very convenient for weighing orremoving the hives, without disturbing theBees.

On no account use clay or mortar as is usuallydone to secure the hive to the board, the Bees of- 5 -themselves will do it more effectually;[1] clay ormortar tends very much to decay the hives, andto harbour moths and other insects; each hiveshould be covered with a large milkpan, and bewell painted every year, for hives managed uponthe depriving system, are expected to stand fromfifteen to twenty years.

The hives should be placed about three feetapart from each other, and in a right line, butshould the number be too great to allow of thisarrangement, and render two rows necessary,they must not be less that fifteen feet asunder,and those in the front row intersecting the lineformed by the hinder one.

The boards on which the hives are placed,- 6 -should be cleaned about four times in the year,January, March, April and November, much timeand trouble will be saved the Bees thereby.

Plants which rise in height equal to or exceedingthe entrance of the hives, should not besuffered to grow in their immediate vicinity, andevery facility should be removed by which theenemies of the Bees can ascend into the hives.

Still, however, a few shrubs or standard rosesof four or five feet may with advantage be placedeight or ten paces in front of the hives, for theBees to alight upon in their return home whenheavily laden with honey and pollen—it saves theirfalling to the ground from the weight of theirload, which they frequently do, and in unfavourableweather to rise no more—it was seeing themrest in this manner that gave rise to the followinglines:—

I have always found the advantage of planting,in the vicinity of my hives, a large quantity ofthe common kinds of crocus, single blue hipatica,heleborus niger, and tussilago petasites, all ofwhich flower very early and are rich in honey andfarina: salvia nemorosa, (of Dr. Smith) which flowersvery early in June and lasts all the summer, is inan extraordinary manner sought after by theBees, and when room is not an object, twenty orthirty square yards of it may be grown with advantage,- 8 -origanum humile, origanum rubescens,(of Haworth) and mignonette may also be grown;cultivation beyond this, exclusively for Bees, Ibelieve answers very little purpose.

Doctor Bevan says: "To those who, residingin towns, may consider it indispensable to thesuccess of an Apiary, that it should be in theimmediate vicinity of good pasturage, and bethereby deterred from benefiting and amusingthemselves by keeping Bees; it may be satisfactoryto learn that the Apiary of the celebratedBonner was situated in a garret, in the centre ofGlasgow, where it flourished for several years,and furnished him with the means of makingmany interesting and valuable observations whichhe gave to the world about thirty yearsago."

My own experience also proves the truth of theabove statement, residing myself for four years inthe centre of a large town, in a house without agarden, I kept two stocks of Bees in my study,in glass, and four or five others in the improved- 9 -cottage hive upon the roof of my house, and Iam not aware that they have ever done better, orafforded me a larger quantity of honey in anyother situation.

The best time to establish an Apiary is fromthe middle of February to the middle of March,the stocks will have passed in safety through thewinter, the combs are then empty of brood, lightof honey, and the removal safe and easy. Stocksshould be selected by a competent judge, as theweight alone cannot be relied on, a swarm of thepreceding year should be selected, and one thatcontains not less than twelve pounds of honey;there are few commodities in which a person can- 11 -be so easily deceived as in a hive of Bees. Iwould therefore recommend the young Apiarianto take the opinion of some experienced personbefore he makes his purchase, a hive of the precedingyear can only be known by a close inspectionof the combs, which but few persons havecourage to engage in; if the hive is not of thepreceding year its weight is no criterion of itsvalue, for an old hive always contains a largequantity of the pollen or dust of flowers whichthe Bees carry home on their legs, especially inthe Spring and Autumn, it is an essential ingredientin the food with which they nourish theiryoung, but good for nothing else, indeed the Beeswill die of hunger upon the combs that arefilled with it:—"Yet," says Gelieu, "they layup useless hoards of it, which they go on augmentingevery year, and this is the only point onwhich they can be accused of a want of that prudenceand foresight so admirable in every otherrespect."

The Bees appear to be aware of the perishable- 12 -nature of this substance, for they never fill a cellentirely with it, but leave room for a small quantityof honey in each cell containing pollen,before it is sealed up, by this means the air ismost effectually excluded, and the pollen preservedfor a considerable time; should, however,the Bees be compelled to consume the honeyfrom those cells containing pollen, before theycan make use of it for their young, it moulds andbecomes of no value, and causes them great labourto remove it. For when in this state, they haveno means of displacing it but by eating away thecells in which it is contained, and conveying itout of their hives in small pieces, about the sizeof peas, hard and mouldy. I have seen the entranceof old hives in the month of April almostfilled up with the pellets of mouldy farina. Theprocess is tedious, takes up much time, and theravages made by it upon the combs appear irreparable;still in a short space of time, if theweather be favourable, the combs are repaired, asif no injury had befallen them, and filled with- 13 -honey or brood. It is a very heavy substance,so that if weight be the only criterion, farina willbe purchased instead of honey, therefore in thepurchase of old stocks it will be necessary theyshould weigh eight pounds more than swarms ofthe preceding year; in the purchase of swarmsless experience is necessary, and by attending tothe following rules the young Apiarian will notbe imposed upon.

1st. That the swarm be purchased before the14th of June, the longer before that time thebetter.

2ndly. That it does not weigh less than threepounds and a half. I have known some swarmsto weigh six pounds, but this is of rare occurrence.

It is very important to observe, that when aswarm of Bees is purchased it must be removedto the place in which it is to remain, upon theevening of the day it swarmed, for should theremoval be delayed even till the next day, the- 14 -combs will in all probability be broken and thestock destroyed.

I should recommend the purchaser to send hisown hive to the person of whom he intendsto buy a swarm, and to desire him not to put anysticks across the interior of the hive, as is theusual custom, for they cause much trouble to theBees in forming their combs, and render theirextraction almost impossible. The prosperity ofthe hive will much (perhaps entirely) depend uponits being finally placed upon the evening of theday it swarmed.

Materials of which Hives should be made, and theimproved Cottage Hive described.

Much has been said with respect to the materialsof which Hives should be made, and experiencehas long determined, that straw and woodare the best. Mr. Huish, to whom I am indebtedfor some useful information in Apiarian science,says, "Of all the materials which have been selectedfor the formation of a Hive, I conceive noone to be more eligible than straw." Gelieu, towhom experience as an Apiarian I am disposedto pay the greatest respect, and whose work containingPractical Directions for the Management- 16 -and Preservation of Hives,[2] I would recommendto every keeper of Bees, says, (when speaking ofwood and straw as materials proper for Hives)"experience has shown me, that it is a matter ofindifference which are employed; except as toprice, according as either material may be moreor less abundant in different parts of the country."I have for nine years possessed a Nutt's hive,which is made of wood, (and which I shall haveoccasion hereafter to mention,) without beingable to discover any difference in the health andactivity of the Bees; but the facility and economyin the construction of straw hives, must alwaysbe a recommendation, as it is in every articleconnected with rural economy.

It has always been my practice to paint myHives, both wood and straw, at least once in theyear, and I would strongly recommend all personsto do the same. April I think is the best time,- 17 -and if done after six o'clock in the evening, notthe least inconvenience will arise either to thepainter or to the Bees.

Having decided upon the materials of whichHives should be made, their form is next to beconsidered; for a straw hive, I would recommendthe following size, nine inches deep and twelvein diameter, straight at the sides and flat at thetop, in shape like a half bushel measure, a holeshould be made in the top of four inches, and apiece of straw large enough to cover it must befastened on with skewers, (seefig. 3, plate 1.) notto fit in but to coverover, the diameter of thepiece of straw being at least two inches more thanthat of the opening at the top of the hive, it willbe much easier taken off, and the combs ofswarms of a few weeks standing will not be injuredby its removal, which in favourable seasonsshould always have a glass or small hive put uponthem, the early ones especially; an entrance oftwo inches by one, must be cut in the bottomof the hive, to which I affix a piece of copper of- 18 -about six inches by three, having a grove, toadmit two sliding copper plates, one perforatedand the other having a hole large enough toallow but one Bee to come out at a time, (seefig. 10, plate 2.)[3]

I have found great advantagearising from this little apparatus. The finely perforatedslider is used to confine the Bees to their- 19 -hive when snow lies upon the ground, the reflectionof which, when the sun shines upon it, neverfails to induce them to leave their hives, andfalling upon it they perish, for a Bee becomestorpid at a temperature of 32°. The slider withone hole only, is useful both in Spring andAutumn, preventing either robbers or wasps fromentering the hives, for three or four Bees will,with the help of this slider, guard the entrancemore effectually that ten times the number without it.

Although I have recommended Bees to be confinedin their hives so long as snow remains uponthe ground, it would, however, be very prejudicialto them if carried on beyond that time, for Inever saw Bees healthy and strong after beingshut up through the winter.

Gelieu says, "Bees have no real disease,dysentery, about which so much noise has beenmade, and for which so many remedies havebeen prescribed, never attacks the Bees of a well-stockedhive, that is left open at all seasons, but- 20 -those only that are too long and too closely confined.They are always in good health as longas they are at liberty, when they are warm enoughand have plenty of food. All their pretendeddiseases are the result of cold, hunger, or the infectionproduced by a too close and long confinementduring winter."

Method of placing the small Hive,[4] Box, or Glass uponthe Improved Cottage Hive, by which means fine Honeymay be obtained, without destroying the Bees.

At the end of April, or very early in the monthof May, take the moveable piece of straw, fromthe top of the Improved Cottage Hive, (fig. 3.)and place it upon the adapter, (fig. 5,) then putthe Box or small Hive (fig. 7, and 4) upon this- 22 -adapter and cover the whole with a milk-pan, todefend them from wet. A glass may be used insteadof the small Hive or Box, with equal success,providing it be covered with something thatwill effectually exclude light; a cover of straw, isperhaps, preferable to any other.

When the Bees are beginning to work in aglass, a cold night generally obliges them to forsaketheir newly made combs, sends them downinto the hive, and compels them to discontinuetheir labours which are seldom resumed till themiddle of the next day; to prevent this delay Iwould recommend the space between the glassand its cover to be filled with fine tow or wool,the temperature of the glass being thereby keptup, and the Bees enabled to carry on their labourswithout interruption.

Experience has proved that the milk-pan is thebest of all protections for a hive, provided it besix inches in diameter larger than the hive itself.

When the Box is filled with honey and thecombs partially sealed, or when the Bees are seen- 23 -to cluster at the mouth of the Hive at nine or teno'clock in the morning, let no time be lost inlifting up the Box, and placing between it andthe Stock-hive another Box with a hole in thetop; the adapter (fig. 5) will be found very usefulin this operation. It is necessary to use thisprecaution at all times, but more especially in arainy season as a greater disposition amongst theBees to swarm then prevails. "Dry weathermakes plenty of honey, and moist, of swarms."[5]However incorrect this position may at first sightappear, the attentive observer will quickly becomeconvinced of its truth.

Since the publication of the first edition of thislittle Treatise, many persons have said to me, "theirBees would swarm, although the small hive hadbeen placed on as directed above, and sometimesafter they had commenced working in it," thereason for which in my opinion is, that the second- 24 -small hive was not supplied soon enough, for thelike has never in a single instance occurred withmy own Bees. I have not had a swarm thesetwenty years from any of the hives worked uponthe Depriving System, occasionally I have compelleda hive to swarm, to fill up a vacancy in mynumber, where the Queen has died, or some otheraccident destroyed the stock.

The population of a hive increases rapidly inApril and May, and consequently the internaltemperature rises in proportion, a very high temperaturecauses swarming, (Mr. Nutt says 130°)although the Bees may have abundance of room—Ihave frequently seen a glass lamp that has noopening at the top, placed upon a hive, and theresult has been that the Bees swarmed beforethey had filled it.—If bothroom and ventilationare carefully attended toswarming may be preventedaltogether, and that the one may be as completelyunder the control of the proprietor as the other, Iwould recommend Mr. Taylor's Ventilator, whichI believe, to be a perfect one, for when properly- 25 -arranged it will reduce the temperature of a hiveat the swarming season, from ten to twenty degreesin a few minutes—I would recommend itsinsertion in the top of the small hive, box, orglass, before it is placed upon the larger one.

"The Ventilator I use, says Mr. Taylor, (and Ihave made them of various forms) consists of doubletubes, both resting on a flauch in the holesprepared for them, the outer tube is of one inchdiameter and six inches long, with six half inchholes dispersed over it.

It is soon fixed down in its place by the Bees,and so must remain, the inner tube is of perforated- 26 -zinc, with a[6] tin projecting top as a handle,and a cap to put on or off this as required. TheBees will stop up the inner tube where they canget at it, when it may be turned round a little topresent a new surface. When wholly stopped, itmay be withdrawn from its place, and a cleantube substituted. This may be done without theleast danger to the operator, but it should beinserted carefully, to avoid crushing any Beesthat may have crept within the outer tube, anexit to these is afforded by the hole at the bottom.The substance with which Bees glue up all crevicesand attach their combs is called Propolis—aresinous exudation from certain trees, of afragrant smell, and removable by the aid of hotwater.

In order occasionally to know the temperatureof any of the boxes, a thermometer made to fit- 27 -the ventilator may be inserted in it. This ischiefly useful as a matter of precaution towardsthe swarming season.

Some have thought it necessary to cut holesin the floor-board, or have placed drawers underneath,to aid the ventilation, but I have alwaysfound the mouth of the hive sufficient for allpurposes."

All operations except joining swarms or stocks,should be performed upon a fine day, about noon,they may then be done with much less annoyanceto the Bees, as well as with less chance ofdanger to the operator.

I have for some years past performed almostall the operations required in this system withoutthe defence, even of gloves, but I would not recommendany person to attempt it, until he hashad several years experience in the managementof Bees.

The being perfectly defended in every partagainst their stings, gives that coolness and confidenceto the operator, upon which the happy- 28 -accomplishment of his intentions so much depends.I cannot too strongly urge, that coolnessand confidence on the part of the operator areessential qualifications, for anything approachingto hurry irritates them beyond measure; indeedwhilst engaged with them the hand ought neverto be hastily removed from one position to another.Dr. Bevan says, "quietness is the surestprotection against being stung."

The best defence is a mask of wire, very similarto, but much finer than a fencing mask,with a rim of tin made to fit the head, to whicha silk handkerchief is attached, a pair of thickworsted gloves, and stockings or gaiters of thesame material; stout leather gloves are as goodprotection as those of worsted, but leather, fromthe closeness of its texture, will not allow theBees to withdraw their stings from it and theconsequence is, that many perish.

It is recommended to persons during theiroperations on Bees, to carefully avoid breathingupon, them, as nothing is more offensive, or more- 29 -irritating to them than the human breath; thishowever, is partially obviated by closing themouth, and suffering the breath to pass gentlythrough the nose, by which means a full currentis not allowed to fall upon them.

When the Box is filled with honey and thecombs all sealed up, (which will generally be doneabout the middle of June) it may be taken off, orit may remain till the one placed beneath it isalso sealed up, which in all probability will becompleted by the first week in August.

Upon the very strong and populous hives, itis necessary in some seasons to place even a third,which must be removed with great caution, forat this time of the year every stock should containat least twenty pounds of honey; should- 31 -however the stock have that quantity, it may besafely removed and placed upon a weaker one, forthe combs not being all sealed, the honey thereforeis not saleable. The Box taken off, must belifted very gently at noon, upon a fine day, andcarried forty or fifty yards from the hive; placeit upon a board or table, raising it a little thatroom may be given to the Bees to make theirescape, which they will do in a very short time.

Much difficulty appears to have arisen withsome persons in getting the Bees to leave theBox when taken off, but in this as in all otheroperations with Bees, gentleness is very important,indeed it is the only means of accomplishingthe end desired, and as I have before said, "theBox must be liftedvery gently," and placed aboutsix inches from the ground, or table, upon bricks,flower pots, or something of the kind. Shaking,beating, or burning paper under it, as is sometimesdone, have all a contrary effect uponthe Bees, they are alarmed by it, and will not- 32 -leave the box perhaps for days, when these meanshave been resorted to.

The box being thus placed, a loud hummingnoise is first heard, and the Bees are then seento leave it within five or six minutes, (all excepta few stragglers), but should the Queen be in theBox, (which very rarely happens) quite a differentappearance presents itself, no noise will be heard,or a Bee scarcely seen to leave it, but the hivefrom which it has been taken will in a very shorttime appear in great confusion. Whenever thisoccurs, the Box must be returned immediately,and taken off again the next day.

When a hive or glass of honey is taken, itought not to be left till the Bees are all out of it,for it is very likely to be attacked by robbers, thusa great part of it will be carried away in a shorttime, and what is left rendered unfit for sale, onaccount of the cells being opened, from which thehoney will drain out upon the position of the hivebeing changed.

Robbers may be known by their desire to enterthe hive or glass, the Bees belonging to it, beingseparated from their Queen, fly home immediatelyupon leaving it.

In taking off a box of honey it will be foundconvenient to pass a very thin knife, or fine wire,between the hives or boxes intended to be separated;if that precaution be not taken, a piece ofcomb frequently projects from the top of the oneleft, or the bottom of that taken, which causesmuch trouble to the operator: two adapters (fig. 5.)placed between the boxes will be found veryconvenient, for the knife or wire will only have tobe passed between them, and the danger of breakingthe combs will be obviated—they should bemade of mahogany, for it will allow of beingworked very thin, without the risk of warping.

To expel the bees from the box or hive whentaken off, Gelieu says, "Take a hive or box ofthe same size, place it over the full one that isturned upside down, bind them round with anapkin, to intercept all passage to the bees, and- 34 -force them to ascend into the empty box, bytapping gently on the full one. They soon go upinto the empty box, and when they are all housed,replace them on the parent hive, whence theywere withdrawn; and if the season is favourableand the honey abundant, they soon set to workagain."

Honey taken by this method is acknowledgedto be very superior in quality to that obtained bythe usual barbarous and unprofitable manner ofburning the Bees, which arises from the combs inwhich it is deposited being new and perfectlywhite, the early period at which it is collected,and from its being unmixed with honey gatheredlater in the season as well as from the Queenvery rarely ascending through the opening at thetop of the improved cottage hive, that neitherbrood nor farina are found amongst it.

This honey sells readily at two shillings apound, whilst that obtained by burning the Bees,is scarcely saleable at eightpence.

It is usual to obtain from every good stock- 35 -twenty or perhaps thirty pounds of honey annually.I once obtained forty-five pounds, leaving thestock rich in honey.

It is frequently asked what becomes of the Beesmanaged on this system, if they are never sufferedto swarm nor are destroyed;—the hives willnever contain them? To which I would reply,that it is well known to those who are conversantin the care of Bees, that their numbers decreasegreatly in Autumn, not only by the destructionof the drones, but also by the unavoidable deathsof many of the working Bees, owing to thethousand accidents they meet with in the fields,and to age;[7] a much less space therefore is wantedfor them in the winter than was necessary inthe summer.

Method to be pursued in case a Swarm should leave theHive, after having commenced working in the Box.

This is a circumstance of very rare occurrence,and more especially when the directions given inthe former chapter are strictly complied with;however, should it happen, let the swarm behived in the usual manner into the improved CottageHive, (seefig. 3.) as directed in Chapter XII,when the Bees are settled, take off the moveablepiece of straw from the top of the hive, and placeupon it the box partially filled with honey andBees; cover the old hive with the piece of strawbelonging to it, and the milkpan, as no further- 37 -profit (except the cast or second swarm) will beobtained till the next season; should the proprietorbe unwilling to increase his number of stocks,the swarm may be returned immediately to itsparent hive; the process is very simple, and Ihave always found it succeed—as soon as theswarm is settled, turn the hive bottom upwards,and if the Queen Bee does not make her appearancein a few seconds, dash the Bees out upon acloth, or upon a gravel walk,[8] and with a wineglass she may be easily captured, upon this beingaccomplished, the Bees will immediately returnto their parent hive and resume their labours; shemay also very easily be taken during the departureof a swarm, for she appears to leave the hivereluctantly, and may be seen running backwardsand forwards upon the alighting-board beforeshe takes wing.

A second swarm generally leaves the hive aboutnine days after the first, but the time may beexactly ascertained by standing quietly beside thehive after sunset, when the Queen may be distinctlyheard "to tun' in hir treble voic',"[9] whichis a certain indication that a second swarm willleave the hive. Should two or three Queens beheard one after the other, it will be on the followingday, if the weather be notvery unfavourable,(for the second and third swarms appear to haveless regard as to the weather than the first.) Shouldthe Queens continue to pipe after the departureof the second swarm, a third will certainly followin a few days, but if one or two Queens be founddead beneath the hive on the next morning, nomore swarms can be expected.

That the old Queen accompanies the first swarm- 39 -is established beyond a doubt; that many Queensare bred in a hive, a number sometimes exceedingthirty in one year, is also ascertained; and thatthe Bees have the power of producing a Queenfrom an egg deposited in the combs of the workingBees, by treating it in a different manner tothose that are to become workers, has also beensatisfactorily proved, all that has been said beyondthis, regarding their natural history, must, I believe,be considered principally conjecture.

It is, however, says a modern Author, "notthe least interesting part of the study of theBee, that this apparently insignificant insecthas hitherto baffled all the research and ingenuityof man to discover the manner of itspropagation; analogy presents no guide to thesolution of this secret, and the result of everyanatomical experiment has tended rather to mystifythe subject, than to conduct us to the roadto truth," and Purchas, who I have before quotedsays, "God humbles us with ignorance in manythings, not only divine but natural and in common- 40 -use, in the nature of Bees how blind are we, notwithstandingall our observations and labour in theproduction and continuance of the Queen Bee, inthe generation of other Bees, and generally in theforms of all things."

Second and third Swarms, or Casts and Colts,are seldom or ever able to collect a sufficient quantityof honey, to support themselves through thewinter, and can only be preserved by much careand expense, and most of them die after all withoutbringing any profit. It is much better thereforeto unite them in the following manner:—whentwoCasts orColts come off upon the sameday hive them separately and leave them till anhour and half after sunset, then spread a clothupon the ground, upon which by a smart and- 42 -sudden movement shake all the Bees out of oneof the hives, and immediately take the other andplace it gently over the Bees that are heaped togetherupon the cloth, and they will instantlyascend into it and join those, which, not havingbeen disturbed, are quiet in their new abode;next morning before sunrise remove this newlyunited hive to the place in which it is to remain;this doubled population will work with doublesuccess and in the most perfect harmony, andgenerally become a strong stock from which muchprofit may be derived.

Two Casts or weak Swarms may be joined inthe same manner, although one of them may haveswarmed some days or even weeks later than theother, taking care however not to make the firstone enter the second, but the second the first,a third and a fourth parcel of Bees may be joinedto them at different times till the stock becomesstrong.

It is almost impossible sufficiently to impressupon the mind of every person who keeps Bees- 43 -the necessity of having his stocks all strong, forweak stocks are very troublesome, very expensive,and seldom, if ever, afford any profit.

Mr. Taylor says, "the stronger the colony atthe outset the better the Bees will work, and themore prosperous it will become. I never knew aweak one do well long, and a little extra expenseand trouble at first are amply rewarded by succeedingyears of prosperity and ultimate profit;"and again, "thus strength in one year begets itin succeeding ones, and this principle ought tobe borne in mind by those who imagine that thedeficient population of one season will be madeup in the next, and that the loss of Bees in thewinter is of secondary consequence, forgettinghow influential is their warmth to the earlier andincreased productive powers of the Queen, andhow important it is in the opening spring to beable to spare from the home duties of the hive anumber of collectors, to add to the stores, whichwould otherwise not keep pace with the cravingsof the rising generation."

It is a remarkable fact, that two weak stocks joined,will collect double the quantity of honey, andconsume much less than two of the same age andstrength kept separately. Stocks must be joinedafter sunset upon the day that one of them hasswarmed, or before sunrise the next morning, andthe doubled stock must be placed upon the standit previously occupied. Great care must be takennot to shake the hive, nor must it be turned up,the combs being new, and tender, will easilybreak, and the stock by that means be destroyed.

For this very useful information I am indebtedto that excellent Apiarian, Gelieu; I have tried itupon some of my own stocks, as well as uponthose of my friends, and have found it in everyinstance fully to answer my expectations. Personspossessing these instructions should not allow aweak stock to remain through the winter.

The operation is performed very easily andwithout danger: I have frequently accomplished itwithout any protection whatever, and I will givethe method in the words of Gelieu—"When the- 46 -swarms have not been able to lay up a sufficientprovision during the fine weather, I weigh themat the end of the season, and knowing the weightof each empty hive, I can tell exactly the quantityof honey they have in store. If they are three,four, five or six pounds too light, I preserve themand feed them in the manner I am about to detail.When the swarms have only about one-third orone half of the quantity of honey which wouldsuffice to feed them, I might keep them alive bygiving them as much more as they require. Ihave frequently done so, but I have already remarkedthat this plan costs too much honey,and gives too much trouble: and, therefore, Igenerally join them into one. For this purpose,I leave the heaviest swarm untouched, and, inthe morning of a fine day in September, or thebeginning of October, I commence by blowinga few whiffs of tobacco-smoke with my pipe inat the door of the hive of the lightest swarm, todisperse the sentinels; then turning up the hive,and placing it on its top on the ground, I give it- 47 -a little more smoke, to prevent the Bees frombecoming irritated, and to force them to retirewithin the combs—I proceed to cut out all thecombs in succession, beginning with the smallest,sweeping the Bees with a feather off each pieceback into the hive; and then I place the combs,one after another, into a large dish beside me,keeping it, at the same time, carefully coveredover with a napkin, or small table cloth, to preventthe Bees returning to their combs, or thesmell of the honey attracting others that may beflying about. The last comb is the most difficultto come at, being completely covered over withBees. I detach it, however, in the same way asthe others, but with greater precaution, sweepingthe Bees off very gently with the feather untilthere is not one left on it. This operation, I performwithout gloves, or any other protection,armed only with my pipe; and, for ten times thatI treat them after this fashion, I seldom receiveone sting, even when I act unassisted.

The combs being all removed, the swarm remains- 48 -as completely destitute of food as it was onthe day of its emigration, and I replace it on itsboard in the same spot it occupied when full, andleave it till the evening, by which time the Beeswill be clustered together like a new swarm.During the whole of the day, which I shall supposeto be fine, they occupy themselves withgreat earnestness cleansing their house, and makingsuch a noise in removing the little fragmentsof wax that have fallen on the board, that anyone who did not know it had been emptied,would take it for the best and strongest of thehives. Before night, when they are all quiet, Ithrow a few whiffs of smoke in at the door of thehive which I mean my deprived swarm to enter,and which should be its next neighbour, on theright hand or the left; then, turning it up andresting it on the ground, I sprinkle it all over withhoney, especially between the combs where I perceivethe greatest number of Bees: five or sixtable-spoonfuls generally suffice; at other timesthree or four times as many are required. If too- 49 -little were given, the new comers might not bewell received; there might be some fighting;and, by giving too much, we run the risk ofdrowning them.—One should cease the sprinklingwhen the Bees begin to climb up above the combs,and shelter themselves on the sides of the hive,this done, I replace the hive on its board, whichshould jut out about seven or eight inches, raisingthe hive up in the front with two little bits ofstick, so as to leave a division of an inch betweenit and the boards to give free access to the Bees.I also spread a table cloth upon the ground beforeit, raising and fixing one end of it on theboards by means of two bits of stick, that areplaced as a temporary support to the hive. I thentake the hive that was deprived of its combs inthe morning, and with one shake, throw the Beesout of it upon the table-cloth, which they instantlybegin to ascend; while, by the help of a longwooden spoon, I guide them to the door of theone that is placed for their reception. A few- 50 -spoonfuls of the Bees raised and laid down at thedoor of the hive will set the example, they enterat once, and the others follow quickly flappingtheir wings and sipping with delight the drops ofhoney that come in their way, or officiously lickingand cleaning those first inhabitants that havereceived the sprinkling, and with whom theymingle and live henceforth on good terms, onedivision of the new comers always cluster on thefront of the hive, which they enter during thenight without disturbance, much pleased to jointheir companions.

Next morning, early, it is necessary to takeaway the table-cloth and the bits of stick thatwere placed to raise up the hive and facilitate theentrance of the bees, and for some days the doorshould be left open as wide as possible. Thehive should also be moved a little to the right orleft, that it may stand precisely in the centreof the place they both occupied before theunion.

I have frequently united three swarms in thesame manner, and with the same success, takingcare only to empty in the morning those oneach side, and to make the bees enter the middleone in the evening, after it has been sprinkledwith honey. In this case I do not remove theone that unites the three swarms."

I have adhered strictly to these directions exceptin "raising and fixing the table-cloth to theboard,"—making the bees ascend, I have alwaysfound to be a slow process, but placing the hivethey are to join over them when heaped upon thecloth, is much quicker and equally successful.

Old stocks that are rendered weak by swarming,or by having too much honey taken fromthem, may be united in the same manner, withthis difference only, that double the quantity ofhoney should be used in sprinkling.

If a stock of Bees containing fifteen or twentypounds of honey in September, be carefullymanaged during the winter, which consists in- 52 -narrowing the entrance to exclude robbers, carefullycovering the hive with a milk-pan, andraising it from the board every month or sixweeks to clean it, no doubt can be entertained toits affording a good box of honey.

Manner of feeding weak Stocks, and the time mostappropriate for this operation.

Autumn and Spring are the most proper seasonsfor supplying weak stocks with food. Beesought never to be fed during the winter, as foodgiven at that time, not only causes disease, butinduces them to go out of their hives, when manyof them perish from cold.

Food should be administered only at night,and the sooner after sunset the better; the vesselin which it is given ought to be carefully removedby sunrise the next morning, or robbers will beattracted to the hive by the smell of the honey- 54 -and far more injury be sustained from them, thanthe benefit arising to the Bees, from the foodgiven. In feeding, therefore, it will be necessaryto observe the greatest neatness. In Autumn,Bees should be fed copiously, those hives containingless than fifteen pounds of honey must bemade up to that weight by feeding; the mosteffectual method I have been able to devise is toexcavate a board of four or five inches in thickness,so as to allow a soup plate, or pewter dishto fit into it without rising above its level; thisdish may be filled with honey, and covered withpieces of paper to prevent the Bees from beingdrowned, it may then be placed under the hiveat sunset, and a napkin tied round the bottom ofit, to prevent any of the Bees from making theirescape; in this manner three or four pounds ofhoney may be given at one time, so that twicefeeding, it is supposed will be sufficient for anyhive, for if more than this quantity is wanted, thestock must be joined to another as directed inChapter VIII. Should the honey be very thick,- 55 -a small quantity of warm water may be added toit, in the proportion of half a pint to three poundsof honey, observing to mix them well together.

If the honey be much candied it maybe placedover a fire for a few minutes till it becomes liquid—anotherplan of feeding is to prepare a rim ofstraw, or a wooden hoop, the exact size of the hive,and four inches deep, within which place the dishof honey, and put the hive over it, making theunion secure with a napkin.

In the Spring, Bees should be fed sparingly,three or four ounces of honey twice in the week,will be found amply sufficient; the easiest methodof giving these small quantities is by a vesselof tin, upon the same principle as a bird's fountain,holding about a pound or a pound and half(seefig. 9.) the projecting trough or mouth, mustbe put in at the entrance of the hive, it is oneinch and three quarters wide, and three inchesand a half long, covered with a perforated tin:this vessel being filled with honey, has only to beplaced in the hive at night, and removed in the- 56 -morning, the feeder itself effectually stopping upthe entrance of the hive.

Some persons feed their Bees at the top of thehive, but it is much too tedious and sparing away, in my opinion for Autumn feeding, in theSpring it does very well. This feeder is of woodwith a cover of glass, it has a hole through itscentre, corresponding with one at the top of thehive, which enables the Bees to pass into it, andtake the honey—I believe it was invented byWildman.

I am decidedly of opinion that Bees fed in theAutumn should have honey, in preference to anyother kind of food. Mr. Huish recommends"eight pounds of honey, six pounds of water, abottle of white wine, and a pound of sugar, boiledand skimmed, to be bottled for use," he adds,"the most advisable method is not to make morethan is immediately wanted, because there is somedanger of its fermenting." Now if the Bees areallowed to store a quantity of this, or any othersimilar kind of food in their hives, will it not in- 58 -all probability fermentthere also? this is my reasonfor recommending honey only—indeed I havenever seen Bees so healthy as those fed on thesimple mixture of honey and water. In Spring,other kinds of food may answer very well, as asmall portion only is given at a time, and verylittle of it deposited in the combs. A very goodSpring food may be made with honey and sweetwort, or with raw sugar and sweet wort, boiledand skimmed.

The proportions would be, one pound of sugar,or half a pound of honey, to two pints of strongwort.

For feeding weak stocks many things have beenprescribed, but nothing is so proper and naturalas honey, but I dislike feeding altogether, excepta little in the beginning of the year, through thelateness of the Spring some hives (otherwise sufficientlysupplied) may require it. Early swarmsmay also require a little honey when the weatherproves unfavourable for their collecting it the fouror five first days succeeding their being hived,- 59 -but in both these cases a very small quantity willbe found sufficient. Autumn feeding very rarelyanswers the purpose of the proprietor. Unitingthe weak stocks at that season as directed inChapter VIII. will be found much more advantageous.

Gelieu says, "that nothing is more prejudicialto Bees than ignorant attention, their mostformidable enemies are, perhaps, their possessors,who busy themselves to torment them, andweaken and kill them by too much care. InWinter, they hurt them by shutting them up,and in Spring, the giving them a little honey isnot always attended to, neither is the guardingthem from moths, which, at that time, make thegreatest havoc, nor is the narrowing of the entrancesto prevent them being robbed. Some- 61 -people suffocate them in Autumn, that they maypossess themselves of their provisions; and otherstake out the best of the honey, and often toomuch of it, and so expose them to die of hunger.

"I therefore place, in the foremost rank oftheir enemies, those of their possessors, who, bytheir own ignorance and inexperience, hinderthem from prospering and multiplying."—Toall this I am sorry to say that I can bear testimony.

Amongst the enemies of Bees are enumerated,ants, moths, birds, poultry, mice, wasps, andspiders. Ants perhaps are their least dangerousenemies, for though they cannot sting them, theycarry them to a distance.

Ants may be destroyed by pouring boilingwater into their nests, and the operation will begreatly assisted by making holes into them witha sharp stick, so as to allow the water to flowreadily to the bottom of them. Mr. Huish says,"to preserve my Bees from these vermin, I alwaysfasten a piece of sheep's skin, with its wool- 62 -on round the bottom of the pedestal," it has beensaid, that these insects dislike both garlick andshalots and they will not harbour in the groundin which these vegetables are grown.

Moths[10] are by far their most formidable anddangerous enemies, great numbers of hives aredestroyed by them every year, it therefore requiresthe utmost vigilance on the part of the Bee-keeperto defend his favourites from these most powerfulassailants. It is in the caterpillar state that theycommit their ravages, and it is truly astonishingto observe the rapidity with which they destroy ahive, when they get established in it. It must beobserved that hives managed upon the DeprivingSystem, that are expected to stand for ten, fifteenor eventwenty years are much more subject tothe incursions of moths, than those which aredestroyed every year. The best method of preventingtheir increase is the frequent cleansing of- 63 -the hive floors, for the female generally depositsher eggs between the hive and the board on whichit stands, or in the dust that accumulates at thebottom. Upon removing the hive the moths maybeseen in thelarva state upon the floor, and areeasily destroyed. Moths and spiders, says Dr.Bevan, "should be watched and destroyed, inan evening, as at that time the former are hoveringabout, and the latter laying their snares."He also recommends a frequent cleaning of thehive floors.—Huish says, "the butterfly of themoth that redoubtable enemy of the Bee, appearsin April, and continues until October. Destroythem as much as possible; frighten not away thebats which fly about the hives, as they devour agreat number of them." He says also, "I wouldalways advise an Apiarian to fix his attentionparticularly on a hive, the Bees of which appearto be in inaction, whilst the Bees of other hivesare in activity.—If this inaction continue for tendays, or a fortnight, not a moment then should- 64 -be lost in examining the hive, and the ravages ofthe moth will soon present themselves."

Amongst birds, that little marauder the bluetitmouse, (parus major of Linneus) stands theforemost as their enemy, for, says Purchas, "shewill eat ten or twelve Bees at a time, and by andby be ready for more; she feeds her young onesalso with them. She eats not the whole Bee, butdivides it in the middle, pulls out the bagge ofhoney, litting drop the skinny outside, in thespring she watches for them in the willow andsallow trees, and takes them when they are attheir work." Destroy their nests in breeding time,and shoot them in winter. Lapoutre, a FrenchNaturalist, assures us, "that he saw under a treein which there was a tom-tit's nest, a surprisingquantity of the scaly parts of Bees, which this birdhad dropped from its nest." Sparrows and swallowshave both an ill name, but I could never observeany great hurt done by either of them. Poultrywill occasionally destroy Bees, for I once recollect- 65 -seeing a hen and her brood pay dearly for theirfreedom with a hive, the chickens were all stungto death, and the hen escaped only with herlife.

The destruction of Queen Wasps in the Spring,and wasps nests in the Summer, will prove thebest security against these formidable enemies:Queen Wasps are seen in April and May, and arevery easily captured, every one which is then destroyed,would probably have been the founderof a nest, which may be computed at 30,000, atleast.

In Autumn, it is very common for Bees to roband plunder each other's hives the best remedyfor this evil, as well as to guard against wasps,is to contract the entrances; to effect this object,I would recommend a copper guard to be attachedto each hive; (seefig. 10, andpage 18.) thewooden one of Espenasse, as well as Huish's tinguard, I have found very inconvenient, which induced- 66 -me to construct the one referred to. It ismade of thin copper and stitched to the hive withcopper wire, it has two sliders, one pierced witha number of small holes, and the other havingone only, but large enough to allow the passageof one Bee through it. The advantages of this,above all other guards, arises from its not projectingbeyond the hive, the alighting board notbeing encumbered by it, and the angles formedby Huish's with the hive, so annoying to the Bees,being avoided.

"In a word," says Purchas, "if you desire tohave your Bees thrive, and prosper, keep themwell from winds and wet, heat and cold,destroytheir enemies, and let them enjoy a sufficiency offood gotten by their own industry; and if therebe a want in some, timely supply them, and doubtnot if, by God's blessing on your endeavours, theincrease and prosperity of your Bees."

Bees managed upon the Depriving System,rarely swarm and are seldom found clustering atthe mouth of the hive, for every bright hour duringthe honey season they seem to turn to profit,when however Clustering or Swarming takesplace, it generally arises from the Box not havingbeen put on sufficiently early in the season, or forthe want of a second Box; if a swarm shouldfrom these causes be compelled to leave the hive,- 68 -let it be put into a new improved Cottage Hive,(seefig. 3.) in the usual manner.

I have always adopted the plan of placing myswarms where they are to remain, within ten orfifteen minutes after the time of their being hived,and in this practice Gelieu agrees with me, for hesays, "most people who have Bees allow theirSwarms to remain till the evening in the placewhere they have alighted, and do not move themto the Apiary till after sunset, this method hasmany inconveniences.

As soon as a swarm has congregated in thenew hive, and seems to be at ease in it, the mostindustrious amongst the Bees fly off to the fields,but with a great many precautions. They descendthe front of the hive, and turn to every side toexamine it thoroughly, then take flight, and makesome circles in the air in order to reconnoitretheir new abode, they do the same in returning.If the Swarm has taken flight in the morning, thesame Bees make several excursions during the- 69 -day, and each time with less precaution, as becomingfamiliarized with their dwelling, they areless afraid of mistaking it, and thus, next morning,supposing themselves in the same place, theytake wing without having observed where theyhave spent the night, and surprised at their returnnot to find the hive in the same place, theyfly about all day in search of it, until they perishwith fatigue and despair. Thus many hundredsof the most industrious labourers are lost, andthis may be entirely avoided, if the Swarms beremoved as soon as the Bees are perceived comingout—this sign alone is sufficient.

Sometimes I do not even wait till all theBees clustered in front or on the sides of theHive, are reunited to their companions in theinterior, as they are never long in being so;and this plan has always fully succeeded withme."

Experience has long since proved, that thecustom of beating warmingpans and the like, at the- 70 -time a swarm leaves the hive is perfectly useless,as well as the ridiculous practice of dressing theHive, as it is called, by drenching it with beer,honey, fennel, &c.; the former is considered bypersons of observation, actually to prevent theBees from alighting so soon as they would otherwisedo; and the latter frequently to compel themto leave the hive. The best method is to watchthe Swarm in silence, and after it has once collected,to lose no time in hiving it into anew,clean anddry Hive. Much time and trouble maybe spared the Bees, if the loose straw be removedfrom the interior of the hive, the best method ofeffecting which, is to singe them off with a waxtaper, and afterwards to remove them with a hardbrush.

I have for many years past discontinued theuse of sticks across the interior of my Hives, forthey cause much unnecessary trouble to the Beesin the construction of their combs; every facilityshould be given to a fresh swarm in their labors,- 71 -for they have much to do, as Dr. Aikin has verybeautifully said for them in the

And not only do sticks across the hive cause muchunnecessary trouble to the Bees in the constructionof their combs, but render their extractionalmost impossible; for in this System it becomesnecessary, after a Hive has stood seven oreight years, to cut out part of its combs, which bythat time will have become very black, very thickand the cells, from the number of Bees hatched inthem, (every one leaving a deposit) much contracted.The times best suited for this operationwill be March and September; if performed inMarch, two leaves of comb may be taken, if inSeptember, one only; it is a very simple process,and easily accomplished with the aid of a littletobacco smoke, and a knife (fig. 6.) which I willhereafter describe.

Gelieu says, in 1814, "I have several Stocksfrom twelve to twenty years old that are as prosperousas the young ones, and one stocktwenty-five years old."

I cannot say so much as this, but I do not inthe least doubt the truth of it; fifteen years is the- 73 -longest time that I have kept a stock, and thereason of my losing it at the expiration of thatperiod was from the decay of the Hive, it beingbadly made and not painted; its annual profitwas never less than forty, and some years, fiftyshillings.

I would recommend every person who keepsBees, to have a few well painted new hives alwaysby him, that each hive be weighed, and its weightupon a ticket of lead fastened to it, the board alsoupon which the hive stands should be weighed.

This knife, which is so simple in its construction,and so easily used, deserves to be madegenerally known. Gelieu, to whom Apiariansare much indebted, tells us, that in Switzerlandit is commonly used, and that the combs fromhives of any shape or materials are extractedwithout any difficulty. It is formed of a slip ofsteel (seefig. 6.) two feet long, by an eighth of aninch thick, the handle is twenty inches long, byhalf an inch broad, the turn-down blade of twoinches in length is spear pointed, sharp on the- 75 -edges, and bent so as to form an angle of 90degrees with the handle; the other blade is twoinches long, by one and a half broad, and sharpenedall round; the broad blade cuts and separatesthe combs from the sides of the Hive, andthe spear point, which is also sharp on each side,admits, from its direction and narrowness, ofbeing introduced between the combs to loosenthem from the top of the hive.

"The sooner the Sting is extracted," says Dr.Bevan, "the less venom is ejected, and consequentlyless inflammation induced. To alleviatethe irritation, numberless remedies have been proposed,of the most opposite kind and uncertaineffect; as oil, vinegar, bruised parsley, burnet,mallow, or the leaves of any succulent vegetable,(renewed as soon as warm, and probably therefore,operating by cold alone) honey, indigo dissolved inwater, &c., &c., the most effectual remedy appearsto be Aq. Ammon. or Spirits of Hartshorn, nor- 77 -is this surprising, when we consider that thevenom of the Bee is evidently Acid."

I have known both the pain and inflammationgreatly relieved by Laudanum; but for myself Icould never experience the slightest relief fromits application.

Its effects are very different in different personsfor whilst a single Sting will sometimes producealarming symptoms in one person another mayreceive many without being inconvenienced eitherby pain or swelling; this I am sorry to observe isnot my case, for a single sting causes me the mostacute pain, accompanied by violent swelling andinflammation, which lasts two or three days; theabove remedies have proved totally ineffectual inaffording me the slightest relief, but I considermyself very fortunate in having lately met withalmost a perfect cure, and it is as immediate as itis effectual; I have much pleasure in communicatingit, for notwithstanding every precaution, personswho are much amongst Bees occasionally meetwith a sting. The method I have of late adopted,- 78 -by which the pain is instantly removed, and boththe swelling and inflammation prevented, is to pullout the sting as soon as possible, and take a pieceof iron and heat it in the fire, or for want of that,take a live coal, (if of wood the better, because itlasts longer) and hold it as near to the place as Ican possibly endure it, for five minutes; if fromthis application a sensation of heart should beoccasioned, a little oil of Turpentine or GoulardCerate must be applied.

During the last three years I have used for myselfand those about me, who might chance tomeet with a sting, a still more effectual remedythan the above, and as its application is moresimple it is certainly to be preferred. It consistsin applying the least possible quantity ofLiquorpotassæ immediately upon removing the stingeither with a fine camel's hair pencil, a sharp pen,or even with the point of a needle. The venomof the Bee being an acid, this very powerfulalkali consequently neutralizes it, the pain is instantlyremoved and neither swelling nor inflammation- 79 -follow. Should too large a quantity ofthis alkali be used, (as from the hurry in whichit is usually sought after frequently happens) thepart should be plunged into cold water, or a scarwill be the consequence, which will last for somedays. I have found the quicker the application,the more effectual the cure.

I entirely disapprove of Houses of everydescription for Bees as a protection againstweather, because they tend in various ways mosteffectually to destroy the lives of those valuableinsects, for, as before stated, they form a shelterfor and promote the increase of some of their mostdetermined enemies; but there are other thingsto provide against, not only robbers of their ownspecies, but those who would carry away hives as,well as honey, and at the request of a friend whohas twice been deprived of all his hives by this- 81 -latter description of Robbers,—I am induced togive what in my opinion is the best kind of houseto answer this purpose, and likely to be the leastinjurious to the Bees. It may be sufficientlywide to allow of six hives with a milk-pan uponeach, to be placed in a line, which will occupyabout eleven feet, its depth may be about twenty-twoinches, the top and ends weather boarded,the front and back composed of wood or ironbars, placed so that a small Hive or box will notpass between them, the front ones may be fixed,but those at the back must be made to remove,and secured by a lock.

At fifteen inches from the ground must beplaced two pieces of wood, about four inchessquare, well secured by cross pieces at the ends ofthe house and by an upright in the middle, uponthese pieces place the boards on which the hivesstand, sufficient height must be given to allow oftwo Boxes to be placed upon a hive, three feet atleast should be allowed.

Another method of security may be adopted- 82 -which is equally effective, and as the inconveniencesof a House are avoided perhaps it is themost preferable. It is to have a stout iron ringof four inches in diameter, a little flattened at thesides so as to become oval, worked in the back ofthe Hive a little below its centre, when the Hivesare placed in a line upon pedestals of equal heighta chain may be passed through these rings andlocked at each end.

Method of Dislodging Bees from Trees or Buildings,and putting them into Hives.

It very rarely happens that Bees in Buildingsor in Trees survive the Winter, cold and humidityusually kill them, but the comb and the littlehoney remaining in it induces others to visit theirabode in the Spring, and which in all probabilitywill be followed by a Swarm from some neighbouringApiary in May or June, and on thisaccount Bees are saidalways to be there, a littleobservation will prove the incorrectness of thisstatement, and I believe the only criterion bywhich it can be proved that Bees haveactually- 84 -existed in such places through the Winter, is to seethem carrying in pellets of farina upon their legsin March and the early part of April.

The most proper time for dislodging a Stock,which from having fixed upon some warm anddry abode, has lived through the Winter, is towardsthe end of May or the beginning of June,but a Swarm ought to be removed upon the dayof its arrival, or as soon afterwards as possible.

The only method that I can recommend at alllikely to succeed, and which I have found toanswer the purpose, is to lay the combs quitebare, and then to cut them out one by one, sweepingthe Bees with a feather or the back of theknife, from each piece of comb into an emptyhive.

Should the Queen not be observed during thisprocess, it will be advisable to take a leaf of Combthat is filled with eggs or brood, and fasten withinside the hive intended for the Bees, that they maybe enabled to make a new one, should their originalQueen have been killed or lost during this- 85 -operation; for it is now proved beyond all doubtthat they have the power of doing this, providedthey have either eggs or brood in their hive.

The use of a little tobacco smoke throughoutthis operation will be necessary, a cigar in themouth of each operator (for there must be twopersons, if not more, engaged in it) will be foundsufficient.

The Queen Bee may easily be distinguished bya common observer, her wings are very short, notextending beyond one half of her body, which ismuch longer, and more pointed than that of theworking Bees, her legs are copper coloured, andher body brown.

The combs being all removed and the Beesswept off them into the hive, it must now be putupon a board and placed exactly where the Beesentered before they were disturbed, and, if possible,it should remain in this situation till Autumn,but its remaining for a week or two is absolutelynecessary; should there be many combs filledwith brood, three or four of them may be placed- 86 -in the hive, by putting some wooden pegs at thetop of it to keep them at proper distances, andallowing them to rest upon the hive-board.

This, however, is a tedious operation and veryseldom pays for the trouble it occasions; forstocks thus obtained are generally weak and requirefeeding, or to be united to others to keepthem alive through the winter. It is thereforemore to the advantage of the proprietor to causethe combs in trees or buildings, in which Beeshave died, to be destroyed, and the places effectuallystopped up with clay or mortar.

Description of Nutt's newly invented Hive, for obtainingHoney without destroying the Bees.

This Hive consists of three collateral Boxes,(seefig. 8.) the centre one fourteen inches, and theside ones ten and a half square inside measure,depth eleven inches; the middle box has a numberof holes in the top three quarters of an inch indiameter, bored in the circumference of a circlesix inches in diameter, with one in its centre,over which a glass is placed. The side boxes (aa)have each a hole of four inches square in thecentre of the top, into which is fitted a piece oftin pierced with small holes, and in its centre a- 88 -hole of an inch in diameter, wherein is placed atube of tin of the same size, reaching nearly tothe bottom of the Box, and supported by ashoulder resting upon the square tin, which isalso perforated. This square tin and cylinderconstitute the ventilator, the opening in theBoxes is covered by a piece of wood, (bb) theBoxes have each a glazed window (c). Thecentre Box communicates with the side ones by agrating cut in the wood and corresponding witheach other, this communication is cut off whennecessary by sliding tins.

The method that I have adopted for protectingthis Hive from wet, is to cover the glass with acommon straw hive, upon which a milk-pan isplaced, and each of the side boxes by two piecesof board eleven inches by fifteen, put together soas to form an angle of ninety degrees, resemblingthe roof of a cottage. The whole should be madeof inch deal and well painted, the board uponwhich the three boxes stand must be of two inchdeal and of one piece, except the alighting board,- 89 -which is nailed on, three strong pieces of twoinch deal will be necessary on the under side ofthe board as braces to prevent its warping.

In this I have differed a little from Mr. Nutt,because I think the solid board more substantialand less likely to harbour insects, his beinghollow to allow the bees to escape at the timeof deprivation, when the communication betweenthe centre and the side boxes is cut off by meansof the sliding tins, for which I have made provisionby having an entrance at the back of each ofthe side boxes, to which is attached a copperslider, (fig. 10.) but without the entrance for asingle Bee.

The middle Box must be stocked in the usualway, by hiving a swarm into it, and if the swarmbe not a large one, it will be better to put twoswarms into it as directed in Chapter VIII.It will be necessary to have both the top andside tins securely fastened to the centre box atthe time of hiving, and till after the union, whenthey may be removed, thereby giving the bees the- 90 -full range of all the boxes as well as of the glassupon the centre one, nothing further will be requiredtill the next Summer, except carefullyplacing the roofs to defend the boxes from wet.—"Perhaps,"says Mr. Taylor, "there is nothingmore prejudicial to Bees than the moisture theyengender during the Winter season, particularlyafter frost, and in certain states of the atmosphere.It accumulates on the top and sides of the pavilion,moulding and rendering offensive the combs,and producing disease. For this reason boxeswith flat roofs have been objected to. I havetried different experiments to obviate this seriousevil, and have found nothing better than thepractice of condensing the vapour as much aspossible and conveying it away. This I havedone for several years by means of the bell-glasses.

At the beginning of Winter I place over theholes on the top of the pavilion, pieces of perforatedzinc, and on these I set the glasses, eachwithin a circular leaden or zinc trough, open inthe centre. As the exhalation rises from thewarmth below, it is condensed on the glass, andreceived, often in considerable quantity, in thetroughs. An imperceptible current of air is thusproduced, of great advantage to the inmates; forventilation is as much wanted in winter as insummer, and particularly when the population isnumerous. The holes at the top of the glassesmay be left open to assist this, for of two evils itis better to have too much than too little air.Nor, with good protection from weather, need theeffects of cold be apprehended; for the Bees, (ifnot weak in numbers) will always of themselvesgenerate sufficient warmth, and a dry, cold seasonis better withstood than a mild, moist one, particularlyafter a good honey year."

This leaden or zinc trough of Mr. Taylor's exactlyresembles in form the feeder mentioned inpage 56.

In the following Summer, when the Bees areworking in the side boxes and the glass, the ventilationmust be particularly attended to, (forupon thisalone depends the success of the hive,)and here I would especially recommend Mr.Taylor's ventilator as given in page 25; a smallthermometer should be kept in one of the ventilatingtubes, and when it is observed above ninetydegrees of Fahrenheit, the covers (bb) must betaken off, and should the temperature of theboxes be found at, or above a hundred, the perforatedcopper slides at the back of the side boxes,must be used, for if it reaches to a hundred-and-thirty,a Swarm in all probability will leave thehive, which next to starvation is most fatal to thismode of treatment. When either of the sideboxes or the glass upon the top of the centre oneis filled with honey and sealed up, introduce thedividing tin; if the glass, remove it immediatelythirty or forty yards from the hive without changingits position, leaving room at the bottom forthe Bees to escape, which they will very soon do,- 93 -but if either of the side boxes are to be takenaway, open the copper slider at the back of thebox, and in less than an hour from the time ofthe dividing tin being introduced, the Bees willhave made their escape and joined the centre box,it may then be removed, emptied and replaced,or another may be substituted for it. All operationsmust be performed upon a fine and brightday. The entrance to the centre box should beopened to its fullest extent, by removing both thesliders from the first of April till the first ofSeptember.

The Apiarian's Monthly Manual, or Hints for theManagement of Bees for every month in the year, uponthe Depriving System.

JANUARY.

Should the cold be intense, no operation whatevershould be performed on the Bees that requiresthe removal of the hives. If snow be onthe ground keep the perforated sliders (page 18.)closely down that air may be admitted, but not aBee allowed to escape until it be thawed; butimmediately upon the disappearance of the snowremove the slider, and give them full liberty. Ihave known many stocks lost by not attending to- 95 -this precaution, and more especially after a longconfinement, do not suffer the snow to melt eitherupon the covers or hive-boards, but brush it offevery day as it falls. Attend regularly to thecondenser (page 90.) which to boxes with flatroofs is a very necessary and useful appendage.

FEBRUARY.

Upon a mild day in this month let the floorboard of each hive be cleaned, and a little foodadministered, should the stock of honey be verylow. See that the coverings be sound, and thatno moisture comes upon the top of the hives.Should it be found that any of the hives haveperished, which will sometimes occur, and fromcauses which cannot be exactly ascertained, letthem be immediately removed, and the honeywhich they contain taken out, and reserved forfeeding those that may require it.

MARCH.

Clean the hive-boards again, and should any ofthe stocks require feeding, supply them, attending- 96 -strictly to the directions given in Chap. IX. Towardsthe end of this month place a vessel, containingwater, near the Bees, as directed inpage 3.This also will be found a good time to examinethe pedestals upon which the hives stand, forafter remaining some years in the ground theyare subject to decay at a few inches below its surface,especially if regard was not paid to the qualityof the timber at the time of fixing them.

APRIL.

Clean the hive-boards for the last time, andsupply food, if required, as before directed. TheWax-moth, that redoubtable enemy to Bees, appearsthis month; they may be seen frequentlyat twilight running upon the outside of the hives:destroy them as much as possible, and, as Huishsays, "frighten not away the Bats that fly aboutthe hives, for they destroy numbers of them." Afull supply of small hives, boxes, glasses andadapters should now be provided, old ones cleaned,or new ones purchased. A few large hives also- 97 -should be ready, for if from inattention to givingroom and ventilation, a swarm should be compelledto leave their hive, they will be wanted.

Weak hives are now very subject to an attackfrom robbers, the best protection that can be affordedthem is the slider page 18, with the helpof which three or four Bees will guard the entrancemore effectually than many times thatnumber without it.

MAY.

The time will now have arrived for supplyingeach stock with a small hive or other receptaclefor honey, as directed in Chap. 4, and should theseason be a favorable one, the supply even of asecond may be found necessary before the end ofthe month. Continue to destroy Queen waspsand hornets, and to watch carefully for moths.Should the bees of any hive appear inactive atthis time, or should they not be seen to carry inpellets of farina whilst others are doing it, andthis inaction continue for eight or ten days, loseno time in examining the hive, and should the- 98 -moths have begun their work of destruction, whichmay be known by seeing the combs joined togetherby their silken webs, cut away the combsaffected with a sharp knife, and the hive may,perhaps, be saved.

JUNE.

Strict attention should now be paid toroomandventilation, for, as has been said in page 24,if both these be carefully observed,swarming maybe prevented altogether. Swarms may now be purchasedas directed in Chap. II. About the middleof the month, in good seasons, small hives andglasses may be taken off, full directions for whichmay be found in Chap. V.

At the end of the month look for wasps'-nestsand destroy them; a very easy and effectualmethod of doing it is to fill a common squib orserpent case with a mixture of sulphur and gun-powder,in equal parts, with a very small quantityof nitre all finely powdered and rammed veryhard into the case, set fire to it by means oftouch-paper, and when in a state of ignition, stickit into the hole of the nest and place your foot- 99 -upon it, when it ceases to burn let a person witha spade turn out the nest; in this manner a greatnumber may be effectually destroyed in one night.

JULY.

Small hives and glasses must now be taken offas they are filled and sealed up, (and stored incool places, observing to keep them in the sameposition as when standing upon the stocks,) andtheir places supplied by empty ones. Go on destroyingwasps'-nests.

AUGUST.

Continue to take off hives and glasses as theyare filled, but supply no fresh ones, the honeyseason being now chiefly over.

SEPTEMBER.

Small hives remaining upon the stocks that areonly partially filled with honey may now be takenoff, providing the stock will not be too much impoverishedthereby; wherever the chance of thispresents itself leave them on through the winter,or until they are emptied by the bees; those partiallyfilled hives taken from rich stocks may be- 100 -given to weak ones, now, or in the spring as required.Robbers will at this time be carrying ontheir depredations, and should a serious attack beobserved the sliders must be used as before directed.

OCTOBER.

Examine the coverings to the hives that theybe all sound, and that no rain be admitted throughthem; the entrances may now be narrowed, ifTaylor's slider be used (page 18) the side withthree openings will be most proper for this season.

NOVEMBER.

Clean the floor-boards of the hives, and see thatthey stand firmly on their pedestals, contract theentrance so that only one bee can come out at atime, for at this season mice are likely to lodgethemselves in the hives.

DECEMBER.

The same attentions are necessary this monthas in the two preceding, but if the cold shouldbe intense the hives must not be removed.

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Fig.	Description
1	Improved Cottage Hive
2	Improved Cottage Hive with small hive affixed
3	Hive showing the opening on top
4	Small Hive with glass opening
5	Adapter for small Hive or Box
6	Knife for cutting out the comb
7	Box to be used instead of small Hive

Movatterモバイル変換

The Project Gutenberg eBook ofThe Bee Keeper's Guide, Fourth Edition

THE
BEE KEEPER'S GUIDE,

BY J. H. PAYNE,

PREFACE
TO THE FIRST EDITION.

PREFACE
TO THE SECOND EDITION.

CONTENTS.

THE APIARIAN'S GUIDE.

CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER IV.

CHAPTER V.

CHAPTER VI.

CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER IX.

CHAPTER X.

CHAPTER XI.

CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XV.

CHAPTER XVI.

CHAPTER XVII.

CHAPTER XVIII.

JANUARY.

FEBRUARY.

MARCH.

APRIL.

MAY.

JUNE.

JULY.

AUGUST.

SEPTEMBER.

OCTOBER.

NOVEMBER.

DECEMBER.

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

Movatterモバイル変換

The Project Gutenberg eBook ofThe Bee Keeper's Guide, Fourth Edition

THEBEE KEEPER'S GUIDE,

BY J. H. PAYNE,

PREFACETO THE FIRST EDITION.

PREFACETO THE SECOND EDITION.

CONTENTS.

THE APIARIAN'S GUIDE.

CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER IV.

CHAPTER V.

CHAPTER VI.

CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER IX.

CHAPTER X.

CHAPTER XI.

CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XV.

CHAPTER XVI.

CHAPTER XVII.

CHAPTER XVIII.

JANUARY.

FEBRUARY.

MARCH.

APRIL.

MAY.

JUNE.

JULY.

AUGUST.

SEPTEMBER.

OCTOBER.

NOVEMBER.

DECEMBER.

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

THE
BEE KEEPER'S GUIDE,

PREFACE
TO THE FIRST EDITION.

PREFACE
TO THE SECOND EDITION.