.'X 'V^^'-i ^.i:,v^ Co/0. ^ ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New York State Colleges op- Agriculture AND Home Economics AT Cornell University EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS BEEKEEPING LIBRARY .^:.^. NEW PLAN SPEEDILY INCREASING NUMB^ER OF BEE-HIVES, Ssff. ^f. Esfr. A NEW PLAN FOR SPEEDILY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF BEE-HIVES IN SCOTLAND; AND WHICH MAY BE EXTENDED, WITH EQUAL SUCCESS, TO ENGLAND, IRELAND, AMERICA, OR TO ANY OTHER PART Of THE WORLD CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FLOWERS, By JAMES BONNER, Bee-Master, AUTHOR OF PRACTICAL WARDING MADE EASY, &C. Though fmaW s the Infc3, great -will be the Gain ; Jf heavenly Poivers permit , and Fhoehtis not difdaln, VlRQ. EDINBURGH : PRINTED BY J. MOIR, PATERSOn's COHKT : SOLD BY W. CREECH, BELL Id' BRaDFUTE, P. HILL, MUDIE D* SON, AND BY THE AUTHOR, AT MR GRANt's, LEITH WYND, EDINBURGH :— AND BY T. KAY, NO. ^2,7,, STRAND, LONDON. 1795- Price 4^. ^d. .. .,-, E 993 MOSTNOELE, THE PRESIDENT, AND THE OTHER RIGHT HONOURABLE AND HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF THE HIGHLAND SOCIETY of SCOTLAND. MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, The generous and diflinguifhed mark of refpedl already beflowed upon me, for my fmall exertions in the fervice of tlie Public, while it commanded my gratitude, at the fame time emboldened me to folicit your Patronage to the following flieets, wrote upon the impor- tant fubjec5l which iirfh introduced me to your notice. Your ready and unanimous acqui- efcence, in granting me this additional honour, with the particular favours I have received from many of you, adds exceedingly to the obligations ( " ) obligations formerly beftowed, and calls for frefli ebullitions of my utmofl gratitude to you, both as a Society and as Individuals. That your laudable endeavours, for promot- ing tbe good of your Country, in every re- fpedl, may be crov>rned v^ith the greatefl fac- cefs, and that both the prefent and future ge- nerations may be extenfively benefited by your public-fpirited and patriotic exertions, is the earned v/ifli of, MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, ' Your moft obedient. Moil obliged, and Mod humble Servant, . JAMES BONNER. £.DINBURGH, ftfLY l8. 1795. PREFACE. J3ioGRAPHERS and Philosophers are equal- ly puzzled to account for the great diversity of talents among mankind, and the peculiar bent of genius to ,be found in each individual. While fome pretend to account for thefe pecu- liarities, from the accidental circumftances in which individuals happen to be placed, others, with at lead equal probability, attribute them ta peculiar inclinations, implanted by Nature, or rather the Author of Nature in the human mind. Perhaps both caufes mud co-operate to produce that degree of enthufiaflic fond- nefs for particular purfuits, which, in all ages, has diftinguiihed fome individuals in every branch of fcience, or of art, and which is fo humoroufly entitled by the facetious Sterne, a man's hobby horse. * The author of this work has been, almofl from his infancy, an admirer of bees, and the a fruit * Triflram Shandy, vol. i. 'iv. PREFACE. fruit of their labours. When a fchool-boy^ he read with pecuHar pleafure, the defcription given of Canaan, as a land flowing with milk and honey. Being appointed by his father * when a boy, to watch his bees in fwarming time, his fond- nefs for thefe wonderful infecls daily increafed ; and he could not help thinking himfelf in a kind of paradifaical flate,when employed in this delightful office in his father's garden, and running * The author's father, James Bonner, was, like himfelf, fond of rearing bees, and often had a dozen of hives at a time in his garden. He lived above 50 years in the married ftate, and had twelve children, of whom the author is the youngeft alive. He frequently boafled, that, in good feafons, he made as much money by his bees, as nearly purchafed oat-meal fufficient to ferve his numerous family for the whole year. He purchafed a large quarto Bible with the wax produced in one year from his hives, which fcrved as a family book ever after 5 and his houfe was always well fapplied with honey, and a kind of weak mead, v;hich ferved for drink at all feafons of the year. As he lived regularly and temperately, he pref-erved a great degree of health and vigour to the laft ; and was employed in his ordinary bufi- nefs of weaving, till withiti a few diys ot his death j which hap- pened in the 86th year of his age , when he left four fons and a daughter, to regret his lofs. He had always an uncommonly retentive memory ; for, upon the fmalleil; hint, he could repeat almoil: any parage in fcripture verbatim. He ufed often to en- tertain his family with a narrative of his treatment of his bees, and of the profit, as wtll as pleafure, which he had in keeping them. PREFACE. V. running among the blooming buihes, and va- riegated flowers, to look after the young fwarms. When very young, he purchafed three hives, which he gradually increafed to a pretty large flock, and has ever fince taken great pleafure, over and above every view of emolument, to ftudy the nature of thefe va- luable inre6ls, and to inveftigate the caufes of their thriving and unprofperous fcates ; their health and difeafes ; the bed means of preferv- ing the individuals, and of propagating and multiplying their induftrious race, with their management in every refped. For this pur- pofe, he has perufed with avidity every book in the Englifh language, on the fubje6l, that he could get accefs to ; and has fpared neither time, trouble, nor expence, (having beftowed much indeed of both, beyond what he could well afford,) in trying numerous experiments upon them.* a 2 But * So great was the author's curlofity, and enthufiaftlc attach- ment to the ftudy of the nature and properties of thefe curious infefts, that, above twenty years ago, he went from Berwick- fnire to London, on purpofe to converfe with Mr Wildman on the fabjea: ; but that gentleman happening to be in France at the time, he contented himfeli: with purchafing every book he .could find on the management of bees, and has ever fince made it his vi. PREFACE. But, however valuable and ufeful many of the treatifes already publifhed on this Ribjed: have been, he is confident, from the repeated obfervations and experiments he has made, that mod of them are not only defedive, but even erroneous in many particulars ; and that the culture of bees in Britain J, has never yet arrived at any thing near that degree of perfec^iion, to which it might be brought, if the fyftem which he has formed, and now fub- mits to the pubUc, were generally underilood and properly pradifed. If we only confider the almoil infinite number of mellifluous flow- ers, which perfume the air in the honey fea- fon ; and, in particular, the white clover, which fo generally and profitably now overfpreads fo large a part of our lands in grafs ; the va- rious his chief pleafure, as well as bufinefs, to ftudy every poflible im- provement refpefting that wonderful race. During the honey feafon, he has often been fo intent upon this ftudy, that he hard- ly allowed himfelf deep for whole weeks together. X Although the author, in making out his calculations rela- tive to the increafe of Bee hives, was under the neceflity of confining himfelf to foine one particular country, and naturally made choice of his native land, his plan will, neverthelefs, he is confident, apply with equal propriety to England, Irjjland, America, or indeed any other part of the known world, capable of producing proper food for thefe infefts. PREFACE. viL rious fpecies of muftard, and plants of a ii- milar kind, found ftill in our corn fields, to- gether with the vafl abundance of heath, that grows fpontaneoully on our extenfive moors and hills, we may juftly fay, how large and nume- rous are our pafture grounds, but how very few are our flocks to feed on them ! A judicious author juftly obferves, that the culture of bees is a branch of rural cEconomy, the more valuable, that it is within the reach of the pooreft cottager, and requires neither plowing, manure, cattle, nor rich meadows. All that is wanted, is a fmall degree of attend- ance, which may be given by the meaneft, as it is requifite only for a fhort time ; and there- fore the plentiful harveft of honey and wax that is produced, may be confidered as fo ma-- ny RICH CROPS reaped without sowing. As nothing is fo hurtful to beeS as bad wea- ther, fo nothing can be fo little counterac5|;ed ; although even the bad eifedls of it may, in fome meafure, be prevented ; for, we can pre- ferve our bees in cold and fnowy winters, bv confining them ; and, in a late fpring, or rainy fummer, we can preferve them from famine, by feeding them properly. But, even in the moft unfavourable weather, I never defpond j for I yIil preface, I have obferved, that in the very worft fea- fons, and notwithftanding the fmall number of hives; that there are in Scotland, a tolera-. bie quantity of honey is always produced : And therefore, had there been 20 times m.ore hives in the kingdom, and a fev/ flowers arti- ficially raifed, with proper attention, there would have been, even in thefe very bad fea- foiis, juft 20 times as much honey and wax colleded as there was : and in good feafons, fuch as laft year, (1794) when there was a great deal of honey produced, even from our fmall il:ock of hives, what an immenfe quan-- tity would have been collecleti, had there been forty or fifty times more flock hives in fpring ! ImpreiTed with thefe ideas, and anxious to do all in his power to promote an objecfl fo be- neficial to the country at large, as well as to individuals, the author firfii ventured to lay his fentiments before the public in 1789, by publilhing a Treatife on the Management of Bees, which, he v/as happy to find, attracted the notice, and procured him the patronage, of many refpecffable and public-fpirited gentlc-r men. Encouraged by thefe flattering marks of approbation, he had thoughts of publilh- ing a fecond edition ; but as, in the conti-. nued PREFACE. ix. iiued profecution of this his favourite fludy, he has made a number of very important dif- coveries relative to thefe nfeful infe6ls, he thought it better to prefent thefe new ideas, along with the fubftance of his former work, compreffed into as fmall bounds as pofliblej in a new form, and under a new title, than mere- ly to reprint the old work with additions. And the chief objedl of the prefent perform- ance being to excite the attention of the pub- lic in general, but efpecially of gentlemen in opulent circumftances, to the rearing of bees, by fhowing them the practicability of in- creafing the number of bee-hives in this coun- try at lead twenty-fold, if not to fifty times the number there are at prefent, he thought it proper to entitle the whole mafs of old and new matter, " A New Plan for fpeedi- " ly increafing the number of Bee-PIives in " Scotland, &c." Nor is it to his literary labours alone, that he has been indebted for the liberal encou- ragement he has met with. In his commercial concerns, as a dealer in honey, he has been ho- noured with the patronage and employment of a number of the nobility and gentry in Edinburgh, Newcaftle, and many other places ; for X. PREFACE. for which he embraces this opporcunit/ of re- turning them his bed thanks. And here he cannot help mentioning a circumftance which he efteems pecuharly fortunate, as it intro- duced him to the employment and patronage of that refpedabie paniot, the president of THE BOARD OF AGRICULTUPvE ; whofc CXCr- ons for the improvement of his country, and general benefit of fociety, far exceed his praife. One morning in autumn laft (1794) as the au- thor was carrying a few very fine honey combs, to a eentleman in the New Town, he was met by Sir John Sinclair, whom previouily he did not know, * and was deiired to bring to him ibme of his fine honey next morning. This he accordingly did, and a converfatioa having enfued, refpecling the time he had fpent in the culture of bees, the number of hives he kept, &c. &c, he was defired by the public-fpi- rited Baronet to draw up a plan for the rearing of bees in a more extenfive manner : and the author having executed this talk to'the bed of his » About a year before this, feveral gentlemen had defired the author to vvait upon Sir Joijn Sinclair, end lay before him a plan for the rearing of bees ; but difficVence always prevent^ edhim, and probably evet would, if Providence had not brought about the interview in fjme fuch manner as the above-mentioned. PREFACE. xl liis abilities, Sir John Sinclair was kind enough to lay ic before the Highland Society, who were fo good as to honour him with one of their higheft premiums, for his unremitting and fuccefsful attention, during a period of no lefs than 26 years, in acquiring a knowledge of the operations of bees ; and for the various difcoveries made by him, tending to multiply the number of hives, and quantity of honey and wax in this kingdom, contained in his communications to the fociety, and nov/ laid before the public, in this treatife. This encouragement led the author to hope, that his plan might turn out to be generally a- dopted, if once, univerfally knov/n. He there- fore diftributed fabfcription papers, in order to try the minds of the public in general ; and in doing this, his fuccefs far exceeded his mofh fanguine expedlations ; for he fcarcely met with one in an hundred, who did not ap- prove of his plan ; as will appear from the refpedlable lift of fubfcriptions prefixed to this work, and which might have been rendered greatly more numerous, if the author's time and other avocations had permitted him to circulate his propofals more generally. h The xn, PREFACE. The author, therefore, without farther apo- logy, now fubmits his plan to the attention of the pubUc ; and he has not a doubt, but that, if the diredions therein given are ftridly ad- hered to, and perfevered in by gentlemen of property, and the public in general, in a few years Scotland will not only fave much money now fent abroad for honey and wax, but will even be able to render them articles of export. He needs only add, that, in the following treatife, he has not, as too many authors in all branches of fcience are apt to do, ftrained any arguments to fupport a favourite hypothefis: But, on the contrary, his whole theory and prac- tice being founded on experience and fadls, he flatters himfelf, that he has dehvered his fenti- ments throughout the work, in a manner fo plain and intelligible, that the moil unlettered reader will not miftake his meaning. Name& ( xiii ) NAMES OF THE SUBSCRIBERS. Jacob Atkinfon, Efq; Newcaflle Reverend Mr Allifon, Newburn Mr James Arbuthnot, jun. Peteihead, Meffrs Allan and Weft, bookfeliers, No. 15, Paternoflsr-row, London, la copies Mr Alexander Aitchifon, ftudent of phyfic, Edinburgh B Colonel Baillie, of Rofehall, 2 copies Reverend Doctor George Baird, prin- cipal of the Uni»erfiry of Edinburgh John Balfour, Efq; of Balbirnie A. Barclay, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh John Bell, Efq; of Gallow-hill a copies Bejijamin Beli, Efq; furgeon, Edin- burgh Andrew Bell, Efq; engraver, Edin- burgh William Beveridge, Efq; W. S, Edin, David Black, Efq; Dunfermline John Bogue, Efqj of Elalydown Williain Eogue, El'q; of Greenburn Thomfon Bonnar, Efq; Edinburgh Alexander Bofwell, Efq;of Auchenleck George Brown, Efq; one of the Com- niiijioners of Excife, Edinburgh Thomas Bruce, Efq; of Arnot,a copies Thomas, Bruce, Efq; of Kennet Edward Bruce, Efq; \V. S. Edinburgh Arthur Bruce, Efq; Secretary to the Natural Hiftory, Society, Edinburgh John Euchan, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh Mr John Euchan, accountant, Edin- Hednr M'Donald Buchanan, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh John Butter, Efq; of Benbecula Captain Abraham Bunbury Reverend Mr George Bowe, Shil- bottle Reverend Mr John Brodie, K-inloch Reverend Mr Laurence Butler, Leth- endy MeiTf s Bell and Bradfute, bookfeliers, Edinburgh, 6 copies MefTrs Beilby and Bewick, Newcaftle Mrs Baker, Edinburgh John Barclay, A, M. Edinburgh Mr Peter Bathgate, weaver, Ayton Tvir Robert Baillie Mr Robert Bowniaker, Chirnfide Mr Robert Brown, coal owner, V/ick- ham Mr Michael Brown, Morpeth Mr Jvthn Bonner, Stitchel (copies Air David Bonner, Woolwich, acQ Mrs Beatrix Bonner, Aiuchencrow Hon. John Campbell, Lord Stonefield, 2 copies Alexander Chriftie, Efq; of Gruel- dykes, fheriff depute, Berwick-fhirs Duncan Campbell, Efq; fheriff fubfti" tute of Argyllftiire David Campbell, Efq; of Cotnbie John Campbell, Efq; of Auch Ewen Cameron, Efq; of Fafsfern William Cadell, Efq; of Banton George Cadell, Efq; Edinburgh James Carfrae, Efq; merclir.at, Edin- burgh burgh b a Jame James Glark, M. D. Newcafile Thomas Cleghorn, Efq; coachmaker, Edinburgli B. Clifton, Efq; Edinburgh T. S Cjnftdiuius, Efq; Andrew Coventry, M. D. Profef- for of Agriculture, Euiiibur;;jh, 3 copies •William Creech. Efq; bcokfeller, E- dinbutgh 24 copies Thomas Curtis Eiq; Edinburgh Captain John Cowc, E iicburgh Reverend Mr Chalmers, ii...dJingcoa Reverend Mr William Chalmers, Auchtergaven Mr Robert C'amp>)ell, GierrlfF clerk, Invernefs, 2 copies Mr Gforge Charlton, Newcafile Mr William Charnley, boclcfeller, Newcafile Mr William Crawford, Edinburgh Mr Robert Currie, apothecary, New- cafile D Dowager I^ady Dundas, of Kcrfe, a copies Geoigc Dempfler, Efq; of Dunni- chen, 3 copies (copies Vi'iiUam Darnell, ETq; Newcafile, a Rf.vcrendThomas Davldfon, of Miiir- houfe, D. D. William Dawfon, Efq; Frogton 4 cop. Captain Deans, of the Ruyal Navy, Huntington James Donaldfon, Efq; printer, Edin, Colin Drummond, M. D. Edinburgh James Drummond, Efq; of Strageath Keith Dunbar, Efq; Fdiaburgh John Dyfoo, Efq; glafs manufadlurer, Ne weenie T.lr^ Dlr.-i;-n, Queen Street, Edinburgh I'.Trs C. Diirham, George's Square, E- dirJ-v.-gh Mr John Dennis, Newcadle .iv ) Mr Thomas Dixon, Glafs-houfe, ]\/rr James Donaldfon, Dundee r-.T John Doxfjrd, Morpeth Thomas Elder Efq; of Forneth, Poft- rnafler General, and late Lord Pro- vj>fl of Edinburgh James Elliot, Efq; Q2<^en Street, E- burgh (3 copies James Francis Erlkine, Efq; of Ivlair, Reverend John Erikine of Carnock, D. D. Edinburgh Cp'" - James Erfiilne, E'q; of Cardrofs 2 co-. Mcthven Erfeine, Efq; of Cam.bo Mr James Elder, fadkr, Edinburgh. Konounble Archibald Frafer of Lo- vat, 5 copies Colonel Ferrier, Edinburgh, Scotch Brigades George Fairholme, Efq; of Green- know. Frcncis Farquharfon, Efq; of Onghton V\'iHi;im Fife, Efq; furgeon, New- cafile C-ytain John Forbes, royal navy James Fc-rman, Efq; W. S. Edin- burgh (copies Jofeph Forfler, Efq; of Setonburn a Forller, M. D Newtown of the Sea, Northumberland James Frafer, Efq; of Gortaleg, W. S. Edinburgh William FuUarton, Efq; (copies Mr Thomas Fair, tenant, Refton, a^ Mr John Felllhaw, of Southwell Mr Fletcher, gardeacr, Reftalri" G Sir John Gordon of Invcrgordon. Bart. Thomas ( XV > Thomns Gillefpie, M. D. Edinburgh Lewis Gordon, Efq; Depute Secre- tary of the Highland Society, Edin, James Farquhar Gordon, Efq; Edin- burgh Gordon, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh . — -Gordon, Efq; Edinburgh James Grant, Efq: of Corriemony, advocate John Gray, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh Reverend William Greenfield, D. D. Profeffor of Rhetoric, Edinburgh James Grierfon, Efq; of Dalgonerie 3 copies George Grieve, M. D. Newcaftle Reverend Mr William Greig, Long- fide, Abcrdeenfliire Mr Ebenezer Gairdner, mcjihant, E- dinburgh Mr Benjamin GIbfon, Newcaflle Mr John Goldie, gardener Mr Gordon, vintner, Prefs Inn Mr WilUam Grant, weaver's wright, Edinburgh Mr Alexander Greenfield, portioner, Auchcncrow H (copies Sir James Hall of Dunglafs, Bart. 3 Patrick Home, Efq; of Wedderburn, M- P. Berv.'ickfhire, 3 copies William Hall, Efq; of Whitehall, 3 copies Alexander Hamilton, M. D. Profeffor of Midwifery, E3inburg!i James Hamilton, M. D. Edinburgh 2 copies James Hare, Efq; Charles Hay, Efq; of Faichfield, ad- vocate (copies Robert Hay, Efq; of Drummelzier 10 James Home, Efq; W. S. Edin- burgh, 2 copies George Home, Efq; of Branxton 4 co- Japies Home, Efq; of Fairlaw (pics P. Hunter, Efq; junior, of Thurfton James Huntly, Efq; furgeon, G^itef- hsadj Newcaflle. Thomas Hutchifor, Efq; merchaat, 2- dinburgh Mr Alexander Hutchifon, merchant, Edinburgh Rev. Mr William Haigh, NewcaQU Mr William Hall, NewcaiUe Mr Robert Hay, wright, Edinburgh Mr Thomas Henderfon, Leith Mr Peter Kill, bookfeller, Edin- burgh 6 copies Mr Jclin Hogg, merchant, Nsw- caftie I Patrick Iiglis, Efq; merchant, Edin- burgh .— Ingrame, M. D. Nev7caft!e John Innes, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh Mr William Ingledew, Newcaftle James Jackfon, Efq; merchant, Edin- burgh John jamiefon, junior, Efq; I^eith - — Johnflon, M. D. Dunbar Reverend Mr J. Johnfton, Alnwick Mr William Johnfl;on, FacSlor, Foul- den Mr Johnfton, weaver, Ncwtcwn «f the Muir William KeltJi, Efq; atcomptant, E- dinburgh ■ Kentilh, Efq; furgfon, Nc-st- caflle Mr Thomas Kay, bookftUer, Strand, London, jo copies I, William Leavlfs, Efq; Nf wcaflle Edward Lothian, Efq; W. S. Edin- burgh Alexander Low, Efq; of Calh ( xvi ) Jonathan Anderfon Ludfoid, M. D. Clarendon, Jamaica Archibald Lundie, Efq; W. S. Edin. Pvcverend Mr Henry Lundie, Edin. Reverend Mr James Landels, Cold- inghani Mr Herman I.yon, apothecary, E- dinhurgh Mr George Lothian, merchani:, Glaf- Mr WiHiam Lothian, merchant, E- dinbTirgh Ivir Adiiifon Lan^;horn, Newcsflle Mr M. Lofthoule, Gateihwad, New- ' caflle Mr John Law, meffcnger, Edinburgh M Right Honourable Robert M'Queen of Braxfield, Lord Juflice Clerk Sir Alexander M'Kenzie, of CouU, Baronet, i copies Alexander Monro, M. D. profeflbr of anatomy, Edinburgh Mrs M'Donald of Sanda Mrs M'Donald, of Clanronald, a cop. Donald M'Donald, Efcj; of Kinloch- moidart ^ Angus IVI'Donell, Efq; of Auchtrichen Donald M'lntofn, Efq; writer, Edin- burgh John M'Kenzie, Efq; W, S, Edin- burgh Captain M'Kenzie, Royal Na\'y Alexander M'Kenzie, Efq; writer, E- dinburgh "WiUiam M'Leod, Efq; of Kaimes, fherifT depute of Bute John M'Idurdoch, Efq; Drumlanrick I.a'uchlan M'Tavifh, Efq; W. S. E. Marjoribanks, Efq; I'nnce's Street, Edinburgh David Mif tin, Efq; limner, Edinburgh CQbert Mcafon, Eiq; of Moidun , George Midford, Efq; Morpeth Archibald Mxlne, Efq; W. S. Edm- burgh, 2 copies William Molle, Efq; W. S. Ediburgh Robert Moore, Efq; of Blairtown^ Ayrfhire, i copies John Morrhland, Efq, advocate, Edin. James Wolfe Murray, Efq; advocate, Edinburgh Reverend Mr William M'Ritchi?, Clunie Reverend Mr Robert Mudic, Clack-. nianan Mr John Mackie, of R.ora Mr Georo;e Mowey, Newcaftle Mrs Maitiand, Gay field, Edinburgh , Mr Robert M'Kay, manufadurer, Berwick Archibald M'Kinlay, Efq; merchant, Edinburgh Mr Daniel M'Queen, Sun-Fire- office, Edinburgh Mr Hugh M'Whirtcr, Bleacher, Inglefgreen (copies Mr George Mickle, Svvinton Houf*;, a Mr Moore, fchoolmafter, Moipeth, 6 copies Mr Motlay, Morpeth MefTrs George Mudie and Son, book-» fellers, Edinburgh, iz copies Mr Andrew Muirhead, Edinburgh Mr John Moir, printer, Edinburgh, % copies N John New, Efq; William Newton, Efq; of NewtoH Jofeph Norris, Efq; one of the clerks of Juiiiciary, Edinburgh Mr James Normand, Edmbutgh John Ogllvy, Efq; of Gardoch, StephcH ( xvii ) p Stephen Pemberton.M. D, Newcaftle Heverend Mr James Playfair, Ben- dochy Mr Samuel Paterfon, merchant, Edin- burgh Mr James Pentland, merchant, New- caftle Mr John ProcSor, furgeon, New- callle Mr Peter Pae, merchant, Coldingham Mr George Purves, Auchencrow R The Hon. David Rae, Lord Eflvgrove Sir Alexander Ramfay fivine, of Bal- main, Baronet Peter Ramfay, Efq; younger of Barn- ton, banker, Edinburgh J. Ramfay, M D. Newcaftle, a cop. David RaVnfay, Efq: printer ,Edinburgh George Rennie, Efq; Linton (copies Alexander P^^enton, Efq; Lamberton, 6 John Robertfon, Efq; Lauriflon (burgh Adam Rolland, Efq; advocate, Edin- Adam Rolland, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh Colin Rofs, Efq; of Cattlemilk Matthew Rofs, Efq; advocate, Edin. Walter P.ofs, Efq; fadlor on the eft ate of Cromarty, a copies ■t Rofs, Efq; of Kihnanivaig a Reverend Mr John Robcrtfon, Little Dunkeld — — P.edpath, M. D. Berwick, a cop. Mr Charles Raitt, woad manufacLur- er, Nev/cafLle — - Reid, E!'q; builder, Edinburgh Mr Thomas P.obfon, f.idlcf, ?Jorptth Mr Robfcn, fliip-buikler, Newcaftle Mr Thonias Robfon, wharfinger, Ncwcallle Right lion. Sir James Stixllne, Bart. Lord Piovofl of Edinburgh (copies Hon, Pavid Srnithj LoriJ Methven i Hon. John Swinton, Lord Swinton Hon. Sir John SincLir, ot Ulbller Bart. M. P. Prefident of the Board of Agriculture, &c. 7 copies Hon. Lady Diana Sinclair, of Ulbfter Plon. Lady Janet Sinclair, of Ulbltcr P Sandilands, Efq; Edinburgh Dominico Felix Dos Santos, M. D. Brazil (copies William Scott, Efq; of Frier (haw, 3 George Shadforth, Efq; Newcaftle George Sinclair, Efq; merchant, Leith Jofeph Smith, Efq; Meadovv-houfc a copies — Sommerville, Efq; furgeon, Had- dington 3 copies (burgFi Andrew Stewart, Efq; W. S. Edin- Charles Stewart, M.D. Edinburgh Francis Strachan, Efq; W. S. Edin- burgh James Strachan, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh Nathan Surgeon, Efq; furgeon, Nevr- caflle Reverend Mr Sharp, Coldingham Reverend Mr Shepherd, Bolant Reverend Mr William Syme, New] caflle Mr Alexander Scott, Coldingham Meffrs Thomas .lud William Som- mers, vintners, Edinburgh Mr Alexander Steel, merchant, Edin- burgh Mr Strange, teacher of dancing, Edin» burgh ' Mr Robert Swanfton, tenant. New- farm John TaWze, Efq; W. S. Edinburgh Anihony Tajlor, Efq; Inlirmary, Newcaftle J Thompfoii, M. D, Gayfield, Edin- bnigh Charles Thonifon, ETq; Edinburgh Thomas Tod, Efq; Edinburgh Tiiomas Tod, junior, Efq; George's Square, Edinburj^h Alcx.;uder ( xviii ) Alexuiiccr Tweedie, Efq; of Quarter John Tweedie, Efq; writer, Edinburgh Mr Robert Tweedie, merchant, Edin- burgh Reverend Mr Robert Trotter, Mor path Mr John Tait, joiner, Guyzon Mr Thomas Taylor, Newburn Mr Robert Thomfon, merchant, E- dinburgh Mr Andrew Thompfon, Lauder Mr Thomas Thompfon, inn- keeper, Gatefidc Mr William Thcmfon, Haddington Mr James Thorburn, grocer, Edin- burgh Mr Train, engraver, BourdeaU houfe U James Ure, Efq; Comptroller of the Cufloms, Alloa Reverend David Ure, A. M. Edin- burgh W Andrew Wardrop, Efq; furgeoiij Edinburgh John V/ilfon, Efq; Morpeth James Wood, M. D. Newcafcic Mrs Alexander Wood, Edinburgh George Wood, Efq; furgeon, Edin<. butgh Reverend Mr Wilfcn, Ayton Mr James Watfon, merchant, New- caflle Mr Walker, North America Mrs Wardlaw, Edinburgh Mrs Watfcn, Charlotte Square ,E(iiri. Mr William Watfon, nphoifterer, Edinburgh Mr John White, fchoolmafler, Ayton Mr Robert Whitfield, Morpeth Mr Jofeph Whitfield, bookfeller, Newcaflle Mr George Whitlaw, Ayton Mr ■ ■* Woodman, Morpeth Cafpar Voght, Efq; Hamburgh John Veitch, Efq; Surgeon, Ayton Mr Ebenezer Young, bailie of Dunfc Mr John Young, Edinburgh A confiderahle number of fuhfcrlptlons, hefJes thofe above 'inferUd, have bee?i obtained for this work, which the author is forry he cannot in- fert, his correfpo7idcnts not having yet tranfmit- ted him their lifts. Contents ( xix ) CONTENTS. pAGg Chap. I. Of the Pleafure and Profit that attend the keeping of Bees, - - I Chap. II. Of the Apiary. - - g Chap. III. Of the Pafluragey or Flowers, proper for Bees to feed on, with a Catalogue offome of the principal ones. - - ii Chap. IV. Reafons why there are fo few Bee- hives in Scotland. - - - 2.6 Chap. V. Reafons for, and praclic ability of, in- creafing the number of Bee-hives in Scotland. 32 Chap. VI. How to increafe the number of Bee- hives in a few years in Scotland. - 43 Chap. VII. Account of the ^een Bee. - 50 Chap. VIII, Account of the Drone Bee. 67 Chap. IX. Account of the Working Bee. 78 Chap. X. DireBions to guard againfi the Sting of a Bee, with the Method of Cure. ^ - 82 Chap. XI- How to choofe Stock hives in Sep' t ember. _ - - 8S Chap. XIL Of the Removing of Bee-hives. gi Chap. C XX ) Chap. XIII. How to prepare Stock Hi^es for Winter. - - . ' ' ^^ Chap. XIV. How to manage Bees m Winter. ^^ Chap. XV. DireBions how to Jupply Bees with Food. - - - - ^^° Chap. XVI. Of the Wars and Robberies that take place among the Bees. - H^ Chap. XVII. Directions how to manage Bees in March, April, and May. - 1 21 Chap. XVIII. How to unite or reinforce Bee- hives. - - - " 135 Chap. XIX. Of Habitations proper for Bees to live and work in. - - "144 Chap. XX. Of the natural Swarming of Bees. 149 Chap. XXI. Of the artificial Swarming of Bees. 168 Chap. XXII. Of the killing of Drones. 180 Chap. XXIII. Advantages of changing the jituation of Bee -hives to better Pafiure, 185 Chap. XXIV. Of Bee-Bread and Wax. 189 Chap. XXV. Of the Honey Harvefi. - 197 Chap. XXVI. Of preparing Honey and Wax. 205 Chap. XXVII. Of the differ ent kinds of Honey. 212 Chap. XXVIII. Of the various Enemies of Bees, and how to guard againft them. - 216 Chap. XXIX. Concliijlon. » . 224 NEW h I i' 'L .-.11. I .rig NEW PLAN FOR SPEEDILT INCREASING TH B NUMBER OF BEE-HIVES I N SCOTLAND. CHAP. I. QF THE PLEASURE AND PROFIT, THAT ATTEND THE KEEPING OF BEES. •EES, thofe emblems of virtue, have long been the ftudy and delight of wife men, and have employed the ablefl pens in many na- tions, and in different ages. In the facred writings, the land of Canaan is fpoken of as a good land, and, as an evidence of its being {6, it is called a land flowing with milk and boney. Among tlie ancients, Ariflomachus contemplated bees for the fpace of fifty-eighc A years j 2 Tkafure and Profit of keeping Bees, years ; and Philifcus retired into the woods, that he might liave more convenient opportu- nities of obferving them. Among the mo- derns, I ihall juft only mention Purchas, Rouf- den, Geddie, Butler, Warder, Bradley, Thorly, Thomas and Daniel Wildman, Stephen and WilUam White, and Keys, all Englifhmen, and Robert Maxwell, a Scotchman ; — all of whom have publifhed treatifes on them, the mofl of which have appeared within this centmy ; and they have given many ufeful di- redlions how to manage bees, according to the knowledge they had attained to, refpeding that admirable infedl. The knowledge of bees, like that of many other things, is found out by degrees, and may be faid, in fome meafure^to be flill but in a flatc of infancy, as appears by the many miftakes fal- len into, and taught by thofe who have wrote on that fubjecfl:, notwithilanding their fair pro- mi fes in their title pages ; as — " A Complete "Guide for the management of Bees," &c. They have all been ftrangely mlfied in their opinion about the generation of bees, aiTerting that the Queen lays three diilerent kind of eggs, vi%, one kind for the produ(5lion of the Queen Bee, another for that of the ^Yorkin^ Bees and a third Pleafure and Profit of keeping Bees, 3 third for the Drones ; an opinion, which the author of the following flieets will, he hum- bly hopes, prove to be erroneous. As in every undertaking there is fome lead- ing motive, which excites us to engage in it, fo the rearing of bees is attended with a degree both of profit and pleafure, highly deferving the attention of the philofopher, the gentleman- farmer, and the induflrious peafant. What is more pleafant, than to obferve the labours of a hive of bees in the fpring, when the days begin to lengthen, and froft and friow, like birds of darknefs, cannot bear the fun ! Then thefe induftrious creatures begin to fly about, and dance and fing, rejoicing at the return of the genial feafon ! Then they reform what is amifs in the hive, and, as their family en- larges, they omit no opportunity of gathering in frefh provifion for their increafing young. In the honey feafon, how delightful to fee them hurrying in their yellow loads 1 How dili- gent they are to lay up provifion for the return- ing winter ! View them in this fmiling clover field, or yonder iiowery mead ! See how bufily they work ! And hear how f\veetly they fmg ! How pleafant to behold a fwarm of bees light- ly flying in the air, and darkening the heavens A 2 * with 4 Pkafure and Profit of keeping Bees, with a thoufand varying lines ! Now, behold the innumerable tribe, formed into one coinpad: body, fufpended from yonder verdant fhrub, eftablifliing themfelves into an independent colony, vsrhile their careful mafter, with con- fcious dehght, meditates on his increafing (tore ! Bees, when properly managed, are alfo very profitable, as, in good years, moil hives will throw two fwarms ; in moderate years, one. Although, in bad years, perhaps, fome will fwarm none at all, yet, eftimating by moderate years, and allowing each hive, one with another, to fwarm only once, which valuing at 15s. each, twenty flock hives will thereby yield their mafter 15]. yearly; — no fmallfum to be got with fo much pleafure, and fo little toil. They will yield that much, although one or two fliould die in winter ; nor need any think my elli- xnate too high ; if their hives be good, they will have that much one year with another. For example, in fummer 1787, the advantage arifing from bees was fuch, that many proprie- tors of them made 30s. and fome even 40s. of one fmgle hive; and in March 1788,! fold a hive to a neighbour of mine, which in the following fum- mer Pkafure ana Profit of keephig Bees, 5 mer increafed to five, four of which he fet afide for flock hives that autumn. As there is no concern, in rural oeconomy, more profitable than bees, in favourable fea- fons, confidering the trifling expence that attends them, we fhall here give an eflimate to what extent bees may be reared, and alfo what their value may amount to in ten years. Suppofe, for inftance, one fhould begin with five hives, which will cofl him 5I., no great fum to commence bee-mafter with, and al- lowing each hive, one with another, to double their number, they will increafe in the follow- ing proportions : Years. Hives. I 5 3 IP 3 20 4 40 5 80 6 160 7 320 8 640 9 * 1280 10 2560 Thua, 6 Pkafure and Profit of keeping Bees. Thus, in the fpace of lo years, 5 hives will produce 2560 fwarms, which, valued at los. each hive, a very moderate eftimation, amounts to 1 2 Sol. clear profit; allowing the fecond and third fwarm to pay for hives, flools, labour, and incidental loiTes. By the above calculation, my reader mufl not conclude, that every hive of bees will pro- duce fo many ; but, I confidently alTert, that many have done fo, and much more, in pro- portion, according to the time they have flood ; but, fuppofing 160 of thefe hives fhould fail by cold, robbers, famine, or bad management, during the above mentioned years, there will iliil remain 1 200I. of clear profit. Let it alfo be confidered here, that by the a- bove eftimation, it is taken for granted, that the feafons are very favourable for bees, being fine, calm, funny warm weather, with foft fhowers now and then, and alfo plenty of good pafture in their neighbourhood, whereon they will work and fing withoiit moleflation ; wantonly fkipping from flower to flower, and rifling ajl their fweets, rejoicing that they are amply provided with fuch plenty of provifion, while the fmihng fun invites them to enjoy it. AVith what delight have I often witneflTed my induftrious P leaf lire and Pro^t of keeping Bees, j induftrious fervants carrying on their work with fo much iimpHcity, alacrity, and chear- fulnefs, and finging fo fweetly ; infomuch that they are fit to make me join the concert, and ^ing, What's this I hear y makes fuch melodious found ! Surely Pve got onfome enchanted ground, ^Tis Canaan s tnfedts that I here behold, Whofe legs do glitter like the yellow gold, Tthe fur%e and broom in luflre here dofhine^ Whofe yelloiv tops regale thofe flocks of mine. Here ftlver fir earns in flow ry valleys glide. And rows of willows deck the river s fide : Here lambkins play upon the funny braes y And fweetefl nedtar fmells on clover lees. Here are the f elds with Nature's colours dighty Grateful tofmell^ and pie af ant to the fight. Retired pleafure foothes and calms the mind ; A noify world oft leaves a fling behind. On the contrary, however, fhould the feafon go to the other extreme, and, inftead of fair wea- ther, fliould windy, cold, wet, cloudy, and heavy weather take place, during fummer, the bees will by it be fo much diflieartened and difcou- raged, that they will lament and mourn, in fo piteous S Pkafure and Proft of keeping Bees. piteous and difconfolatea manner, that they have often made fuch an impreffion on my fpirits, that I was fit to mourn along with them. The truth is, I have often thought that there was fomething of the nature of a bee in myfelf ; as always when they are happy, and rejoicmg, fo am I ; when they are mourning and difconfo- late, my fpirits are alfo low ; when fighting and plundering from one another, my temper is fo chagrined, that it is with difficulty I re- ftrain the effeds of my ill humour ; infomuch, that my domeftics, with httle knowledge in phyfiognomy, can eafily judge from the chear- fulnefs, depreffion, or chagrin, apparent on my countenance, the ftate and temper of my Httle republics.* It * A two-fold reafon may be affigned for this. Fine weather enlivens the animal fpirits, whereas a dull iky, and a cloudy atmof- phere, generally produce the contrary effeft. In ihe latter cafe, the bees can do nothing but confume a part of that delicioU* flore, which they had laid up for their own and their mafter's ufe. Sympathy and intereft are therefore equally excited, by fuch weather, to produce this effeft ; and ftill more by the circumftance of their killing one another ; for that man muft be callous, indeed, to every feeling of humanity, who can, with indifference, behold numbers of fuch uftful and induftrious animals, lying like fo many murdered heroes on the field of battle, mutually slaih by each o- ther J not to add, that a perfoa of the moft ftoical difpofition tnuft feel fomewhat ruffled, at the lofs of fo many ufeful fervants, whom he would do every thing in his power to preferve. Of the Apiary. ^ In fuch ■unfavourable feafons, bees increafe fo yery little, that, perhaps, the owner can fcarcely collect, from ♦ arnong all his hives, as many good ones, as will keep up his ftock pro- perly for the next feafon ; but as fuch bad fea- fons does not happen often, it fliould not dif- courage any perfon from commencing bee- mafter, as even, in the very worfl, with proper care, the flock may always be preferved, which is not the cafe with many other articles in which mankind deal. It is hardly neceffary to obferve, that bees have amazingly thriven laft year, as almoft every hive produced twice, and many even thrice ; and confequently, the price of honey has thereby been greatly reduced, from what it was in former years. C H A P. II. OF THE APJARY. jljLs a general rule, place your hives where they will be leaft expofed to the wind, and enjoy as much of the influence of the fun as pofTible ; for wind always retards the bees in their work, B while to Of the Jpiary. while the fuii*s beams invite them to it. Al- though it is well known, that bees will thrive well in high and windy fituations, yet a low one is always to be preferred. In the neigh- bourhood of the apiary, there fliould be abun- dance of flowers, from which the bees may col- lect their wax and honey. Were a choice allowed me, where to place my bees, it would be in an early fituation, — a hollow glen by the fide of a rivulet, furround- ed with abundance of turnips in bloffom, in the fpring,— muilard and clover in fummer, — and heath in the latter end of fummer and harveft ; with a variety of other garden and wild flow- ers in their feafons. However I would not be tmderftood, as if I hinted that bees would not thrive, unlefs they were placed in fuchan ad- vantageous fituation, as the contrary can be pro- ved : for bees have thriven amazingly well, in places where they were not within reach of many of the above mentioned flowers ; but al- though they will do well in mofl fituations, and fly far for food, yet they will thrive far better, when fituated among or near good pafliure ; and furrounded with abundance of food. This leads us forward to fliew what is the proper paflure for bees, which {liali be the fubjed of the following chapter. CHAP. Fajlurage of Bees, x x CHAP. III. OF THE PASTURAGE, OR FLOWERS, PROPER FOR BEES TO FEED ON, WITH A CATALOGUE OF SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL ONES. .MONO the great variety of flowers, which wife Nature has fo profufely laid before our no- ble infe(5ls, from which they may abundantly fupply themfelves with food, we fhall, in the iirft place, give fome particular account of thofe five principal ones in this country, from which bees extracfb vaft quantities of honey ; — viz. tur- nips, rape, muflard, clover and heath; and then conclude this chapter, with fome account of many other excellent flowers which bees feed on. Turnips, in particular, blow early In the fpring, and continue long in flower ; and they alfo yield both honey and farina, by which the bees are greatly excited to go abroad, and work upon them, when perhaps, in late fitua- tions, they have fcarcely any other flower to B 2 work H Pqfturage of 'Bees. work upon. In fuch places, therefore, it is Iiighly proper, that turnips be fowed, and aU lowed to remain in the ground during winter. Thefe, yielding their flowers from the middle of March to the end of April, will afford the bees fix weeks good paflure, and thus render them equal to thofe in more favourable or earli- er fituations ; whereas they would perhaps have fcarcely had any other flower to work upon, that could do them much good. I would there- fore, ftrongly recommend to all proprietors of bees, particularly thofe in late fituations, if they can by any means, to let always as many turnips run into bloffom in the fpring, as may be fufiicientto afford plenty of early paflure for their bees to work on. Thus the rich may fupply themfelves with that feed for fowing, and the poor will have it to fell to thofe who need It, which will enable them to pay the rent of the ground they grow upon. But here it may naturally be afl^ed. By what rule arc we to judge, what quantity of ground will yield a fufiiciency of food for any given number of hives ? I anfwer, that very little ground will keep many hives abundantly at work ; as, for example, one acre of good land would not be overftocked with 20 hives ; and confequemly, the Pajlurage of Bees, 13 the twentieth part of an acre would keep one ill conftant employment. The rape in bloffom anfwers the fame end to bees as the turnips ; and as it is a Uttle later of flowering, it will yield the bees a frefh and feafonable fupply, when the turnips begin to fade, and thereby keep them conflantly at work till the latter end of May, * when all the herbs of nature will, as it were, vie with each other who fliall contribute moft to fup- ply this noble and virtuous race, with abun- dance of the fweetell necftar. Then, at this feafon, the balmy plane-tree regales them in the morning, before the drowfy herd afcends the hill to relieve his imprifoned bleaters : and the gold-like furze, muftard, and broom, in- vite them to feafl till the day decline. Garden and wild muflard, with runches of all kinds, bees are very fond of, and work keenly thereon; and thefe flowers are attended with this advantage, that by fowing their feeds at dif- ferent times in the Spring, their flowering may * The two flowers above mentioned, as tliey are eafily raiiedj fliould be paid particular attention to, in the Highlands of Scot- land, or any other Mocyland fituations, where there are vcrv fevr natural flowers growing, except the heath. 14 Pqfturage of Bees. may be fo protraded, as to afford the bees a fafficiency of pafture during the whole work- ing feafon. In June comes the white clover, which con- tinues long in bloffom, and alfo yields abun- dance of the iineft of honey : And wherever t\iQ proprietor of bees has it in his power, he ihould be particularly attentive to raife it in his pafture lands ; and, as I hinted with refpetl to turnips and rape, the clover grafs will pay the rent of the ground, exclufive of what advantage the bees derive from it. So fond are the bees of this flower, that whenever it appears, they will defert and overlook many other excellent flowers, as unworthy of their attention, and eagerly dart upon it, and work and iing thereon all the day long, until the cold evening chafe them with reluctance home to reft : But, as all nature's beauties fade, and thereby give way to their facceffors, fo does this beloved herb, as, about the end of July, they begin to blacken, and the balmy dew to forfake their fweeteft lips ; then our heroes go in fearch of frefli provifions, and in their ram- bles, as they j[kim over our lofty mountains, are attraded by the blue heather bells, which are numberlefs as the fands on the fea fliore • CBcll Paflurage of Bees, 15 each one of which, by the afliftance of Phoe- bus, difclofes its fv^reets, and thereby invites the tranfported bee to rifle all their charms. Heath is attended with this advantage, that it needs no culture nor rearing ; but, on the contrary, grows fpontaneoully, in too great abundance, in many places ; as, mod certainly, the greater half of Britain is covered with it ; but, like the clover, it yields alfo vafl quanti- ties of the fined honey ; and, when the month of Auguft is favourable v/arm weather, no thriving hives of bees, placed near it, need fail, in a fhort time, to enrich themfelves with plenty of honey. The flowers of furze, broom, and plane tree, as formerly hinted, are highly grateful to bees^ as all of them afford abundance of matter to collecft their honey and wax from. Furze, in particular, generally flowers early, and conti- nues long in bloffom. Befides the flowers above mentioned, there is a great variety of others, which, in their dif- ferent feafons, afford employment and materi- als for thebees; fuch aslillics,rofe-mary5,yeHov/ gowans, and the bloffoms of crocufes, fnow- drops, oziers, fallows, vetches, alders, poppies, beans, goofeberry bufhes, and fruit trees of all kinds. 1 6 Tajlurage of Bees. kinds. In fhort, I know no flower that the^r will refufe, when they are at a lofs for variety j for, like the poor among mankind, when a choice is denied them, they will be contented with coarfe fare ; but give them their option amongft a variety, and it will foon be perceived, how little they value the gaudyT^o-z^;, when put in competition With. ftd}Jiance ; for they will fly over the finefi gardens, and the mofl beautiful flowers, and cheerfully feed on their beloved turnips, ranches, clover, and heath. There is one thing very obfervable, that whatever flower a bee firfl pitches upon, fhe always continues to work upon the fame fpe- cies, till Ihe is loaded, although £he fhould be obliged to fly over better kinds, and even to fome confiderable diftance for them ; but, if the bees cannot obtain a full loading from thofe flowers which they prefer, they fometimes make up the remainder from other flowers. What the honey dew confifls of, is difputed among the learned. According to the ancients, it was an efHux of air, a dew which fell upon flowers. The moderns fay, it is rather a per- fpiration of the finefl particles of the fap in plants, Pajiura^e of Bees. 1 7 plants, which, evaporating through the pores, afterwards condenfe upon the flowers *. " The honey dew (fays Mr Key) is not a *' Uquid depofited by the air on the leaves of " plants, as is generally fuppofed ; for then, " like other dews or fogs, it would fall on, " and adhere to, all forts of plants indifcrimi- " nately ; whereas, it is found only on 2ifew ** particular plants ; and on them but partial- " ly, for the young leaves afford none. " This fubftance is as tranfparent and as " fweet as honey, and is, in fa6l, perfedl ho- " ney, attraclrted through the pores of the " leaves, by a peculiar fultry heat ; particular- " ly when refle(5led through clouds. Some- " times it is found on the leaves in the form. " of little drops or globules. But, at other *' times, being more diluted by the greater *'* moifture of the atmofphere, it covers the *' leaves, as though they were fpread with a " fine fyrup. " The time, in v/hich thefe honey dews are *' generally found, is from the beginning of " June to the middle of July. But it will *' vary, in proportion as the weather is wet or G " dry; * Nature Delineated. 1 8 ' Pajlurage of Bees. " dry J which will occafion them to be either *' fooner or later. The hotteil and driefi: fum- " mers produce the largeft and moft frequent " honey dews. In cold and wet feafons, few *• or none of them are to be i^tn* " Whenever a honey dew is found, the bees *' are fo extremely eager to fetch it, that they " quit all other work, that their returns may be " the quicker and more numerous ; and left a '* gloomy change fhould deprive them of the " precious prize. No harveft fwain, dreading *' impending ftorms, can be mere anxious or *' expeditious, in haftening the houfing of his " crops, than thefe aerial tribes in this their " delightful office ; fo much fo, that thronging " in too great numbers at the door, they " joftle and tumble each other down. And " fmarting woe to thofe who iliall thoughtlefs- " ly Hand in their way at this important cri- " fis ! Their joy on thefe occaiions, is ex- " prefTed in fdcli inceiTant and loud notes, as " to be heard at a great diftance. By thefe to- " kens it may be known, that there is a honey '* dew, without feeing the trees from which " they gather it." A friend informed me, that he has often difcovered both bees and ants upon the oak leaves Pajlurage of Bees* 19 leaves, fipplng the honey dew; "which agrees nearly with the Abbe Boissier de Sau- VAGEs's account of it, in France, as quoted by WiLDMAK, p. 80, et feq. For my part, although I have often travelled many miles, in the iineft weather, to places where oaks were growing in great abundance, in order to fatis- fy myfelf on that point, yet I never could difcover a fingle drop of honey dew on them, or any bees to coile(5l it. And many perfons have alTured me, that they never faw a iingl'e bee upon an oaken leaf collecfling honey. I am, neverthelefs, far from difcrediting the re- port ; as thofe who are fituate 1 nearer exten- five woods, have doubtlefs much better oppor- tnnities of afcertaining this facfl, than I. And that there' are honey dews to be difcovered in fuch fituations, I readily believe ; as I have of- ten obferved my own bees coUecfling hpney from the otitHdes of the fockets of different ilowers, particularly from thofe of the wild runches, inftead of extra(fl;ing it by their pro- bofcis from the infide. I have fometimes, though very feldom, obferved them, in a fine morning, about fun-rife, buHly employed upon the leaves of the white thorn, at a feafon i when there w\as not a lingle flower to be feen C z QA f Q Fqflttrage of Bees, on it ; which inclines me to think it is not an ejjlux ofa'ir^ as fome fuppofe, but rather a per- fpiration of fome of the fineft particles of the fap of plants, which, evaporating through the pores, afterwards condenfes upon the leaves. At fuch favourable opportunities, the bees will doubtlefs foon fill thsir hives with honey ; but I am of opinion, that fuch happy feafons are generally very fhort, and that for many years they laft but a very few days ; and in fome cold years, perhaps they fcarcely occur at all. Some writers beUeve, that when the liquor which the bees colled, has been for fome time in their (lomachs, it comes from thence chano-- ed into true honey ; the liquor having been there properly digefted, and rendered thicker than when it entered, Others are of opinion, that the bee makes no alteration in the honey, but colleas this delicious fyrup juft as nature produces it, and firft iills her bag, and then difcharges it into the magazine ; which ap- pears to me to be the mod probable opinion ; as I have fometimes taken a bee from a flower the moment ihe was coileding the honey, and iprn her afunder, (although with the greateft reludance,) Pajiurage of Bees, 21 reluctance,) to fatisfymyfelf onthat point; wlien I found the Ijnefl blob of honey in her bladder, exadly of the fame tafle, colour and fmell, with that honey which is ufually colleded from fuch flowers as the bee was working u- pon ; for thofe bees which I picked off the white clover, contained fine white tranfpar- rent honey, while fuch as were taken from heath, produced it of a high colour ; and as the honey had not been above a minute in their bladders, it certainly could not undergo any change in fo lliort a fpace of tune. But even allovs^ing the bees their own ufual time to colledl, carry home, and depofit the honey in their cells, the time will be found not to ex- ceed five minutes ; and yet the honey is, at this period, in as great perfection, nay, rather better, if there is any difference, than at any time thereafter : for it is proved by experience, and acknowledged by all connioffeurs in apia- ries, that the younger the honey and honey-comb are, they are fo much the fairer and better ; as, when they remain for fome time in the hive, the combs, by the breath of the bees, gra- dually become of a darker colour, and the }ioney becpmes neither i^o fai^ nor fo tranfpar- rent. 2 z Taflurage of Bees, rent, as vfheii it was firll colleaed* trom all ,whic]i conficlerations, it appears plain to me, that bees are not the makers of honey, but on- ly colledors of it ; and that the honey is in as great perfedlion in the flowers, before the bees touch it, if not better, than it is after it has paf- fed through their bodies, f * The author would not be underwood here, as if he meant that honey fuddenly underwent a change to the woife, as it will remain many months locked up in the hives without undergoing sny material change 5 yet, neverthelefs, it is certain, that honey is never better, than when it is newly depofited in the cells. f Some alledge, that the fyrup in the fiower, by paffing though the body of the bee, undergoes a material change, and is thereby converted into real honey. Eut there is no analogy between the honey extracted by the bee, to be carried home to the hivcy and the meant or drink taken into the flomach by awy other animal, to be digefted for its nourishment. The former is retained in the bladder of tb? bee only a few' minutes ; where- as, the latter continues many hours, and, by the operation of the gaflric fluid, is changed into chyle, blood, &c. The honey jtfelf, when taken afterwards by the bees for the purpofe of Kourifhment, undergoes a fimllar change ; but, in its firfl ftate, when put into the cells, it hss undergone no change whatever. I was this day favoured with a letter from a very iutelli'rcnt gentlemen, whofe opinion, on this fubjea, although quite dif- ferent from my own,—-! fhallprtfent to my reader. " Honey does not exift in the plant in that form, but only be. '' comes {o by pafiing through the body of the bee. While it *« is in the fiower, it cpnftitutes what is called its faccharlnQ '' juice Pqfturage of Bees, -? ■^ -^ From the above reafoning we may conclude, that every {ingle heather bell^^' or cup of any other flower, is a velTel containing fome of the finefl honey, and that nothing in nature is a- wanting to make our land flow with it, and thereby enable both rich and poor to feafl: up- on it always at their pleafure. A conjecflure may naturally arife here, that, feeing bees do not make honey, but only col- Ie6l it, if we could, by any device, fall upon a plan to extrad: it froni the flowers ; or, in o- ther words, to pour 10,000 of Nature's veflels fall of honey into one of our artificial ones, it would be aflonifliing what a prodigious quan- tity might be produced throughout the ifland. Scotland " juice, and, when fucked up by the infe£l, is changed by ihe " aftion of its veffsls into honey. " In proof of this affertion, take a number of hungry be«s, and " give them a full meal of fugar, diluted in water, tear one of *' thern afunder immediately after, and its bladder will be found '•' full of honey 5 now, if fugar is fo quickly converted into that " form, have we any reafon to doubt that the juice of the flower " will undergo a change equally quick by the fame means ^ " I have often made this experiment, and the refult has been ^' uniformly the fame. If the bee has made a meal of white fu- " gar, the honey found in its body is white ; if it has got brown *'■ fugar or triacle, the honey will be brown." * Flower of heath. 2 4 Pqfturage of Bees, Scotland alont, I will venture to affirm, would, in fiich a cafe, produce more honey and wax, in one good {^^Son, than would load one of his Majefly's firft rate men of war. But as, hither- to, no fuch method has been difcovered, and perhaps any fjch attempt would prove fruit- lefs, let us ftudy to increafe, as quickly as pof- fible, the number of thofe natural chemifis^ our valuable, faithful, and induftrious fervants, the Bees, who are every way qualified for the im- portant tafl^ : having an exquidte fmell to di- rect them to the flowers containing the necta- rine juice, — 2. probofcis^ or fucking tube, to ena- ble them to extracft it, — a refervoir to contain it, — wings to carry it away, — and fine clean vefTels of their ovs^n manufadure to treafure it up in. And let us ever deprecate the barba- rous pradlice of deflroying fuch valuable crea- tures, who feem defigned by Nature to work indefatigably for the benefit of mankind* ; and therefore * We cannot more ftrongly exprefs our deteftation of the barbarous, and too general pradice of fmoaking ■ hives, than in the beautiful and energetic language of the immortal Thomfon : Ah, fee where robb'd, and murder'd, in that pit Lies the ftiii heaving hive ! at evening fnatch'd, Beneath the cloud of guilt concealing night, And Pafiurage of Bees, 25 therefore, inftead of death and extirpation, me- rit every encouragement and prefervation ; and ought, at lead in autumn, to be allowed to re- tain a reafonable fhare of the fruits of their own induftry, to preferve them through the D winter s And fix'd o'er fulphur : while, not dreaming ill, The happy people in their waxen cells. Sat tending public cares, and planning fchemes Of temperance, for Winter poor ; rejoiced To markj full flowing round, their copious ftores; Sudden the dark oppreffive fleam afcends ; And, uTd to milder fcentSj the tender race. By thoufands, tumble from their honeyed domes, Convoiv'd, and agonizing in the duft. And was it then for this you roam'd the Spring, Intent from flower to flower ? for this you toii'd Ceafelefs the burning Summer-heats away ? For this in Autumn fearch'd the blooming wafte, Nor loft one funny gleam ? for this fad fate ? O Man ! tyrannic lord • how long, how long. Shall proftratc Nature groan beneath your rage^ Awaiting renovation ? When obliged, Muft you deftroy ? Of their ambrofial food Can you not borrow ? and, in juft return, Afford them fhelter from the wintry winds > Or, as the fharp year pinches, with their own Again regale them on fome fmiling day ? See where the ftony bottom of their town Looks defolate, and wild ; with here and- there A helplefs number, who the ruin'd flate Survive, lamenting, M'eak, caft out to death. 26 Reafons why there are fo few winter and fpring ; whereby they will be ena- bled greatly to increafe in numbers, as well as in produce, in the courfe of the fucceeding fea- fon. In the next chapter we Ihall take a view of the vafl increafe of the number of hives that may eafily be made in Scotland; an objedl which I am happy to find already begins to occupy the attention of many gentlemen of property ; and the promotion of which I hope will foon become general. Nothing indeed would yield me greater pleafure and fatisfac- tion, than if, by any exertion of mine, I could be inftrumental in fetting on foot, or carrying into execution, a meaiure of fo much utility and importance to the public. C H A P. IV. Reasons why there are so few bee-hives in Scotland, .It is not to be expe^fled, upon my propofed plan, that I Ihould enter deeply into the na- ture, generation, and properties of bees ; al- though Bee-hiues in Scotland. 27 though each of thefe fubjedls might afford an iaveftigation equally ufeful and interefting. On fuch fubje6ls,lhave often thought, I could write a thoufand pages, and, after all, be far from exhaufling my thoughts on them. But, without diving deep at prefent into them, or entering the lifts of controverfy with other authors, who have wrote upon them, my chief deiign in this treatife was— To excite men of property, who are the only proper perfons to be addreffed on the bu- iinefs, to exert themfelves with fpirit and per- feverance to promote the increafe of bee-hives in this country, by convincing them, that the cultivation of bees is an important objetft to the nation at large as well as to every proprie- tor of them. To {how, that the prices of honey and wax would be thereby greatly reduced, and confe- quently thefe articles would become a fource of national wealth ; and That Britain, inftead of expeilding large funis of money in purchaiing thefe articjes from foreign countries, might even be enabled to render them an article of exportation'; and therefore that they merit the attention of every patriot and real friend to his country. Alfo, D 2 To 28 Reafons why there are fo few To fhow thofe who incline to make the at- tempt, how to proceed in fuch a laudable un- dertaking. To give a brief account of the bee, as di- vided into its dilFerent claiTes of Queen, Drones^ and Working bees ; and to conclude with Some plain and eaf/ diredions, how to ma- nage that ufeful and induftrious race, through the different feafons of the year, fo as they may prove of the greatefl advantage to the country at large, as well as to their proprietors. The principal reafon, why bees have not been^ reared in greater numbers in this coun- try, ''!s, the almoft total negle61: of them, by gentlemen of property ; who feem, in general, to acft as if they thought tliefe ufeful infecfts entirely below their notice ; and the rearing and iricreaiing of bee-hives, as a buiinefs fo very infignificant, as to be unworthy of their patrona'ge. Hence many gentlemen will ra- ther pnrchafe honey at the higheft rate, than give theriifelves the trouble of rearing bees ; which ife^leCl: often likev/ife proceeds from an erroneous ifiea entertained by many, that bees will not thrive with them, and therefore the attempt "Woilkl he fruitlefs. *' It f Pefhaps, in former ages, bees may have been more plentiful in Scotland, Bee-hives in Scotlmtd. 29 It is not the want of proper pafture, that pre- vents bees from thriving well every year in this country. The only preventative is the in- confcancy of the weather ; for if it be windy j or cloudy, they will not go out of the hive ; and, on the other hand, though the day fliould be quite dry, yet if the weather be cold, the bees will colle •, that it may be purchafed from other counties, in order to fun- ply ourfelves, as well as to feed our weak hives. 48 How to Increase the number HIVES. In the I. year, Sept. 1795, there would be 32,000 , . — 2.— — 1796, ■ — — 64,000 __ 3. 1797, — 128,000 — 4. ,,798,—- -" — - 256,000 5.. — _ 1799, -^ 512,000 — _ 6. —1800, — 1,024,000 ' __ 7, _____i8oi, — 2,048,000 Thus, within the fbort period of feven years, the number of our bee-hives would be increaf- ed to no lefs than two millions and forty EIGHT THOUSAND HIVES. But allowing the forty eight thoufand to be difcounted for dead hives, there would (till remain two millions of flock hives. Although this number may ap- pear to be large, yet there is no reafbn to fup- pofe, that the calculation is neither impoilible or improbable. But, even dropping the one half of this number, upon the fuppoiition of lofTes by bad feafons, «5cc. there would flill re- main, at the lowed eRimate, a clear million of flock hives ; which, next year might pro- duce FOUR millions of PINTS of HONEY, and ONE MILLION of POUNDS of WAX ; and flill keeps the flock entire. With fuch a quantity, indeed, of thefe ufeful animals, and valuable commodities, we might refl contented ; as fuch a quantity, befides every other advantage, il^quld afford employment to hundreds of old an4 of Bee-hives in Scotland, 40 and poor people to watch them in fwarming time, and to make hives to receive the young colonies. Another method, by which the number of our (lock hives may be more fpeedily increajC- cd in this country, might ealily be adopted. Should any one opulent proprietor, or a com- pany of individuals, incline to have 2000 or 3000 bee-hives, let a commiffion be fent by a proper perfon to Poland or Ruffia, where, in the month of Auguil efpecially, they could be pur- chafed at one third part of the price they gene- rally draw here : And I am perfuaded, if the Dantzick hives are made much in the fame form with ours, or in any other form that will admit of carriage, a ihip nearly loaded with other goods, which would help to pay her freight, might bring over a great number of them. Perhaps many will think this an extravagant attempt, but I am fo confident of its fuccefs, that if I were pofFefTed of loooL Sterling in ready cafh, I would fet fail for Dantzick, and rifk 8ocl. of it upon the adven- ture. On bringing home my cargo of living bees, I would fpread them ail over the king- dom : But, before fetting out upon fuch a voy- age, I would firll inform my felf properly about G the JO Account of the B^cen Bee. the form of the Dantzick hives, as well as about their prices, and whether they are to be got near the fea-coaft ; as land carriage of bees is equally troublefome, expenfive, and dange- rous : But I would not be afraid to rifk i ooo bee-hives on board a fhip ; for, I would rather carry them 4000 miles on fhip-board, when properly packed, than 100 by land. CHAP. VII. ACCOUNT OF THE QUEEN BEE. X HE Queen, or Mother Bee, is eafily diflinguilhed from all the other bees in the hive, by the form, fize, and colour of her body. She is confiderably longer, and her \Vings arc much iliorter in proportion to her body, than thofe of the other bees. The wings of both common bees and drones, cover their whole bodies, whereas thofe of the Queen fcarcc reach beyond the middle, ending about the third ring of her belly. Her hinder part is far Atcoiint of the ^leen Bee» ^t far more tapering than thofe of the other bees t Her belly and legs are yellower, and her upper parts of a much darker colour than theirs. She is alfo furnifhed with a fting, though fome authors aflert that ihe has none, having been -induced to form this opinion, becaufe ihe is extremely pacific ; fo much fo, indeed, that one may handle her, and even teaze her as much as he pleafes, without provoking her refentment. For my part, I never could ex- cite a Queen Bee to draw her fling, nor could I even get a fight of it, but when I prefTed her body. The omnifcient Governor of Nature has wifely ordained this majeftic infedl to be of a pacific difpofition ; for, were flie other- wife, — were £he, like the other bees, of fo irri- table a temper as to draw her fting on every occafion, and to leave it in the body of her an- tagonift, it would prove of dangerous and of- ten fatal confequences to the whole hive ; for every bee, after lofing her fling, dies within a day or two at the utmofl. The Queen bee is folemn and calm in her de- portment. A young Queen is a great deal fmall- er in fize than a full grown one ; being not much longer than a common bee, and is there- fore not fo eafily obferved when fought for. G 2 When 5^ ' Actount of the ^een Bee. When only three or four days old, fhe is very quick in her motions, and runs very fafl ; but when pregnant with eggs, fhe becomes very large, and her body is heavy. When travelling, fhe drags along in a very flow manner, and is not very expeditious in flying. It is proper that every proprietor of bees fhould know the Queen, as it may often be of great advantage to him. The furefl way to know her is to get a fight of one from fome acquaintance, who keeps hives : or, if this cannot be obtained, he may fearch for her, by the above defcription, among fome fmall hives. That this majeftic animal is a female, thef very defignation fhe bears, of Queen, feems to imply that all modern authors are convinced, though many of the ancients were of a different opinion. But as it is alfo now unanimoufly admitted, that (he lays every egg in the hive, fhe ought rather to be called the Mother Bee. For, indeed, from the beil obfervation that ever I could make, flte pofTeiJes aad exerts no So-. VEREIGNTY over the other bees. She eviden- ces the greateft anxiety for the good of the commonwealth, with which flie is connecfled 5 and, indeed, every member of it fliows an equal regard for her welfare. But I never could ob- / fervej-, Account of the ^een Bee, ^'^ ferve, that llie ifTues any pofitlve orders, to be pundiually obeyed by the other bees. The truth feems to be, that Ihe and the other bees are all equally acquainted with their duty by inJlinEt^ and have an equal pleafure in perform- ing it, without waiting for orders from each other. That there is, neverthelefs, the greateft order and regularity among them, is certain 5 for they lay their plans and execute them in the beft poflible manner, by the influence of the above powerful fubflitute for reafon. Almoft all writers, as formerly hinted, are of opinioUj that the Queen lays three different kinds of eggs ; viz. one kind for the produc- tion of a Queen Bee ; another fpecies for that of the working bees, and a third for producing the Drones. It was alfo long a received opinion, that no Queen could lay eggs, that were capa- ble of producing bees, without the affiftance of Drones. Schirach f, on this fubjecl, refutes this doctrine, and entirely denies fuch an ufe of the Drones. He advances this opinion, that *' the Queen lays eggs, which produce young " bees, without any communication with the Drones x, \ Pallor of Klein Bautzen, in Upper. Losatia, and Secretary to a Society of Naturalifts there. 54 Account of the ^i.een Bee, " Drones ; and affirms that all the working " bees are females in difguife ; ever^ one of " whom, in an early ftage of her exiftence, was " capable of becoming a Queen ; from a know- " ledge of which fa(5l, fwarms may artificially " be obtained from the early months of fpring, " and in any fucceeding month, even to No- " vember.'* His experiments have been very numerous, and obviate every doubt and objection. He performed the operation, upon one and the fame flock, for at leail fifty or fixty times, from mere fra.gments of the combs, &c. &c. This novel and wonderful docflrine excited no fmall contention, and not a few counter experiments among naturalifts on the Continent, without being decided even by the great Bonnet. He afferts, which is indeed the grand and decifive proof, that " the pradice of this art, (of rai- " fing artificial Queens,) has already extended " itfelf through Upper Lufatia, the Palatinate, " Bohemia, Bavaria, Silefia, and feveral parts of " Germany, and even of Poland." That a Queen can be raifed from an tgg in a common cell, or, in other words, that the felf-fame Qgg is capable of being reared up to be either a Queen, or a common bee, as the bees Account of the ^een Bee, 55* bees pleafe, appears to me, from my own ex- periments, to be paft a doubt ; and that a Queen, who never faw a drone, can lay eggs, which will produce bees, is equally certain. Both of thefe fadls will, I flatter myfelf, appear to the curious and learned reader, to be clear- ly afcertained by the following experiments. Long before I heard of Mr Schirach's theo- ry, or experiments, I had often taken off fwarms, without leaving any Queens or royal cells in the mother hive ; notwithilanding which, they bred young Queens, which fur- prized me greatly how they had obtained them, as the received opinion then was, that they could not breed a Queen bee, if the old Queen was taken away, before a royal cell was erecfl- ed. But after feeing Schirach's fentiments on this fubje(fl, I thought his theory extremely probable, according to what I had observed a- mong my own bees ; and refolving to afcertain the truth of it, I made many experiments of my own, which all fucceeded to my willies. But, in order to put the matter beyond all doubt, I fhall relate an experiment I made with a hive in fpring 1788, two months before the nfual time of fwarming, and which clearly afcertains both the fads at once. The hive was 5 6 Account of the ^leen Bee. was beginning to carry well, and to breed faft, but it was not half full of bees. It had only one Queen, but neither Drone nor royal cell ; neither of which could be expeded at that feafon of the year, as it was about the middle of April. I took out the Qaeen, and moft part of the bees, and left the hive with only fome common bees, to hatch out the young bropd in the cells, and provide themfelves wiih a Queen, but v^^ithout leaving one iingle Drone. They did not difappoint me ; for as foon as the melancholy intelligencepervadedthe hive, that their loving mother was torn from them, they made a mourning kind of ndife for their great lofs, for about two hours : After which, a general council, as it would feem, being called, the moft experienced fages, in the diflrelTed re- public, may be fuppofed to have advifed their brethren, " That it was in vain to mourn longer for the lofs of their mother and bro- thers ; that although they were gone, and al^ though they had at prefent no royal cell to raife another mother, yet they had ftill fufE^ cient refources fi'om nature and their own in- dudry ; that they had power and means to raife a young monarch to the throne; that vhey had plenty of new laid eggs, and there-e fore Account of the ^leen Bee* ^j fore no time was to be loft, to raife a Queen bee from one of them ; otherwife the eggs would all foon produce common bees, and then all hopes of future progeny would ceafe for ever, and their republic utterly perilh, for want of a prolific mother to preferve and per- petuate the race,'* That the bees feemed to have had fome fuch reafoning among them, appeared pretty evident from their condud ; for about two hours after the capture of the Queen, they all fell bufily to work, and exerted themfelves a- mazingly for two days ; fome being employ- ed in forming the royal cell, and others in in- je(fling into it a large quantity of thick whit- ifh liquid fluff, pretty much refembling cream. At the end of the 3d day, the royal cell was completely formed ; and, in the mean time, the common cells were fealed up by the other bees, who all continued bufily employed. On the fifth day, the royal cell was confidera- bly enlarged, and I obferved as much of the a- forefaid white fluff in it, as would have half fil- led a thimble almofl, with a white maggot lying on the top of it. On the feventh day, the bees fealed it up, and, on the feventeenth day, the young Queen came forth out of her little pa- H lace ^8 Account of the ^leen Bee, lace, in all her pomp and majefly. On the twenty-fourth day, the young Queen became a MOTHER, and laid eggs ; on the thirty-iirft day, thefe eggs were fealed up, and, on the for- ty-thirdday, a number of young bees emerged from the cells. About the fame time I repeat- ed this experiment with other two hives, which both fucceeded equally well. I made another experiment with a different hive, out of which I took the Queen and moft part of the bees. This hive had neither a roy- al cell nor drones in it, yet, in feventeen days thereafter, a Queen was reared, and on the 25th day fhe laid eggs. I then took out the young Queen again, leaving fome new laid eggs in the old hive. Within eight days after, there was another royal cell erecSled and fealed up. This I immediately took out of the hive ; but, upon infpeding the hive eight days there- after, I found neither Queen, eggs, nor royal cell, none of which indeed I expeded. Upon taking a piece of comb, however, with eggs in it, out of another hive, and putting it into this hive, the bees ereded another royal cell, which in due time produced another young Queen. The advocates for tlie dodlrine of the drones being males, and their aid being necefTary for tjhe Account of the ^leen Bee. 59 the propagation of bees, may perhaps plead, that although there were no drones in the hive, when I took the Queen from it, yet there might have been eggs laid in drone cells, w^hich would come forward to be drones as foon as the young Queen, and fo impregnate her, and render her fit for breeding. But the contrary is the fa (ft : for, when the old Queen was taken out of the hive, there was not a iingle egg in any of the drone cells. If there had, I would have feen the bees fitting upon the cells of the drone combs, as they did on thofe of the common bees, and on the royal cell. Befides, I turned up the hive every fecond day, during the whole period of forty-three days, in order to determine how long the bees took to eredl the royal cell, and feal it up ; how many days elapfed before an egg produced a Queen ; how old the Queen was, before ihe began t© lay eggs ; how many days palled, before thefe eggs produced common bees ; a.nd, above all, whe- ther the Queen needed the agency of the drones, to enable her to become a mother. To arrive at a certainty on this point, I often turned the bees over in the hive with a fmall fhick, in fearch of young drones in drone cells, but could not difcover the fmalleft Wei- ll 2 tic'c 6o Account of the ^een Bee, tige of them. But the young Queen, on the loth day of her age, began to lay eggs in drone cells, which produced young drones in the hive about fixteen days thereafter. Hav- ing repeated this laft experiment again and a- gain, I can now affirm, with the utmoft con- fidence and certainty, that the common, or working bees, are endowed with the powerful faculty of raifing a Queen bee, from an tg^^ in a common cell, when their community Hands in need of one. Their method is this : They make choice of a common cell with an tg^ in it, and in- je(fl: foma white liquid matter, from their pro- bofcis, of a thickilh fubftance. They then begin to build upon the edges of the cell, and enlarge it. On the third day, it appears fairly on the outfide of the comb, in the form of a royal cell, and may now be properly fo deno- minated. On the fifth day, the cell being now greatly enlarged, and a great deal of the whit- ifh matter thrown into it, the royal maggot appears in the form of a femicircle, not unhke a new moon, being biggefl in the middle part, and fmall at each end. In this form it is to be feen for two days, fwimming on the top, and Account of the ^een Bee» 6i and in the midfl of the faid matter in the cell ; and on the feventh day it is fealed up. During this period, our young princefs un- dergoes various metamorphofes. I have open- ed the royal cell on the tenth day, and have found the maggot ftill on the top of the w^hite liquor ; and having taken it into my hand to fliow it to any friend, it would have moved for a {hort time, although at this period, it had not the fmalleft refemblance to a bee, being ftill on- ly a maggot. But on the fourteenth or fifteenth day, the metamorpholis is fo complete, that in- ftead of a grofs white worm, forth comes a charming young Queen bee, *f arrayed in all her glory. From the whole of thefe experi- ments, therefore, which I have repeated on va- rious occafions, I can pofitively affirm, that the Queen bee is capable of becoming a mother, without fo much as feeing a drone ; and that the f The fame procefs, or nearly fo, is ufed by the common bees, to bring forward both their own fpecies and drones, by throw- ing the whitilh matter on the eggs, and fealiog them up, till the maggots undergo the ufual changes in the cells, &c. And each egg generally produces a bee in about fourteen or fixteen days. 1 have feen them differ two or three days in point of time. Per- haps an egg, fhould the bees let it alone and injeft no matter up- on it, might, neverthelefs, keep warm for 8 days, and produce a bee at laft. Cz Accou nt cf the ^ een Bee, the dodrines of almofl all former writers on this fubjedt, (Schirach and one or two more except- ed,) who affirm that the Queen cannot breed without the agency of the drones, or males, as they call them, is founded on a miflake. For a finall piece of comb, with common eggs in it, may be taken and put into a box along with 400 common bees, and tranfported 1000 miles from a Drone ; and yet the bees will rear a Qneen from one 6f thofe eggs, and that young Queen will lay eggs, which in due time will produce Queens, Commons and Drones. But whether every egg in the common cells of the hive can be nouriflied up to produce a Queen, I dare not pofitively fay ; although I am much inclined to think fo, as I can fafely affirm, that not above one in a dozen of my experiments, in rearing Queens from what are called common ^SS^y (i- ^' eggs that commonly produce working bees,} has ever yet failed, when I either made the trial by way of experiment, or adopted the plan as a matter of ceconomy. Sometimes a fmgle t^^ has failed in making the experiment ; but this might have happened from fome other accidental caufe. As a proof of this, I offer to rear 20 Queens, if not 30, out of one hive, du- ring the courfe of one fummen For I have, within Accomit of the ^een Bee, ^ 6% within thcfe lafl: fix years, caufed the bees to rear, from eggs taken from common cells, which the bees would otherwife have reared up for working bees, no fewer than 200 artificial Qiieens ; and which Queens laid eggs, that came forward to be bees, in the fame manner as other Queens, which may, for diflinc^ion's fake, be ftiled natural ones. Sometimes, when I have taken the Queen out of a hive, and left none but common bees in it, after looking for the fpace of fourteen or fixteen days, for royal cells, as ufual in fuch cafes, I have obferved, that, inliead of Queens being produced, there were three or four roy- al cells, which contained nothing in them, ex- cept that fome of them had a red tough mat- ter, of a hard kind of fubftance, about the iize of a pea, which would tear, but would not break : while others of them would have contained nei- ther ^%%^ maggot, nor chryfalis, but were quite empty. Thefe empty cells I fliall, for ditlinc- tion's fake, call falfe royal cells. What was the intention of the bees, in rearing thefe falfe royal cells, I cannot determine. The bees were fure- ly fenfible, that there were no young bees in them : and yet they would have allowed them to 64 Account of the ^eeti Bee, to continue in the hive for many months. One circum (lance incUnes me to think, that the bees intended them to be of fome ufe for rearing Queens, as I never faw thefe falfe roy- al cells reared, but when the hive wanted a Queen. I am equally certain, hov^ever, on the other hand, that I have never once feen an ^^^ or decayed maggot in any of them. I own that fome common cells will fometimes be feal- ed up, as if there were young bees in them, al- though none would ever appear. All of thefe, however, had eggs in them at firfl, which had decayed and rotten, by cold or fome other ac- cident. But this I never found to be the cafe, in thofe falfe royal cells, not one of which ap- peared to have ever had one in them. There- fore, when we leave a hive without a Queen, we cannot pofitively fay, that the bees will rear one for themfelves : yet were the pradlice eligible in every other refpedl, we might truft to it, as fcarcely one cafe in a'dozen fails. But if a royal cell, on the 2d, 3d, or 4th day, af- ter it is ereded, appear to have an ^%%^ or fome of the whitifh matter in it, a Queen may be depended upon, to be produced in due time, if no accident prevent. That yiccount of the ^een Bee, '65 That the Queeil arid the common or work- i'll'g bees are of the faikle fex in the Qgg^ and yet that th'ey catl i^ear up bees of every fpecies be- tween them, appears to nie to be no more wonderful than true *. Whether the addition- al matter thrown into the enlarged cell, along with the egg, is 6f a generative or nutritive na- ture, I cannot yet pofitively determine, altho' I rather incline to think it is of the former kind. — But there are confiderable difficulties on both fides. For, if we fay the white matter is oi a generative quality, then we muft fup- j3ofe that the working bees are males ; although it muft appear very unaccountable, that the fame egg ihould be capable of rearing either a male or a female^ at the option of the working bees : — which, however, upon this fuppolition, I appears * Whether the bees can rear up one of thofe eggs that are laid in drone cells, to become a Queen or a common bee j or whether they can rear eggs that have been laid in common cells, to become drones, is not yet afcertained. This queflion, how- ever, might eafily be decided, by putting a piece of comb with drone eggs in it, along with 400 common bees 5 and, by repeat- ing the experiment 6 or 8 times, it might ibon be difcovered, whether the bees could raife orle of thofe drone eggs to be a Qaeen bee. I rather incline to think, that the eggs laid in drone cells cannot be raifed to be any other but drone bees, and that thofe laid in common cells tan never be reared to be- come drones. 66 Account of the ^een Bee, appears clearly proved, by Schirach's cxperi-, ments and my own. On the other hand, if we hold it to be of a nutritive nature, then wc fuppofe the Queen to be a hermaphrodite, or Jelf-prolific^ without the affillance of any other creature. It is indeed reported, that the whole genus of fnails are hermaphrodites, and that each individual of the fpecies is endued with both fexes, But although I have not a doubt as to the fad, that an ^"g"^ in a common cell is capable of being nouriihed up to produce a Queen, yet I rather doubt, whether any great improvement can be made of this difcovery, fo as to increafe the quantity of honey and wax ; as it is not a great number of hives that will produce that effect, but only real good ones, I alfo doubt, whether more hives can be reared by this method, as our bees generally produce more Queens natu- rally, than they are able to fupply with a fuf- ficient number of common bees to compofe a proper fwarm with ; as appears from their kil- ling the fupernumerary ones, which they have no need o£ —Often, for inflance, in a garden containing four flock hives in May, they will breed perhaps 24 Queens during the fummer, but will kill two thirds of them, and fend off the Account of the Drone Beet Sf ' the other 8, with as many young fwarms.— k mufl be allowed, however, that hives will fome- times ly long out ; and, therefore, if the owner had a fpare Queen, he might eafily rear new fwarms with them, which he cannot fafely do without them* CHAP. VIII. ACCOUNT OF THE DRONE BEE. HE DRONES are a fpecies of bees, well known to every Bee-mafter, and may eafily be diftinguillied from the commcm or working bees. They are both larger and longer in the body* Their heads are round, their eyes fullj and their tongues fhort. The form of the belly differs from thofe of both Queen and common bees ; and their colour is darker than either. They have no (ling, and they make a much greater noife when flying, than either the Queen or the common bees ;-^a peculiarity of itfelf fuflicient to diflinguilh them« I 3 Th^ ^5l Account of the Drone *Bee, The drones are, by almoft all writers reckon- ed the males, (Seep. 62,) and are fo ftiled by moft authors ; but for my part I neither know what to call them, nor of what ufe they are, although I have often thought upon the fub- jedt, yet I cannot be fatisfied with any theory I ever heard of. Various conjectures have been made with refpe6l to their ufe. Although almofl all agree that they are the males, and couple with the Queen ; yet they acknowledge that they never faw an inftance of any one of them in the adl with her. It is furely wonderful, if the drones are the males, that they fhould have efcaped the prying eyes of philofophers in all ages, whereas, almofl: every eye has deteded fmaller infe(5ls in the ad:. SwAMMERDAM, fenfible of this, to fhelter himfelf, flies to that falfe refuge, that the fmell of the drones anfwers the fame end as copula- tion. Others fay, that their heat is neceflary for hatching the young bees. But this ar- gument has no weight, with me ; as bee-hives have moft part of their bees bred, and are well nigh fwarming, before any muxiber of drones appear in the hive. Befides, by the time that ' they become numerous, fo as their heat might 4p good in that refped, the heat is generally Account of the Drone Bee. 69 fo great, that the bees have too much of it ; and, therefore, often ly out in the fore part of their hive to get air. It is therefore plain, that they need not be at the expence of main- taining a parcel of idle gluttons, for the fake of increaling what would do them more harm than good. That the Queen ftands in no need of their a/Iiftance to fecundate or impregnate her, has already been obferved, and appears plain, from this confideration, that fhe lays eggs, which pro- duce young bees, without having had any pre- vious communication with the dronCvS;. I will not, however, fuppofe that the drones are of no ufe in the hive ; but that the Queen lays eggs which produce young bees, without fb much as feeing a drone, I can with the utmoft confidence affirm. The advocates for the old doiftrine, that the drones are males, alledge, that they im- pregnate the Queen, before their brethren kill them. According to this theory, flie fliould continue for no lefs a period than {q\q.xi or eight months, with about 12,000 impregnated eggs in her ovarium, which would certainly make her appear very large during the v/hole of that period. But it is unnecefTary to wafte arguments 70 Account of the Drone Bee, arguments in refutation of this do6trine, as I liave already fhown (pages 56,57,58) thati have repeatedly had Queens breed and lay eggs, and thofe eggs become bees, although thefe Queens were bred feven months after all the drones were dead, and fome weeks before any new ones were hatched. Thefe experiments, I think, are fufiicient to filence all the arguments advanced by the advocates for the drone fyftem. Mr Debraw, indeed, creates little drones^ and gives them power to live all the year, and to impreg- nate the Queen at pleafure. But as room does n6t permit me to narrate the experiments whereby 1 e attempts to prove this, J fhall content my- felf with ftating his fentiments in as few words as poilible. He alTerts, that, befides the com- mon large drones, which every perfon, ac- quainted with bees, knows at firfh fight, there- is a fmall kind of drones, which are, to all ap- pearance, like the common bees, there being no viiible difference, except that they have no lling, vrhich he difcovered by immeriion in water, and prefTare. After relating an experi- ment on this head, he fays, " I once more " immeried all the bees" (of a fmall fvvarm) " in v/ater, and v»'hen they appeared to be in " a fsnfclefs ftatej I gently prelFed every one of " them Account of the Drone Bee, 71 " them between my fingers, in order to diftin- " guiili thofe armed with flings from thofe " that had none, which lafl I might ftifpe(5l to "be males. Of thefe I found fifty feven, " exactly of the fize of common bees, yielding " a little whitifii liquor on being prelFed be- " tween the fingers." He farther alledges, that if there be only a Queen and bees that have flings in a hive, al- though the Queen lays eggs, yet if flie has 110 drones to injedl the feminal matter upon them, the eggs will flill remain unproductive, and will decay, even although there were 1 000 bees with flings in the hive. In anfwer to this, I fliall here narrate an experiment I made fe- veral years ago. On the firfl of Sept. 1788, I took all the bees out of a hive that was breeding very fafi, and in which I found only four drones, which I killed. I put the, bees into a hive that had nothing in it but empty combs. After wait- ing ten days, upon looking between the combs, I found maggots newly fealed np, in the cell?, I then took out all the bees, and fliook them in- to a tub full of water, from which immerfion I recovered them gradually, and while doing this, I prefFed each bee individually, to try if I 72 Account of the Drone Bee. I could difcover any of thofe ftinglefs little drones ; but not one appeared, all of them having (lings, to the number af 3000. After this I fearched the old hive I had taken them out of, and cut out all the combs that had eggs or young in them ; among which I found fome cells that had new laid eggs in them ; others whole eggs were converted into a fmall worm, 3.nd others fome with maggots in them. I then reftorecl the Queen, and all the bees, putting them into the fame hive again, but without leaving a fingle egg in it. During the fucceding twenty days, I infpe(5led the hive, and found the bees, in fine weather, working with great alacri- ty, a fure fign that the Queen was breeding a- gain. After this, on turning up the hive, and cutting out one of the brood combs, I found new laid eggs in fome of them ; others con- taining maggots ; befides fome young bees, almoft ready to emerge from their cells. I made another experiment, about the fame time, upon a hive that had fome brood combs, but had not had a large drone for feveral weeks preceding. This hive did not contain above 500 bees, a cirxumftance that was in my favour, as, being lefs numerous, the trouble was propor- |ionally lefs, I carried the hive into a clofe room Account of the Drone Bee, 73 room in my houfe, that not a fingle bee might efcape me ; but, after repeating the former ex- periment of immerfmg them in water, recover- ing, and prefTmg them one by one, I found that every one of them had a fling. I think thefe experiments may fatisfy any unprejudiced perfon, that there is no fuch crea- ture in exiftence as a fmall drone bee j unlefs it be in Mr Debraw's brain. But, if Mr Debraw, who fays he can find fifty-feven in a fmali fwarm of bees, will fend me the odd feven, I will give him one of my beft hives for them, and I think he will not fay that they are ill fold. I have often had good hives, with few or no drones in them, during the whole year. Mr Keys is wrong, when he fays, a top fwarm will not thrive without drones, for I am cer- tain of the contrary. In fummer 1785, I took off four fwarms of my own in one day, with- out a fingle drone in one of them ; yet they ail throve well, and the bees bred drones in them about four weeks thereafter. Although I cannot determine of what ufc the drones are to a hive, unlefs it be to help to confume the honey, which they are very well qualified to do, yet it is obfervable that the K beft 74 Accottnt of the Drone Bee, befl hives produce them earUefl in the year j as they generally appear in fach hives about the beginning of May, and the working bees put an end to their exiftence at Lammas, at which period I generally affift them as much as I am able. After my firfl w^ork upon this fubjecft appear- ed, I had the honour of a converfadon with two very intelligent gentlemen in my neigh- bourhood, who declared their faLisfadion with the arguments I had formerly advanced. I al- fo repeated, in the prefence of one of them, fome of the ex p rrnents I had made, to prove that the common bees are endued with the power of rearing any egg, from a common cell, to become a Queen, when the community fcands in need of one ; and that a Queen, al- though {he never faw a drone, will, at a proper age, lay eggs in abundance, which, again, by the afTiftance of the common bees, will produce Queens, commons, and drones, as well as thofe eggs that are laid by Queens, who are fur- rounded with drones in the hives to which they belong. After feeing thefe experiments, of which he ^xpreiTed his approbation, I had another con- Yerfation with both thefe gentlemen, when they Account of the Br one Bee, Jj they ailced me,— What then is the ufe of the " drone ?" — In anfwer to this, I candidly ac- knowledged that I could not tell, as any con- je(5lure, that I could form refpedling their ufe, appeared to be attended with infurmountable objedlions. We all agreed, however, that they certainly mull be of fome ufe, as Nature, or, more properly fpeaking, the GoD of Nature, does nothing in vain. One of the gentlemen faid, that, perhaps bees might be like fome other infed:s, whofd males were not neceifary in every a6l of ge- neration ; and that, perhaps, although a Queen bee, who had never feen a drone, could lay an egg which would produce a Queen, and that Queen again do the fame, and thus the pro- dudlion of Queens and bees be continued with \ equal fuccefs, for perhaps fix, eight, or ten ge- 1 nerations ; yet it might perhaps turn out, that thefe Queens would gradually become more and more unfruitful, and at lad grow alto- gether barren, unlefs they fliould cohabit with the drones^ The other gentleman, howeverj was of opinion, that if one Queen was fruit- ful without the agency of the drones, every other one would be fo likewife, to the end of the world. K 3 There^ 76 Account of the Drone Bee. There is one thing, however, that feems to favour the former gentleman's conjedure; viz. that fome hives, which had not a fmgle drone in them, have been known to breed well for one fummer, pretty well the next, and even tolerably the third ; but at laft, have breed drones, and thereby turned out much more pro- lific thereafter : although it muft be owned, that fuch hivesgenerallyfailat laft. Seeing the drones are great confumers of honey, though they do nothing to provide any, fhould the above conjecture, therefore, turn out to be true, a pra«flical inference may naturally be drawn, that a hive may thrive fully as well, or rather better, for 3 or 4 years, without drones than with them ; after which period, they might again be introduced into the hive, for the purpofe of renewing the prolific powers of the Queen, and prevent the royal race from be- coming barren or extindl. It may be farther obferved, as an additional argument in favour of the above conjedure, that although the Queen and her daughter, none of whom ever faw a drone, might lay abundance of eggs, w^hich would all produce bees ; yet they might probably have laid a great many more, had the drones been in the hive with them. I Account of the Drone Bee, 77 I mud confefs, it appears fomewhat para- doxical, to fay that females will breed fuccefs- fully for feveral generations without the affift- ance of the males ; and yet at laft prove bar- ren, and give over breeding altogether, till their prolific powers are renewed by frefli males co- habitating with them. But however paradox- ical or unaccountable it may appear, that is not a fufficient reafon for us to reprobate the fuppofition ; as there are many of the arcana of nature that are equally wonderful and unac- countable, and the elucidation of which has hitherto baffled the inveftigation of the mofl penetrating geniufes, and deepeft enquirers in- to the fecrets of natural philofophy. One of the above-mentioned gentlemen de- lired me to try an experiment, and endeavour to afcertain the fa(fl:, whether the want of drones will occalion a gradual barrenefs to take place in a fucceffion of Queens. My anfwer was, that I had long entertained an idea of a plan, whereby I am perfuaded that I could dive into, and probably difcover this fecret of Na- ture ; but that the execution would both re- quire time, and be attended with a confidera- ble degree of expence, by the lofs of many hives, which at prefent I do not find myfelf inclined yB Account of the Workmg Dee. inclined to ri&. Whereupon hedefired me to make the experiment with his own hives, which I engaged to do the firfl leifure opportunity : And as it may doubtlefs be a piece of ufeful natural philofophy, I fhall certainly comrau^ nicate the refult of my inquiries to the pubhc on a future occafion. CHAP. IX. ACCOUNT OF THE WORKING EEE* HE WORKING, or COMMON BEES, are fo of- ten feen by every body, and fo univerfaliy well known, that a particular defcription may al- mod appear unnecefTary, although, for unifor-- mity's fake, I fhall give it. They are fmaller in fize than either the Queen or the drone bees ; and, the denomination they have fo juftly ob- tained, of Workmg Bees, plainly denotes their fuperior induftry, in labouring for the v/hole hive. The Account of the Working Bee. 79 The common bee as well as the other two fpecies of that valuable infedl, confifls of three parts, viz. the head, which is attached by a narrow kind of neck, to the reft of the body ; — the breaft, or middle part ; — and the belly, which is nearly feparated from the bread by an infedion or divifion, and connedled with it by another narrow neck or jun(5lion. There are two eyes in the head, of an oblong figure, black, tranfparent, and immovable. The mouth or jav/s, like thofe of fome fpecies of fiili, open to the right and left, and ferve in- flead of hands, to carry out of the hive what- ever encumbers or offends them. In the mouth there is a long probofcis, or trunk, with which the bees fuck up the fweets from the flowers. They have four wings faflened to their mid- dle part, by which they are not only en- abled to fly with heavy loads, but alfo to make thofe well known founds and hummings, to each other, that are fuppofed to be their on- ly form of fpeech. They have alfo fix legs faflened to their middle. The two foremoO: of thefe are the fhorteft, and with thefe they unload themfelves of their treafures. The tv»/o in the middle are fomewhat longer ; and the ^wo l^fl are the fongefl of all Qn the outfide 8o Account of the Working Bee. of the middle joint of tliefe lafl, there is a fmall cavity in the form of a marrow fpoon, in which the bees colledl, by degrees, thofe loads of wax they carry home to their hives. This hollow grove is pecuhar to the working bee. Neither the Queen nor the drones have any refem- blance of it. The belly is ornamented or diftingnifhed with fix rings ; and contains, befides the intef- tines of the animal, the honey bladder, the ve- nom bladder, and the iling. The honey blad- der is a refervoir, into which is depofited the honey that the bee fips from the cups of the flowers, after it has paiTed through the pro- bofcis, and through the narrow pipes, that con- ned: the head, bread and belly of the bee. This bladder, when full, is of the fize of a fmall pea, and is fo tranfparent, that the colour of the honey can be diftinguifhed through it. The fling is fituated at the extremity of the belly, and the head or root of it is placed con- tiguous to the fmall bladder that contains the venom. It is conne6led to the belly by cer- tain fmall mufcles, by means of which the bee can dart it out, and draw it in, with great force and quicknefs. In length it is about the 6th part of an inch. It is of a horny fubftance ; is Account of the Working Bee, 8 1 is biggefl at the root, and tapers gradually to- wards the point, which is extremely fmall and iharp ; and when examined by the microfcope, appears to be polifhed exceedingly fmooth.*. It is hollow within, like a tube, that the veno- mous liquor may pafs through ic, when it ftrikes any animal, which it does the very in- ftant that the fling pierces the fkin, and inli- nuates icfelf into the v/ound ; which proves mortal to niany fmall animals, as well as to the bee herfelf, w^hen fhe leaves her fling in the wound ; as it draws after it the bladder, and fometimes part of the entrails of the bee. Thefe working bees may be faid to compofe the whole community, except in the feafon of the drones, which hardly lafls three months. During all the other nine months, there are no other bees in the hive, except them and the Queen. The whole labour of the hive is per- formed by them. They build the combs, col- le(5l the honey, bring it home, and ftore it up in their waxen magazines. They rear up the eggs, to produce young Queens, common bees and drones ; they carry out all incumbrances that are in the hives ; they defend the com- munity againfl enemies of every kind, and kill all the drones^ L CHAP. 82 B'lreBions to guard agatnj} the Sting of a Bee. C H A P. X. Directions to guard against tite sting of a bee, with THE method of CURE. Ai .s we rnuft now proceed to the handling of our mduftrious infers, it is necelTary to put our readers on their guard againft their flings. Unlefs they are hurt, provoked, or afironted, bees feldom make ufe of their ftings ; but they are fo extremely irritable, that whoever wiflies to be on a friendly footing with them mufl beware of giving them the fmalleU: offence. They will hazard their lives, rather than let an affront pafs unrevenged ; and, when exafper- ated near their hives, one may as well take a lion by the beard, or a bear by the fnout, and cxpe6t to come o^ unpanifned, as to hope to capitulate with them. When a perfon has any thing to' do about his bees, which, he thinks, may provoke their vengeance, and which, neverthelefs, mufl be done, fuch as making them fwarm, uniting light hives, &c. then he muft equip himfelf properly Lure&iojis to guard againji the Sting of a Bee. ^^t properly, by putting on his harnefs, * and keep- ing it on, as long as their rage continues. But when they are furprifed or frightened by rap- * ping on the hive, they will be very pacific,* and will not attempt to fling. After which, the Bee-mafter may fafely throw off his har- nefs, and even his coat, by which he will be more fit for performing bufinefs with them. But fhould they be greatly enraged, the beft method, if there is a houfe or open door near, is to run as quickly as pofTible into it, and fhut them out, (for it is eafy to out-run them,) and thus prevent them from following. In fuch a cafe they will Hy about the door for fometimein great rage,impatientfor anopening L 2 to * The Harness, or Safeguard, fhould be formed on this plan. Let a net be knit with fuch fmall melhcs, that a bee cannot pafs through. Silk, gauze, catgut, crape, or any thing woven of % fine thread, will anfwer equally well. The fafegijard muft be made large enough to cover a man's hat, head, and neck, and to tie clofe together before liis bread: with a ftring. In tying it, great caution fhould be obferved, that not the fmalleft chink or opening be left for a bee to get in at -, otherwife the remedy ^^v•^Il prove worfc than the difeafe ; as thofe that get in would fting with the utmofl virulence, and it would be impoiTible to get el- tlier the flings or the biies quickly out from under the harnefs. 'i'lie hands fliould be covered with a pair of gloves, and the legs with a pair of coarfe ftockings, or two pairs of fine ones, as the bees will ofteh fling the legs through one pa;». ^4 BireBions to guard agalnjl the Sting of a Bet, to get in ; but the perfon muft take care to re- main clofe prifoner, till his winged enemies re- tire. But if there be no houfe of refuge at hand, where he caa retire by rapid flight, he fhould by no means retire gradually, but rath- er fland flill like a ftatue, or ly down flat upon the ground, without any motion, with his face downwards, in which cafe he may get oiF with only two or three flings ; but if he attempts to fly and the bees overtake him, they will fling him in fo many parts at once, that he may not €ome off with lefs than one or two dozen of wounds. After their fury is abated, and the remem- brance of the affront entirely obliterated, the bee-mafter may then renew his acquaint- ance with his winged labourers ; and if he comes in a humble manner, and walks gent- ly and fubmifTively among them, they will treat him kindly. In every bufinefs one has to do with bees, he m.uft do it in a calm, :foft, gentle, and fubmifTive way ; he mufl take care not to approach them in a rafli, hafty manner, puffing and blowing, or accompanied with any thing that has a difagreeable or un- favoury fmell, as their organs of fmelling ap- pear to be very acute. In a word, gentle read- er, DireElions to guard againjl the Sting of a Bee, 85 er, you mufl approach your bees, as you would appear before your patron, when you are going to aik a favour of him ; and not, as you would meet an opponent in a duel, unlefs you be armed cap-a-pee. When the bees attack a perfon who is walk- ing among them, let him put them gently a- fide from his face with his hand, or thruil his head into a bufh, and they will foon leave him. When they are offended at any perfon, the chief parts they aim at are the face and hands, knowing thefe parts are mod vulnerable. But if the face and hands are covered, they will furround him, and try to difcover any aper- ture in his Ihirt, neck, bread, fleeves, breeches- knees, &c. and if they find an opening at the fmalleft flit or crevice, they will pufh in at it, and leave their ftings, with their venom be- hind, though they lofe their lives in the con- ilia. The hair of the head, beard, and eye-brows, are all very oiFeniive to bees, and if they acci- dentally light on any of them, they will fting that very inftant. When at work in the field, they never offer to fting, let them be ever fo much affronted. One may then chafe them from B6 DireS'ions to guard aga'injl the Sthtg of a Be^. from flower to flower, without provoking them ro fling : they rather, on fuch occaflons, fly ofl:" from the intruder, as unworthy of their no- tice. The flings of bees have very different effeds on different perfons. There are fome perfons, "Upon whom the fling of a bee produces neith- er inflammation nor pain. Such people need ufe no precaution, even when they are fure to re- ceive many flings. Upon others, again, the fling of a bee, -occafions fuch exquiflte pain, accompanied with fweiiing and inflammation, that nothing can terrify them m^ore than the figlit of a bee. This laft clafs fliould not be difcouraged. I myfelf have felt very differ- ent effe(!^s from their flings at different times. The feldomer I am flung, and the longer in- terval that occurs fince 1 was laft wounded, the greater pain I feel, and the more I fwell : but when I am flung twice or thrice in a day, I value it net a pin. I have fometimes re- ceived forty flings in a day without fweiiing in the leafl. Tlie reafon of this I prefume not lo account for ; I only mention the facl, leav- ing ir to medical people, or thofe who have iludied the nature of animal poifons, to in- yefligate the caufc. Many Kerne dies for the Sting of a Bee. 87 Many remedies have been prefcribed, mofl of them to Uttle purpofe, to cure the woand received by a fling. Oil of olives, or any mild oil, is thought by many to be effectual. Bruif^ ed parfley is recommended by others ; the ho- ney taken out of the bee that inflicted the wound, is prefcribed by a third clafs. Some fay, that the fweet fpirit of vitriol, well rubbed into the wound, will prevent both the pain and the fwelling. Repeated experiments, how- ever, have fhown that the eafe, received from any of the above medicines, is not always to be depended upon, and therefore may be im- puted as much to accidental circumflances, f^ich as the wounded perfon's flate of health, blood, &c. as to any peculiar fpecific virtue ; although I doubt not, but that any or all of them may fbmetimes afford relief. The fting and its poifon are injected in a moment, and the pain and fwelling inflantlv fucceed, when fuch remedies are often very dif- tant. My remedies are more fimple, and one or other of them is always at hand. The mo- ment I am wounded, after pulling out the iling, I take a blade of kail, dock, afli, or al~ mofl any green leaf of any plant or ilirub jQcarefl me, and, bruifing it a little, rub the juice S8 How to choofe Stock Hives in September. juice into the wound. When near water, I wafh the wound, or apply a wet cloth, which I have fometimes found give relief. But, in- deed, I do not, once in a dozen of initances, apply any remedy at all, except pulling out the fling, as it feldom makes me uneafy ; and I know a fhort time and a little patience will afford an infallible cure. CHAP. XI. How TO CHOOSE STOCK HIVES IN SEPTEMBER. .NY perfon, who intends to ere6l an apiary, muft take particular care to have it filled with proper inhabitants. He muft be peculiarly attentive to this, as all his future profit and pleafure, or lofs and vexation, will, in gene- ral, depend upon it. He muft therefore pay the iitmoft attention to the choice of liis ftock hives ; for the man who takes care to keep good ftock hives will foon gain confiderably by them j but he who keeps bad ones, will, be- fides How to choofe Stock Hives in September 89 fides a great deal of trouble, and little or no fticcefs, foon become a broken Bec-mafter* lii September every flock hive ought to con- tain as niiich honey, as v/ill fupply the bees with food, till June following ; and as many bees as will preferve heat in the hive, and thereby refill the feverity of a cold winter, and a6l as io many valiant foldiers, to defend the community from the invaiioos of foreign ene- mies in fpring. And, as September may be faid to be the bee-mafter's feed time, as well as his harveft, we Ihall begin with it, and go round the circle of the year, giving fuch dire(5lions as are neceifary to be obferved in the different feafons, till v^^e arrive again at the fame period. Therefore the bee-mailer fhould purcliafe a proper number of hives in Augufl, or Sep- tember, when they are at the cheapefl rate* They fliould be full of combs, and well flored with bees and honey ; and fliould weigh at leafl 3olb. each ; if heavier, fo much the bet- ter ; for light hives run a great rifk of perifh- ing by famine, unlefs the bees are fupplied with food ; which will cofl as much expence^ and a great deal more trouble, * befides a con- M fiderable * Howeverj when a fufficicnt number of good fingle hives 90 How to choofe Stock Hives in September. fiderable riik of their dying at laft, after all this extraordinary trouble and expence. Where- as, a well chofen hive of 3olb. weight, allow- ing 1 2lb. for the empty hive, bees, combs, &c. will contain i81b. of honey, which will fupply the bees with food till next June ; a time, when, it may be prefumed, they will find abundance of provifions for themfelves among the flow- ers. When a choice can be obtained, the young- efl hives iliould always be preferred, becaufe old hives are liable to vermin, and other acci- dents. But although a hive fhould be four or five years old, it fhould not be rejedled, if it poffefFes thefe > two elTential qualities, plen- ty of bees, and abundance of honey ; but, if either for ftock cannot be obtained, they may be made up, by con- joining the bees and honey of two or three light hives into pne, and thereby making one tolerably good hive out of fevcr- al bad ones. The method of doing this fhall be noticed after- wards j but it is a meafure that ought never to be adopted but in cafes of neccffity. For neither fuch conjunftions of light hives, nor feeding of bees ought to be adopted, at this fcafon, on purpofe to make them ftand the winter's cold, if they can poffi- bly be avoided. Indeed, fometiraes very light hives, with few bees in them, will ftand through the courfe of a mild winter, and do well the following fumraer ; but fuch hives are at beft precariaus, and therefore not to be depended upon. Of the Removing of Bee-hives, gi either of thefe be a- wanting, the purchafer will regret his bad bargain when it is too late. CHAP. XII. OF THE REMOVING OF BRE-HIVSS. N the removal of hives, the diflance, to which they are to be removed, mufl be chief- ly confidered. If it is fmall, they may be tranfported in a hand barrow, carried by two men ; — or they may be carried on a man's or woman's head, in the manner that a milk-maid carries her pails. To prevent the bees from coming out dur- ing the carriage, a little flraw or grafs may be put into the mouth of the hives. But, in warm weather, the greateft care muft be ta- ken, not to fuffocate them with too much heat ; efpecially if there is a great number of bees in the hive. For this purpofe, they muft not be fo clofely fliut up, as not to admit abun- M 2 dance 9 2 Of the Removing of Bee-hives, dance of frefli air. For, the great heat of the bees, when no air is admitted, will melt the combs and the honey, and fiiiTocate or drown the bee^. In this manner, Yaluable Mves have often been loil in the fmiimer feafon, by ig- norant perfons, whq had been employed to tranfport them, fliutting up the door of the hive fo clofe, that no air could get in. The proper method to prevent the bees from com- ing out of the hive, in cafe of removal, in warm weather, or indeed at any time, and at the fame timiC to admit a circulation of air, is, to get a piece of lead or tin plate, pierced full of fmall holes, a.nd fixed to the entry of the hive. This will anfwer both purpofes, by ad- mitting fredi air, and at the fame time pre-, venting the bees from flying away. When the diftance is great, and there is a con- fiderable number of hives tobetranfported, {per- haps to the diftance of 6, 1 2, 20 or 50, miles) in- to an in-land country, carriages that move on fprings are by all means to be preferred, When thefe cannot be obtained, the hives may eaiily be carried on carts or waggons, in cold weather, by placing them with their bottoms Tipmoft on large quanticles of ftraw, hay, or gny other foft article, By this method I have carried Of the 'Removing of Bee-hives. 93 carried 20 hives at one time, v/ith very little, damage, either to the bees or the combs. Great care mull be taken in placing them in the cart or waggon, that one hive may not in- terrupt or intercept the current of air from another. In hot fultry weather, the removal fhould be made in the night. Before placing the hives in the carriages, every one of them fhould be lifted off the ftooi it ufually Hands on, and placed upon a piece of cloth about three feet fquare. This cloth ihould be of the fame texture, with thofe kinds of which windov; blinds, or cheefe-cloths are made, that it may admit air, at the fame time, that it effecStually prevents the bees from ef- caping out of the hives. Let jt be drawn clofc up, around the edges of the hive, and, when properly fecured to it with pack-thread, not a fingle bee will get out. All this ihould be done the evening before they are removed. The utmoft care fhould alfo be taken, that no other opening be left at any other part of the hive, for the bees to get out at, as the mod dangerous conlequences might arife, as the jolting of the vehicle might provoke the bees to iling both the driver and the horfes ; which might occafion the overturning of the carriage, and 94 Of the Remomng of Ba-hiveSc and of courfe not only rifle the deflrudlion of the whole cargo, with the carriage and horfes, but even the life of the driver himfelf. Another method, if the diftance is great, I would recommend as preferable to every other, where it can be obtained, viz. carriage on fliip- board, either by lea, canals, lakes, or naviga- ble rivers. By this mode of conveyance, the bees run no rifk of being jolted or hurt in the leaft, provided they are properly flowed in the veffei. This laft winter, (1794, — 5,) I carried twenty hives on fliip-board, v/ith great fafety, to a gentleman about 300 miles diftant. I would, therefore, earneftly recommend wa- ter carriage wherever it is pra(5licable, as pre- ferable to every other mode of conveyance whatever ; for I would rather carry a number of bee-hives 4000 miles by fea, than 100 miles • by land carriage. CHAP How to Prepare Stock Hives for Winter, 95 CHAP. XIII. HOW TO PREPARE STOCK HIVES FOR WINTER. A. FTER the hives are brought home, if room will permit, let every hive be placed two or three yards afander, that the bees of one hive may not interfere w^ith thofe of another, as is fometimes the cafe, when the hives are feated near one another, or upon the fame flandard ; for the bees, miftaking their own hives, alight fometimes at the wrong door, and a battle en- fues, wherein one or more may lofe their lives. There fhould not be too many hives in one place. Eight or nine are fufhcient for one garden* ; and as many more may be placed at * when too many hives are placed in one apiary, they are •ften troublcfome in fwarming time, by the fwarms going to- gether, and by robbing one another, which they often do in Spring and Autumn, as will be flaown afterwards. Belides, when one has to feed them, the fmell of the honey entices them to ileal from each other, which fometimes occaflons many bat- tles, whereby many of the bees are killed. But when there are not 95 How to Prepare Stock Hives for Winter, at about half a mile's diftance in every direc- tion ; and thus the whole kingdom, or even the whole iiland, might be covered with bee-hives, at proper regular diftances, wherever there is a fuiBciency of food for the bees to work on. The hives fhould be placed on boards or ftools, made of wellfeafoned wood. Thefe boards fliould be made a little broader than the bottom of the hives, and fhould proje<5l: about fix inches be- fore the entry to it, that the bees m,ay have a fufficient breadth to alight upon, when they re- turn from the fields. When a proper place is fixed on, where the hive is to be eredled, let three fiiakes be driven into the ground, till the tops of them are within ten inches of it, and the foremofl flake one inch lower than the other two. The flool with the hive on it mav then be placed upon thefe ; and at fun-fet, let the fkirts of the hive be plaftered all clofe to the board with plailer lime. Next, let two fmall holes be cut, in the tinder fide of a fmall piece of hard wood, which mufl be fixed to the entry of the hive with lime. Tkefe holes mufl jufl be not too many hives in one place, they arc not under fo much temp- tation to enter into fuch conflias. But at the fame time, twen- ty or thirty may be placed in one large apiary, and all do very well, although the other method is ratha- to be preferred. 2'Iow to Prepare Bees for the Winter, 9^ be vs^ide enough to admit the largeft bee, but no wider, left the mice fhould go into the hive through them f. Each hole fliould fcarce ex- ceed a quarter of an inch in heighth and in widenefs. This fize mufl be exaiflly attended to. The whole hive fliould then be covered all over with a large quantity of pob tov/, or fliraw, which may be fixed to the hive with ropes made of ftraw, or hay. A large divot^ or turf, fhould be laid upon the top of the tow or flraw, to hold it clofe down to the hive, and keep the bees dry and warm. Afterwards, fome of the N tow -{• Mice are moft pernicious enemies to bees ; for when they get into a hive, they not only eat the honey, bat the combs and eggs, and even the bees themfelves. I am perfuaded there arehun- dreds of hives deftroyed ev,ery year in Britain by thefe vermin. I myfelf, in my younger years, had no fewer than five hives ruined, in one winter by thefe rapacious invaders : but now, by taking care to have the entries to roy hives made no larger than will iuft admit the largeft bee, my hives are proof againft their de- predations, and I never lofe either a fmgie bee or a particle of honev by them. The only chance th-e mice have, when this pre- caution is obferved, is to gnaw through the hive itfelf, which they will fometimes attempt j but in this they may cafily be de- tfci3:ed and defeated, by taking off the covering now and then. During the cold months, fmall fnails often creep into the hives^ .•^nd lurk about tlie Infides of them, though not among the combs ; but I never obferved that they did much hurt. When the hives are turned up in winter to difcover their llate, it is eafy to dif- lodge them, and large fnails ^annot get into the hives, when the entries are made fmall. 98 How to Prepare Bees for theWtnter. tow or ftraw, fliould be rolled up about four inches above the entry, which will permit the bees to get in thereat ; for the lefs that is un- covered of the hive, the drier and warmer it will be, which fhoidd be aimed at in all feafons, efpecially in winter. The beft of all covers for hives, however, that I have yet feen or heard of, are fuch as I ordered a potter to make for me of burnt earth- en ware. They are made in the form of a hive, pretty ftrong, about 21 inches wide, and 12 deep ; with a circular edging turned up at the ikirts, and afpoQt about an inch in length. Thefe, being placed above the pob tow, or flraw, keep it clofe to the hive, and may eafily be tak- en ofF or put on at pleafure. The ipout be- ing placed behind, all the water runs off at the back of the hive. The hives, when thus co- vered, may be compared to a man's head with a wig and hat upon it j the pob tow refembling the wig, and the earthen cover the hat. The only objedion to thefe covers is, that they are brittle, and eafily broken ; but the care, that every good bee-mafler will readily beftow upon his hives in any cafe, is fulEcient to preferve them from accidents of this kind. I fold a- bove 30 of thefe covers to a gentleman in Nor- thumberland How to manage Bees in Winter, gg thumberland about three years ago, and I have reafon to believe that there is not one of them yet broken. . CHAP. XIV. HOW TO MANAGE BEES IN WINTER, X HE hives in September, being properly pla- ced, covered, and made fit to endure the v^inter, there is very little more neceflary to be done, for about three months. This feafon may^ therefore, be called ibe Bee-majier s rejling time. It will be proper, however, occafionally to take care, that the covers continue to fland firmly upon the hives, and that no mice neftle about them. When thefroft is fevere, or when fnow is lying on the ground, it will be neceflary to prevent the bees from coming out of the hives, by fliutting up their entry quite clofe with pob- tow ; which will keep them warm, at the fame time that they will run no rifli of fufFocation in N 2 very 100 How to manage Bees in Wiftter. very cold weather.* In extreme colds, the hives may be taken into out-honfes, which will pre- ferve * Bees fhould by no means be difturbedin cold weather, fo as to provoke them to go abrosid out of their hives, unlefs fome very important objecl: is in view : For, not only in winter, but even in fpring, fummcr and autumn, if they fly out of their hives in cold or wet days, efpecially in the evenings or mornins;?, and alight on the ground, their aftive powers become inftantly fo benumbed, that often within half a minute thereafter, they will be rendered totally unable to rife, in confequence of which they muft crawl about till they periin. If bees are per, mitted to go abroad in tim.e of fnovv, which they are tempted to do, by the glare of the light, they will alight upon it, and fip a little 5 but their delicate bodies are foon fo chilled by the cold, that their wings lofe their power of railing them, and inevitable death fucceeds. Every other part of the hive, as well as the entry, fhould be carefully examined, to difcover if it be all quite clofe \ for after long confinement, efpecially w'hen the feafon is advanced fo a- bout the middle of February, the bees will make every poffible attempt to get out of the hire, as their own ordure then becomes ofienlive to them. At times, when I have thought the entry to the hive was made fo completely fecure, that not a lingle bee could get out at any opening, yet, in walking through my apiary, I have difcovered them making their way through places, where I could not have fuppofed they would have attempted an efcape. When bees are completely (hut up in a good clofe hive, they are in a flate of perfeft darknefs j but, if there be the fmallell aper- ture in any part of it, the light, flnning through it, leads them direftly to the place ; when they are apt to make every poffible effort to widen it, and, in fuch cafes, they will often fqueeze through How to manage Bees in Winter, loi ferve them from cold. But, indeed, when the hives are properly covered, and the entries to •them clofely fliut up, they will reiift a very fe- vere cold. Many ingenious gentlemen have tried differ- ent methods to preferve bees in winter. Some have fliut them up in cold out-houfes, from September to April ; others only from the ifl of November to March. A third clafs place grates before their entries, to admit air, but keep the bees clofe in their hives, during the whole winter. The limits of this performance wiU not per- mit me to enlarge upon the fruitlefTnefs of thefe inventions. SuiEce it therefore to ob- ferve through a very narrow hole. It is therefore advlfeable, though the hives may be fuppofed perfcdtly clofe, to infpeft them fre- quently, left any bees fhould get out at an unfufpefted place, and pot only perlfn themfelves, but leave an opening for invaders to get in. Befides, upon returning to their hives, they will go to their ufual entry to get in again, and not finding admittance, will wander about in fearch of it, till they perift. unlefs they chance to alight upon the aperture by which they had got out. Ths fame caution mufl; be obferved, when a hive is fliut up at any o- ther feafon of the year, or upon any account whatever, I have fometimes picked up great numbers of wandering bees from off the cold ground, or fnow, and, after recovering them by gradyal warmth, have rtpftored them again to their hiveso I02 How to manage Bees in Winter. ferve in general, that long confinement is pre- judicial to the health of the bees ; and that, as they do eat a Httle during their confinement, it is necefTary that they fiiould get out to voi4 their ordure ; for, I have even feen bees, in ibme hives that have been long confined, fwell- ed to fuch a fize, for want of fuch opportuni- ties, that they feemed larger than a Queen bee ; and, when they did at laft get liberty to go out of their hives, being unable to fly, they would fall over the cd^Q of their flool, and creep about on the ground, till they died in great numbers ; fo that fcarce one of a dozen pf them ever recovered. But when they are permitted to go out occafionally, in fine win- ter days, they get fo much benefit by the free air, and by eafing their bodies in flying, that, when they return to their hives, they are able to turn out the dead bees, and they conclude the day with 2.fofig ;— a fure fign that they are healthy and happy. In fhort, I find by expe- rience, that bees thrive bed, when the hives are allowed to fland out, and when the bees are at liberty to go out and in ^t pleafure in fine days, even, in winter ; for they are wife enough to know v/hen they may venture out with fafety ; and they will come to ^he door of How to inanage Bees in Winter. 103 of their hive to eafe nature, and return again, when the weather forbids their going abroad. It is faid by many writers on this fubje(5l, that a fine winter is dangerous to the bees, and that raany more of them die in a mild winter than in a cold one. They argue, that as the appetite of the bees increafes by their going often out, they confume their proviiions, and die of famine ; whereas, when long confined in their hives, they hardly eat any. * I ac- knowledee * Some Authors, particularly Mr Stephen White, alledge, that fevere cold is rather falutary for bees, as it keeps them ia a torpid ftate, in confequence of which they eat none at all. I acknowlege, that they eat much lefs in cold weather than ia warm, becaufe they have little or no exercife, and their appe- tite increafes or decreafes in proportion to the exercife they take, -In November, December, and January, bees eat very little food, as any perfon may be convinced, by weighing their hives in the be- giningandthe end of thefe months, when he will find very little difference in point of weight. But if he will weigh a hive in the beginning of March, and weigh it again at the end of it, he will find a confiderable decreafe ; for the bees, having now muck exercife, eat more honey during that month, than during all the three above mentioned cold months 5 and I am perfuaded, that they devour three times as much in May as in March, owing to the fame caufe operating in an iocrealing proportion. But that the bees eat none at all in cold weather is a great miftake, and may eafily be refuted : For let any perfon, in winter, put a number of bees into a hive that has nuthing but empty combs, and 2 04 How to manage Bees in Winter. knowledge, that, in a mild winter^ they do eat more food than in a cold one, when they can- not get out ; but this, as well as the fine air, contributes greatly to their health ; befides that they hatch earlier, and confequently increafe the number of bees in the hives fooner. The fact is, that experience, which is preferable to the conjecflural reafoning of the mod eminent authors, may convince any perfon, that many more bees die in fevere winters than in mild ones. In winter 1776 which was very cold, a great number of Bee-hives perifhed ; and alfo during lad winter, (i 794-5) being an excefTive- ly and let them be kept equally cold with thofe in Litres that con- tain both honey and bees, and a trial of eight or ten days will convince him, that honey^ and not cold, is the proper food of bees. In the very midft of a fevere frcft, T have often feen my hives ■with young broods in them ; a fure fign, that they were neith- er Riotionkfs, nor in a ftate of inriclivity. This faft aJfo proves how greatly miftaken many authors are, who affert, that bees do not breed, till they begin to carry home loads in fprinn-, I ani confidtnt, that there is not a month in the whole year, in which 1 have not ieen many of my hives, with fome eggs as well as young bees in the cells ; although there are at le&ft four months in the year in which the bees carry home no loads. I will al- low, however, that aldK;ugh they do breed fome in winter, the number is very fmall. Perhaps the Queen does not lay above three or four eggs In a day, whereas in fumnier flie will lay daily above a hundred. How to manage Bees in Winter, I05 ly fevere one, many hives were deitroyed from, that caufe alone; whereas in winter 1779, which was remarkably mild, not one hive in twenty failed ; and the bees, in general, fwarmed a montn earlier than ufual.* I have {^Qtn the bees of a hive that had been long confined by cold, (perhaps for ten weeks,) O , fo * Mr Wildman fays, page 249, " The degree of cold, which " bees can endure has Hot been afcertainedi VVe find that they " live in the cold parts of Ruffia, and often in hollow-trees, '* without any care being taken of them." Page 252, he fays, " that bees fuffer fuch degrees of cold, as we here are ftrang;ers " to, without detriment, feems certain 5 nor is it eafily accounted " for, why a much lefs degree of cold becomes fatal to them '■'■ in our mild climate. If I may venture my opinion, I think " that in thefe extreme colds, the bees are fo perfectly frozen, " that their juices cannot corrupt or putrify but they remain in the ' *' fame flate till the return of fpring 5 when the change of the " weather beiug fudden, the bees foon come to life 5 whereas in *' our climate they are fo far chilled as to lofe the figns of life, " and their juices being ilill in a liquid ftate, foon putrify, and " real death enfues with corruption." With all due deference, I fliall now. venture to give my opi- nion, on this point. I would account for it in this manner j that the fame degree of cold will prove equally fatil to bees in Bri- tain, Russia, Siberia, or any other place in the world ; and that whenever the cold is fo great, as to render the bees en- tirely molio?iitfs, they will continue in that ftate for ever ; or, in other words, they will die ^ unlefs they be recovered by heat, before io6 How to manage Bees in Winter. fo difeafed, that, when good weather returned, and they came abroad, very great numbers would have died within a day or two thereaf- ter ; and the hive in general would have been greatly reduced. It is evident, that their long confinement before putrIfa£lion takes place, which will otherwife happen within two days at moll, after they are frozen. Lafl winter (1794-5^ it was perhaps as cold here, at leaft for one week dur- ing the ftorm, as it is in Ruflia or Siberia, in fome moderate winters. Some of our bees were, at that period, as completely and irrecoverably frozen, during thofe eight days, as ever any hive could be in Ruffia ; and all the heat that human power could apply, however gradual or moderate, could not hare re- covered them to life again. As a proof of this, any perfon may make the following expe- riment : Take a bee, during a hard frofi:;> and lay it upon a ftone 5 within two minutes it will be frozen, and to all appear- ance dead. If it ly on the ftone, for fix or eight hours, it will be as completely fro-zen, as if it had been eight days in the cold- eft place in the world. Yet, by warming it in a warm bed, for half an hour, it may be brought to life again ; whereas, if it be allowed to ly for eight days upon the fame ftone, (during which time it would be as completely frozen, as if it had been eight days in Ruflia) neither the heat of a bed, nor any other degree of heat whate^'-er, will ever be able to recover it. On the whole, I am of op"nion, that all polTible care iliould be taken to preferve bees from fevere cold in every corner of the world j and I doubt much, if ever there wa? a fingle hive, that was once compktely frozen for twenty days, that, even in Ruffia itfclf, or any other part of the globe, was ever recovered to life again. How to mafiage Bees in Winter. 107 confinement was the caufe ; but it is alfo cer- tain, that, even in thofe cold countries, where the winter lafts eight months, bees thrive and profper well, elfe they never could produce fo much honey*. I have know^n bees do well, how- ever, that had been confined in their hives for five months, even in this country ; while o- thers of them were ready to periih, by retain- ing their fasces for fo long a period. Some- times, about Martinmas, I have itQn four hives, (landing in one place, ail equally thriving and numerous ; but, in confequence of having been confined by bad weather for fix or eight weeks after that period, one of thefe hives would have had feveral hundreds of dead bees, lying fwoln on the ftool, while the other three were ftill in a thriving condition, and had fcarcely a dozen dead bees in each. Upon tearing one of the dead bees afunder, I found her inteftines quite full of foeces ; which, J therefore conjedured, was * The reafun may be aeounted for in this manner : fuppofe, for inflance, that one fourth part of the bees in thofe places fliould fail by long confinement or fevere colds, (from which I fuppofe the natives will guard their bees as much as poffible,) yet the remaining three parts will increafe greatly in bees and honey du- ring their fummer, as the weather is very conftant and warm while the honey feafon lafts. io8 How to maftage Bees in Winter, was the cauie of her death ; whereas the intef- tines of the thriving bees had very little mat- ter in them, and therefore, I am inclined to think that this was the reafon of their conti- nuing healthy and adlive. Whether t|ie origi- nal difeafe of the former ciafs, and their pre- mature deaths, proceeded from their gluttony, in gormandizing more food than was necelTa-. ry ; or whether it was an epidemical difeafe that h^d got in among them, and carried them off in fuch numbers, I will not prefume to de- termine ; though I rather incline to the former opinion, But, from whatever caufe the difeafe proceeds, fuch hives often lofe their inhabi- tants at the rate of a dozen* or more per day, till they are greatly reduced, or perhaps quite defolated at laft. For fuch misfortunes, I know of no remedy or even preventative ; but it is fortunate, that fcarcely one or two hives of a dozen meet with them. Sometimes I have united the living bees, that remained of fuch a hive, with thofe of a healthy one, but feldom found it turn out well ; owing perhaps to this caufe, that the difeafe was really contagious, and the difeafed bees might carry the infedlion along with them, and thereby hurt the healthy hive, I generallyj How to manage Bees in Winter* 109 generally, therefore, let the remaining bees of fuch an unfortunate hive, take their chance i and on the firfl favourable day allow them to fly about, and difcharge their burdens, which mull doubtlefs enable them to return to the hive with a greater degree of health ; but I am confident that many of the difeafed ones never return, and indeed the hive will be fully as well without them, About the middle of January, every hive may be gently lifted off the flool, and the ftate of it examined. The flool fliould then be carefully cleanfed of dead bees, or any fiilth that may have gathered upon it during the winter. The hive fhould then be replaced u- pon the ftool, and carefully plaflered about the fkirts again, and covered over as formerly. If the bees of any hive have deferted it, and gone into another, which they fometimes do, {as fhall be further noticed in a fubfequent chapter,) the hive may be carefully kept, in or- der to feed bees with the honey it contains in. fpring, or to receive a young fwarm in fum- mer. CHAP 1 10 BircBlons how tofupply Bees with Food, CHAP. XV. Directions how to suply bees with roon. .s bees fometimes run fhort of provifions, ef- pecially when there is a long continuance of cold or wet weather, during Spring, or even in the be- ginning of Summer, it is abfolutely neceffary to re-inforce the hives, efpecially the light oDes, with additional flore. There are four methods of fapplying the hives in fuch cafes, which I fliall lay before the reader, and one or other of which, every bee-mafler fhould attend to, at fuch feafons, of the year as he £nds his bees will need a re-inforcement of provifion. I. The firft, and indeed the bed method is by eeh'ing^. Take an eek * of fix or eight rows deep, and place it on a {tool, with the quanti- ty «* To eeli, in the Scotch diaka:, firrnlfies literally to cdd to any thing. The eek^ or addition here meant, is a part of an old hive, cut down on purpofe, to give room for placing the fu|3ply of oovliloa under the deficient hive. Dire&'ions how lo f apply Bees with Food, in ty of honey, necefTary to fupply the deficient hive, within it, which may be from one to four, or even eight pounds of honey, accor- ding to the deficiency that appears, and the number of bees in the hive. The combs fhould be placed in the eek, in fuch a pofition, that the bees may have free accefs to the honey, on all fides. At night, let the deficient hive be gently placed upon the eek, and let the inter- ftices between the hive and the eek be plafter- ed up with lime ; after which let the entry be fhut, that neither native bees nor flrangers may get accefs. Let the hive and the eek con- tinvie in this fituation for 24 hours ; in which time the bees will have removed all the loofe particles of the honey, and the fmell of it will not be fo apt to invite ftrange bees. The en- try at the bottom of the eek may, therefore, now be opened, and the bees allowed free e- grefs and accefs. If the additional quantity of honey given in the eek did not exceed a pound or two, the eek may be removed within three or four days ; but if it amounted to fix or eight pounds, it may be allowed to remain for fix weeks in Spring. % If, in September, a hive has * This method may be praflifed at all feafons of the year, and 1 1 2 BireBions how tofupply Bees with Food. Las got an additional fupply of twelve or lix- teen pounds, it fhould be allowed to remain at leaft as many weeks, if not ^together ; only at- this fea(bn, place ail the combs in the eek, in the fame order in which they were naturally in the hive they v/ere taken from ;— the up- permoft cells to be {till upermoll, and fo of the reil, leaving a fpace of an inch and a half between the combs* The combs muil be fixed witK flicks to make them ftand on their edges, and they fhould run as much in the fame di- redlion as poflible, with thofe in the hive. The bees will foon join the combs together, and render them fit to be lifted all at once. In Spring, if the original hive be large, the eek and combs may be removed, but if fmall, they fhould both remain during Summer. IL and it Las this additional advantage, tliat it may be executed at little expence, and occafion a faving of all the honey in the old combs that will not run out, or that happens to be mixed with bee-bread, eggs, or young bees. All fuch honey ought to be thrown into thefe granaries, and the bees w:ll foon carry up all the honey, and place it in their own refervoirs, leaving only the empty combs, which can be melted and made into wax after- wards. It need hardly be added, that the bees do not, in fuch cafes, inftantly eat all the additional honey that is givtn tbeiu, ,bat only \?.v it up for future ufe. DireEiions how tofiipply Bees with Food. 1 i J II. The fecond method is the fame with the preceding, but differs only in this particular ; that when the Bee-mafler has no old combs with honey in them, he mufl melt frefh ho- ney, and pour it into large empty combs, of which drone combs are the befl, and place them into the eek as above directed. III. The third method is, to fave the trouble of eeking the hive, (v/hen a fmall quantity may ferve,) by placing a comb, with melted honey in it, upon the ftool, immediately before the entry of the deficient hive, and leaving it entire- ly to the induftry of the bees, to colle6l and car- ry it into the hive. The only difadvantage of this method is, that ftrange bees will be tempt- ed to moleft the natives, in confequence of which a battle may enfue, and fome lives may be loll. But, to prevent this, let the honey be given at a time of the day when no bees are a- broad, a.nd the danger will be avoided. I have fometimes had a dozen of hives in one apiary, with a feeding comb placed before each ; which gave all the bees of each hive fo much employ- ment at their own doors, that they had neither time nor inclination to moleil or rob their neighbours. IV. • The fourth method is, to turn up the P deficient 114 BireHions how to fupply Bees with Food. deficient hive, and, laying it on one fide, to pour melted honey.into the empty cells, where there are few or no bees ; and, when the one fide of all the combs are properly filled, to turn up the other, and fill their empty cells with honey alfo» A tea-pot is mofi: proper for executing this plan. In this manner I have fometimes poured two pounds of honey into a hive at a time. When the hive is again placed on the ftool, a little honey will run down from the combs upon it ; but the entry being clofe fiiut up, will prevent robbers from fmelling the trea- fure, and will keep fuch bees, as may have been befmeared with honey during the operation, within the hive. The native bees will foon not only lick up all the fpilt honey from the ftool, but will alfo fuck it ofi^ the backs of their befmeared brethren, and lay it up in their re- fervoirs, with fo much expedition, that next day not a drop of it will be vifible, either on the ftool or on the bodies of the bees. It is not to be doubted, that, in cafes of necef- ty, bees may be fed and preferved with other articles, befides honey; fuch as fugar, fweet wort, treacle and the like : bat I am of opinion^ that they cannot be fed, either at lefs expence %x with as much fafety, with any other thino- than Dtre&lons bow tofupply Bees with Food. 115 than their own natural food. To give them any other fubftitute, would occafion as much expence, and a great deal of more trouble, efpe- cially when the hives are well filled with inha- bitants : and I dare venture to fay, that as fuch methods have never yet been much adopted, fo, if ever they Ihould, they will not turn out to the proprietors advantage, or become of general ufe, in the prefervation of bees. But it muft be owned, that, if no honey can be obtained to feed bees with, in fpring, fome of the above fabftitutes will fupply the deficiency tolerably Well. In fuch a cafe, let i lb. of brown fugar be mixed with half a gill, (or half a quartern) of fmall beer, and let a table fpoonful at a time be placed before the entry to the hive, as above recommended in the third method. Let this be repeated daily as long as is necelTary, and the hive will be preferved from famine, and will in all probability do well ; but when a hive is light in September, it ought to be fup- plied with nothing but honey. P 2 CHAP. J J 6 Wars and Robberies of BeeU CHAP. XVI. )p THE WAPvS AND ROBBERIES THAT TAKE PLACE AMONG TIJE BEES. - J.T cannot be denied, that the anhnals, who are the fiibjed cf this treatife, have their vkes^ as well as their virtues. To the virtues cf m- dujiry and oeconomy^ vv^hich they are endued with in an emiaeiii: degree, we muft add, what fome would call a martial fpir it ^ but which ra- ther deferves to be denominated, a fpirit of ihe'win^ and robbery. For when the weather is good, and there are not fiov/ers in the fields for the bees to work on, they will riik their lives by robbing other hives, and ftrive to en- rich their own hive at the expence and ruin of their neighbours. In fuch cafes, the hives that are thinly inhabited, are ready to fall a prey to the bold invaders ; for hardly one hive within their reach is left unafFaulted ; and as, ■ ?.mong mankind, the ftrong overpower and fubjugate Wars and Robberies of Bees. 117 fabjugate the weak, fo a v/eak hive fometimes falls a prey to a fet of ftrong invaders ; but v^rhen ftrong 2.11A populous hives (fo to fpeak,) are attacked by a lefs numerous body of rob- bers, they give them a terrible reception, and hardly a fingle bee, that they can get hold of, gets off to tell his neighbours the fate of his brethren. Sometimes a good number of hives will join in robbing one iingle hive. In fuch a cafe, all is confuiion and rage, and great flaughter takes place. The bees are feen fly- ing in the air like fo many fiery dragons ready to attack every one ; and whoever dares ob- ftru(fl their flight, will feel their poifonous fpears in a moment. At fuch a time, one dare fcarcely venture near them, unlefs he is refolv-. ed to receive wounds from all quarters. When they are engaged thus, their found in the air is eafily chftinguifhed, T^he people'' s a£lions will their thoughts declare^ All their hearts tremble, and beat thick for war. Htiarfe broken founds, like trumpets harfh alarms^ Run through the hive, a?id call them forth to arms : All in a hurry f pre ad their Jhiv* ring wings ^ And fit their claws, and point their angry flings : ■ In crouds before the hive they all do light. And boldly challenge out the foe to fight. Virgil. II 8 Wars and Robberies of Bees, Various reafons have been afTigned for this propenfity of the bees to rob one another. A Ti,qjority of v^riters impute it to the following lufes i/?, The fcarcity of proviiions : The bees of one hive, finding they have not fiifEcient pro- vilion for themielves, and the feafon being backward, try to enrich theiiifelves at the ex- pence of thri-r neighbours. idly. The artiiicial feeding of hives : When one lii^'e is ^ed, their neighbours, fmelling the ireih honey, wifh for a (hare of it, and will take iiQ denial, though it fliould coft them their Hves : which it often does, the inhabitants of the fed hives Handing up mod heroically in defence of their property. This confideration will lead the attentive Bee-mafter to ftudy the utmoft caution and prudence in feeding fuch hives as require extra fupplies ; elfe the remedy will prove v/orfe than the difeafe. ^dly^ But the chief reafon is, their infatiablc avarice for honey.-— In fpring and autumn, when the weather is good, but little or no ho- ney can be coUeifled from plants, all bees what- foever are apt to go a marauding and plunder- ing their neighbour's hives ; although, it mull be Wars and Robberies of Bees, 119 be owned, the pooreil are moll addidled to pil- fering. Here it is neceffary to inform the reader, how thefe robbers are to be diftinguimed as well as how to get rid of them. When a num- ber of bees are feen crowding into a hive, and many dead bees lying ilaughtered before the gates ;■— when others are feen flying as if af- frighted, and the native bees purfuing, catch- iog, wrefliling, and buftling with them upon the ftool, in a moil furious manner, then it may be fafely inferred that robbers are attack- ing the hive ; which indeed, if it be weak in numbers, will not be worth preferving. In that cafe, the bed way will be, to turn up the hive, and diflodge the robbers by rapping upon it, and at night to put the bees belonging to it into any other hive that will receive them. The manner of doing this will be taken notice of, when we come to mention the bell mode of re-inforcing a hive. But if the hive that is attacked be tolerably full of valiant bees, who withfland their foes ftoutly, then let the entry be made fo fmall, that only one bee can get iu at once, and let fome perfon Hand beforethehive with a light cloth in his hand, to wave the rob- bers aiidc, and keep them off,, till a {hower of rain, i'20 Wars and Robberies of Bees. rain, or night coming on, or perhaps a dart, cloud intercepting the fun's rays, oblige the invaders to retreat. Next morning, if the vv-eather be good, let the hive be fliut up clofe, to prevent the robbers from getting accefs ; and let it continue fo for fome time, till the in- vaders give over their attempt ; but if they continue their inroads daily, let the hive be removed to the diilance of a mile or fo; and indeed this is the moft efFe(5lual method to free the hive from farther moleftation. In my younger years, thefe robberies gave me much uneaiinefs, as I was alarmed at the fight of a ilaughtered bee ; but novsr I give my^ felf no concern, as I either put the bees of the hive that is attacked into another hive, or re- move them to a proper diftance from danger. I have frequently, indeed, {qqh fome fore bat- tle take place among my own bees, and lad for perhaps a day or two ; after Vv^hich a peace VsTould have enfued, without my interference. But good hives feldom fufter much by rob- beries ; perhaps not one in fifty. They may indeed lofe a fcore of bees or fo, but that will ,r^ever hurt them. CHAP. D'lr^Slions how to manage Bees, Effr. i a I C H A P. XVIL ©IRECTIONS HOW TO MANAGE BEES IN MAREH, APRIL, AND MAY. N fprlng, hives are fometimes found without a (ingle bee in them, and the owner, in fuch cafes, is at a lofs to account for the caufe. The following circumftance, which occurred among my own bees, will throw fome light on this fubje6l. The long continuance of the late florm (1^94-5) having confined the bees in their hives for about four months, the bees of fome hives contra(5ted difeafes, v/hich, during the lafl month of their confinement proved very- fatal to them ; and fome of them daily fell down, or rather came down of their own ac- cord, from the combs to the (tool, in fearch of fome aperture to get out at, in order to void their foeces ; butj' after crawling about on the bottom of the hive for a confiderable time in Taiil 122 BireElions how to manage Bees vain, the cold benumbed them fo much, that they could not return to their brethren again, and thus death enfued. Now, fuppofmg only three dozen of bees per day to have come down upon this errand, and perhaps not a third of them to have been able to return, it is evident, that fuch hives muft of courfe be foon greatly reduced in the number of their inhabitants. This made me anxious for good weather, that my difeafed and diflrefTed fervants might get out, and recover their health, by flying about and getting rid of their fuperfluous matter. The long wijQ:ied for period at laft arrived. The florm broke, and the weather became mild ; and, upon examining my hives, I found, that out of fourteen, which I had in one apiary, there were twelve whofe bees were in a healthy (late ; and that thofe of the remain- ing two were partly difeafed. The day being very fine, and the doors of my hives opened, the bees flew about as thick as hail, making a great noife with their ufual mufic. My wife being prefent, we obferved, that the two difeaf- ed hives gradually diminiflied in the number of their bees, whereupon I faid, that I fup- pofed the bees would foon defert thefe hives altogether ; to which flie replied, that Ihe wilh- * ^ cd in March ^ April, and May, 12-5 ed they would, and that they would go into fome other hives, provided they did not fight. Upon farther obfervation, I found, that fome of them entered into one hive, and fome into another, till at laft the original hives were to- tally deferted, except the Queen and about a fcore of bees ; and that almofl all the bees en- tered into thofe hives that were moft happy, as appeared by their making a moft harmoni- ous found at the entry of their hives, by which m.u{ic they feemed to invite and welcome their nev*^ friends. The deferted hives were well ftored with honey, and therefore I turned them upfide down, and placed them below fome of my other hives, in order that the bees might colledl the honey that was in them. Such deferted hives I have often found ufeful for putting a young fwarm inco, I have even feen young fwarms gradually defert their hives in this manner, and go into other hives. When they go into one of their own mailer's hives, I never fee any lofs by it, efpecially when they imite peaceably ; as one good hive is worth four bad ones. It is worthy of obfervation, that the bees, on this occaiion, deferted the weak hives gradual- ly, and not in a body, as they do when they 0^2 fwariia 1 24 DireBiom how to manage Bees fwarm ; and alfo, that it may happen at par- ticular times, that different men's bees, {land- ing in the fame apiary, or near each other, may- join together. Therefore, to prevent fuch cir- cumftances from taking place, to the prejudice of others, it is neceifafy to allot a proper dif- tance between one man's hives and thofe of a- iiother. Thofe who live in places wrhere vegetation is generally late, if they take the trouble to re- move their hives to more early fituations, efpe- cially if they have a great number of them, will foon find themfelves doubly repaid for then' trouble and expence, as their bees will thereby both breed and fwarm much' earlier. I would indeed advife every bee-mafter, who conveniently can, to keep two apiaries, an ear- ly and a late one, in confequence of which, his bees will be conftantly employed, wdien the ■weather is favourable, during the v/hole work- ing feafon. In fpring I generally fliut up the doors of my hives every evening, as foon as the bees" are all got in, and open them again next morn- ing ; and I even do this for whole days during fhat feafon, when the cold is fevere 5 as cold winds blowing in at their entries ^re extreme- in March ^ April ^ and May. 125 ly prejudicial to them, and ought therefore to be prevented with all pofTible care. By this fimple pracftice, the bees are kept warm and healthy, which is greatly beneficial to them In breeding. But in following this plan, great caution mufl be obferved, that the bees have no other vent to get out at, as the confequen- ces v/ould be fatal. (See pages 100 and loi.) In the beginning of March, if the weather be good, the bees will begin to carry home loads of honey and wax. I have feldom feen them carry fu early as February, excepting in the year 1793, when I obferved feveral bees go into one of my hives, heavy loaden, fo early as the term of Candlemas ; but I believe they hardly carried any more foi;" a full month there- after. At this feafon, every hive ought to be again lifted, and the ftool cleaned; on. which occa- fion, the Aate of the hive', both with regard to its provifions, and the number of its inhabi- tants.j will be difcovered. Hives of twenty pounds weight (land in no need of any fupply of food, and may therefore be immediately re- placed upon their ftools, and covered, and their fliirts plaiftered as formerly ; but, fuch as V^eigh only fourteen or fixteen pounds jihould he J 26 D'lreBlons how to manage Bees be reinforced with fix pounds of honey comb, as direded in page no. Three pounds of honey will be a fufEcient fupply for fuch as weigh eighteen pounds. Some hives perhaps will not exceed fourteen pounds or fo ; yet, if they have few bees, they will not need to be fupplied ; for, befides that they (land in no need of it, a frefli fupply of hc^ney would invite robbers, whom they would not be able, on account of the paucity of their numbers, to withftand. A thinly inhabited hive ought, therefore, never to be reinforced with honey, nnlefs the bees are ready to periih for want of food, which, in fuch a hive, feldom if ever hap- pens. But a hive that is well peopled ought to be abundantly fupplied, even although there may appear to be a fufhciency of food, be- taufe the fuperfiuity will not be loll. The bees are faithful ftewards, and vvnll not fail to repay their mafter's generolity with ufury. * For * The fupplying of bees with food, in any feafon, but efpe- cially in fpring, 15 of great advantage to them, as it cheers their fpirits, and roufes them to breed earlier than they otherwife would. I would therefore recommend to evtry bee-mafter, to give a little additional tood, even to hives that have abundance, in order to revive and exhilarate the bees, and encourage thera t* ^??"? in March ^ April, and May» 127 For I am confident, that when they are fully- fed, they will breed faft, even in bad weather ; whereas, if they have little provifion of their ovm, and receive no extra fupply, they will breed very flowly. From this, as well as from other peculiari- ties in the nature of thefe infedls, it appears pretty evident, that they are endued with a high degree of free or voluntary agency, as they can breed early or late, frequently or fel- dom, at pleafure, and according to circum- fiances. All poiGTible attention, therefore, fhould be paid to the full feeding of bees in Spring, and alfo in the beginning of fummer, if the weather be unfavourable. A hive will fometimes lofe their Queen in fpring, and of courfe will go to ruin, as it will then be impoiTible for the bees to raife another, if they have not an ^g'g to raife one from. A hive may be known to be in this fad predica- ment, by the following fymptoms : The bees will to hatch their young families, early in the feafon. Eut fuck hives as weigh heavy in March or April, having plenty of honey^ with bees in them carrying well, may be fafely allowed to remain without any frefh fupply of food, as they will profper ■without it J although, if the owner has time and abundance of honey, he may reap additional profit by giving them a little. 128 ^ Dire&ions how to manage Bees will immediately give over working as foon as the young in the cells are fealed np ; and one may wait an hour at the hive without feeing a loaded bee enter it. The bees then confume their own honey fafl, and an uncommon num- ber of them generally croud about the entry : And if the hive lias been long without a Queen^ upon turning it up, and fearching for maggots in the cells, they will be found quite qmpty. As foon as thefe melancholy figns are obferv- ed, the owner fliould dire(5tly take out all the bees, and unite them with thofe of fome other hive, that has few bees in it, the manner of doing which will be afterwards mentioned: and if the hive be young, it miay be kept to put a young fwarm into, but if old, the honey fhould be laid afide for ufe. Sometimes, in fpring, I have found, in parti- cular cells in hives, a confiderable number of young that, from fome caufe or other, had de- cayed and never come to perfection, as men- tioned, page 64. I have fometimes obfervcd the number of thefe fo great, that in one comb, containing perhaps 600 young bees, the one half would have been in this flate in the cells. The effluvia proceeding from thefe abortive produdions, gave the hive a favour by no means , in March ^ April ^ and May. 129 llieans agreeable to me, and v^rhich muft doubt lefs have been very difgufting to the bees. I have often endeavoured to inveftigate the caufe of thefe phaenomena, but am as yet unable to fatisfy myfelf, unlefs perhaps it be ov^ing to extreme cold. But againfl this fuppofition the obje(5lion naturally arifes, that fome eggs in the fame hive, and in the fame degree of cold, pro- duce bees which arrive at full maturity ; and, therefore, in reply, it muft be taken for grant- ed, that fome eggs are naturally more able to bear cold than others ; and, indeed, it is moft commonly in hives that are but thinly inhabit- ed, that fuch misfortunes take place. To diftinguiih hives in this condition, there- fore, the following criterion may ferve. In fpring, when bees, which formerly carried well, and ftill are in no want of food, give over car- rying, let the hive be diredlly turned up, and. infpe(5led between the combs. Then, upon tak- ing a fmall ftick, and putting it down among the thickeft of the bees, where the maggots lie feal- ed up, and with it rubbing off the tops of two or three of the fealed cells, if frefh whitidi maggots appear, it may be concluded, that the brood is coming forward : but if the cells ap- pear quite empty, or if only blanched maggots R appear 5 3© Dtre&ions how to manage Bees appear in a number of them, then it is certain that the brood is going backward. If fuch a hive has but few bees, it will be pro- per to unite them with another hive ; but if it has a confiderable number of bees, they fhould be allowed to continue to work on, in the bed way they can, till the beginning of June, when the ilrong hives begin to lay out ; at which time a great number of common bees fhould be taken from one or two of them, to re-inforce that hive with, in the manner that fhall be af- terwards pointed out. I have feen a hive, with a vaft number of fuch rotten eggs and decay- ed maggots in it, in April, which, when allow- ed to remain till June, and being re-inforced with frefli bees, would have turned out a fine thriving hive before autumn j although ma- ny of the decayed eggs and maggots would have ftill been in it : For I believe Ibme fuch a-< bortions may continue in a hive for years, per- haps with little detriment to the bees ; for they in time dry up, and wither away in the cells, and their bad favour gradually goes off. Such liives, however, fliould always be taken in au- tumn ; and their bees united to more thriving iiives. ^ In * I'ormerly I iife4 to c\it out the combs containing the moil rotten in March ^ Aprils and May. t^\ in May, if cold, mifty, or cloudy weather^ continues for a few days, the bee-mafler iliould pay particular attention to his hives, left any of them fhould be in danger of fa- mine ; for, at this period, the number of bees in each hive is greatly increafed, and of courfe they quickly confiime the remains of their winter and fpring provilion, fo that even the very beft of hives will be in danger. When fuch weather occurs, therefore, in May or e- ven in June, let every hive get fome addition- al food, in order to prevent all danger of fa- mifhing, now that they are juft upon the brink of their honey harveft. For, as foon as the muftard bloffoms, and the white clover appear on the lees, they will make the very air to fmell R 2 of rotten eggs, and the moft decayed maggots, whereby I cleared the hive of a great nuifance, which I thought it would be much the better of wanting. But, ia doing this, I found that the remov- al of fuch maffes of combs occafioned a large vacancy in the hive, and thereby made it colder. To remedy this defeft, I have fome times put a piece of frefli comb in its place, in which I found the Queen foon laid eggs again. BufflJll, as in thefe combs, con- taining the decayed eggs and maggots, there could not be fewer than one third, br perhaps one half of live young, intermixed a- mong the abortions, which thus inevitably pcriflied, I began to re- gret the lofs of fo many induflrious fervants thus deftroyed, when juft emerging into exiftence •, and have, therefore^ now laid th« pradice almo^ entirely afide^. 132 Blreclionshoijp to manage Bees of honey, which will make the bees eager of work during the day, and fmg for joy through the night. Now is the honey feafon, and fare- well famine and robbers ; for, when there is honey in the flowers, they will not rob for it ; and, a fingle hour of a fine day will refrefli them, and put a period to the labour of feed- ing them, as formerly hinted. When the flowers begin to open, the bees will vifit them, and carry off their yellow loads from them. When a loaded bee is feen going into a hive, it is a fign that the flowers are beginning to fpring ; and, on every fine day during fpring, fummer, and autumn, they continue to carry on the beloved labour, with the utmoft diligence and alacrity. The firft day in fpring, that I obferve a bee carrying a load, 1 generally call my family to- gether, to take a glafs, and rejoice v\^ith me and my faithful fervants at the return of the falutiferous feafon. The firft day, perhaps, on- ly three or four loaded bees are to be {qq.vl ; the next day, probat)ly eight or ten ; the third, fifteen ; and fo on, the numbers ftill gradual- ly increafmg, in proportion to the increafe of the flowers in the fields. The bees then grow numerous in March ^ April ^ and May. i j j numerous in tKe hives ; and, about the begin^- ning of May, when the furze and broom, and many other flowers, make the fields look yellow, a ftrong hive of bees will be all yellow loaded ; and, at fach a period, in a fine day, I have counted loo loaded bees go into one hive in a few minutes. When the hives are all equally good, the bees carry much alike, but in proportion to their number. In an apiary, where there are four hives, one will per'haps have twenty en- tering into it, in five minutes ; another fifty, a third ninety, and the fourth a hundred and twenty, all within the fame fpace of time. But in the height of the honey feafon, the bees carry amazingly fad, running out and in to the hive with the mofl furprifing celerity and expedi- tion. At this period, the number of loaded bees conftantly flocking into the hive, as well as their rapidity, defies all power of calculation ; for although they labour with great afliduity and conflancy before this feafon, yet they do not appear to work with fuch incredible qiiicknefsj as after, the honey feafon commences \, If § In fpnng, as the bees gradually increafe in numbers, their entry fliould be gradually widened, left they fhould be im- peded 134 D'treBions how to manage Beesy t^c. If I were intending to purchafe a hive in May, and came to an apiary where there were four iiives, to make choice of one, I would de- fire four men to fit down for ten minutes, one at each hive, and count the number of loaded bees that entered into their refpective hives in that fpace of time ; and according to their re- port, I would pitch upon the hive that was mofh frequented during that interval, provided it had honey, and were not one of the oldeft. CHAR peded in their labours j but this fliould only be done in propor- tion to the number of bees in a hive. During March and April, they fhould be very little, as warmnefs is health to bees, and far- thers their hatching greatly. A numerous hive (hould, in May, have an entry two inches wide, and half an inch deep , while a hive, that has not perhaps half the number of bees, fhould have its entry only one inch wide and fcarcely half an inch deep. But in the midii of fummer, when the weather is warm, and the bees numerous, the entries of all the hives fhould be widened, as the bees ought to have both fufficient room to go out and in, and as much air as pofTible. In fuch hot weather, the entries might even be enlarged to three inches in widenefs, and one inch in height. The method of enlarging or ftraitening the entries of hives is quite fimple. Pieces of wood, all of one fize outwardly, but v^ith holes cut in the under part of them, of the various di- menfions above defcribed, might be made and kept ready at all times, to be exchanged with each other, eccording as the feafon requires, or the Bee-mafter vviflies to widen or to Itraitcn his hives j but indeed a little plafter lime will flraiten or widen an entry in fpring and fummer, with very little trouble. How to re-inforcc Bee-htves, i j^ CHAP. XVIII. HOW TO UNITE OR RE-INFORCE BEE-HIVES. xjLf .8 the uniting or re-lnforcing of bees is often neceffary to be performed during the fame feafon of the year, that they naturally fend off young fwarms, thefe two fubje(5ls will often fall to be occafionally intermingled in fuch a manner, that the one cannot be particu- larly defcribed without taking notice of the other. But as each article is of too much im~ portance, qot to require a feparate chapter, and of courfe a precedence to one of them, i Ihall firft defcribe the uniting or re-infor- ciNG of bee-hives, as it is often neceffary in different feafons of the year, and fliall devote a fubfequent chapter or two to the fubjedl of Swarming. In handling bees at all times, but efpecially when driving them, or managing a fwarm, gentlenefs and boldnefs are equally neceffary. Every 136 How to rC'lnforce Bee^hives, Every motion muft be made deliberately, and without hurry. The operator may take aglafs of good ale, and rab fome of it over his face and hands ; but during the whole operation he mufl be particularly careful not to bruife any of the bees. . In uniting and re-inforcing bees,* upon the very * To RE-iNFORCE a hlvc, fignifies to take part of the bees out ©f a ftrong hive, and put them into a weak or deficient one, in or- der to ftrengthen it, and make it a thriving hive. But one thing to be obferved here, is, that no bees mull ever be taken from a iiock Live to re-hiforce another with, unlefs in fumri},er, when the hive, is fo full of bees as to lay out, or nearly fo 5 for no good hive ought at any time to be hurt to enrich a weak one. It is often ^ very nectffary and ufeful operation, when a hive has few bees ia fummer, by re-Lnforcing her from a more numerous hive that can eafily fpare them, the weak hive wjU foon become ilrong. Or ftiould a-misfortune befal a hive at any feafon of the year, the bees of the unfortunate hive fhouid be put into another hive 5 and in September, all the bees belonging to the hives which are taken, ihould be put into the ftock hives, whereby they will preferve heat through the winter, and be able to accelerate their labours \n i,he fpring. In all cafes whatfoever, wjbere it is neceffary to remove the bees out of one hive into another, the new hive maiil be placed in the fame fpot where the old hive flood, to prevent the bees from roiftaking it. But when a hive is re-inforced by an additional number of bees, if thcfe bees are taken from three or four diffe- lent hives, fituated in as many difTerent places, the re-inforced hivK Pnould be removed about a mile diftant from all of them, to OTCvent the new inhabitants from returning to their orioinal hives again j ■ How to rt-inforce Bee-hives. 137 very beft plan that I know of, they will fome-> times fight a little ; but, although I cannot ab- folutely prevent this inconvenience, nor indeed have I ever met with any author, or feen any perfon, who could take in hand to do it, yet I can ufe fuch means, as will probably prevent any conflidl: from taking place in one of a dozen of thefe operations ; and, although a few battles may occur among fome individual bees, yet in general very few will be killed on either fide. I am, therefore, never afraid to unite them, when I have reafon to believe it will an- fwer a good purpofe in other refpedls. But, in all cafes of uniting bees, particular care jhould be taken firft to cry the deficient hive with a fpecimen of the bees that are intended to be introduced into it ; and if thefe amhajfa- dors are gracioufly received, the reil of their brethren may be fafely offered : But, if other- wife, the whole of the bees {hould be kept backj till thofe of the receiving hive ihall be in S better again. But after ftartding fiif weeks, it may be returned back to its former fituation. The above general direftions, I think ab- folutely neceffary to be obferved, in driving, re-inforcing, and fwarming of bees j and I am perfuaded they will anfwer in mofi: cafes, though particular circumftances may occur, wherein the prafticalbee-mafter's judgment muft direO: him j as it is impoflible to anticipate every contingency, in a limited work of this nature. 138 How to re-inforce Bee-hives. better humour ; for, it is to be remarked, that the fame bees will often fight at one time, who will unite in the moil kindly manner at ano- ther; on which account the receiving hive ihould always be previouily tried, with a fpe- cimen of their intended new aflbciates. To drive all the bees out of a hive, at any feafon of the year, either to re-inforce another hive, or to raife an artificial fwarm, the hive mull be gently turned up, and the top of it placed in an eek, or in a hole made in the ground on purpofe, to prevent it from being overturned. An empty hive of the fame lize muil then be gently placed over it, mouth to mouth, and afheet, or largecloth, wrappedround the joinings of the hives, to prevent any of the bees from getting out. The undermoft hive muft then be rapped with both hands in the manner a drum is beat; rapping chiefly on thofe parts of the hive to which the edges of the xombs are fixed, and avoiding the parts oppo- fite to the fides of the combs, lefl they fhould be loofened, and, by falling together, crulh the bees between them, as well as the young in the cells. Even the Queen herfelf might be in danger of fuiTering. By not adverting to this, I have {t^,^ the loofe combs and bruifed bees How to re-lnforce Bee-hives, 13^ bees fall out upon turning up the hive, all of which are a coniiderable lofs. The older any Mve is, there is the lefs danger of loofening the combs ; and the more bees there are in it, the fooner they will run into the new hive ; for the concuffion of the hive, by the rapping, alarms them, as an earthquake alarms man- kind, and they run to the upper hive in fearch of a more fafe habitation. Thofe that enter firft, finding themfelves fafe, invite their bre- thren by their founding to follow them, which they quickly do. The flieet may then be re- moved, and the edge of the upper hive next the right handjifted up, when, upon a narrow in- fpedlion, the Queen fometimes v/ill be obferv- cd to go up along with the reft. When all the bees are thus removed into the new hive, it may be placed where the old one ftood, which will collecfl all the bees together, and within ten minutes, they will fall a work- ing as bufily as any natural fwarm. It isneceflary, before this operation, to remove the hive, eight or ten yards at le^ift, from every other hive, to prevent diflurbance from other bees. An empty hive fhould alio be placed where the old hive ftood, toamufe thofe beesbe- longing; to it, that may return loaded from the S 2 fields 14© How to re-'inforcc Bec-hlves, fields. This operation may be very eafi- ly performed at any hour of the day ; but the fafefl time is when they are mofl bufy at work, as they are not then fo ready to fling the operator. In this manner, I have taken ofF four artificial fwarms in one forenoon, and hardly received a fingle fting ; for the opera- tion is quite eaiily performed, efpecially in the middle of the day. f In -^ Indeed, there is hardly any vhing that is requifite to be done about bees, that 1 would not take in hand to perform, with fufficient time and attention. I could put TWENTY hivcs, for inftance, into one, if neceffary : I can caufe my bees to rear as many Queens as I pleafe : I can rob my bees of part of their honey, at any time : I could carry ICO bee hives to London or Russia : I could rear 5,000 bee- hives in a few years, if defired by any gentleman of pro- perty: I could travel through the ftreets of Edinburgh with three fwarms of bees about me, unhurt : I can |:ake a fwarra out of any hive at ariy time : I can take 10,000 bees from ten i^if- ferent hives, and unite them into one hive ; and I can re-in- force a weak hive with bees from any number of other hives, and from being the worst, make it the best hive in the county j I can units the bees of forty hives into thirty, twenty, or ten Mves j and next Summer divide thefe ten hives again into forty fwarms : If I have a weak hive fuffering by robbers, I can llrengtben it with more bees, and make them fit to rob any hive in the neighbourhood: If I have a hive of bees perifhing with - poverty or fainine, I can make it the richeft hive in the place, or v^ithln many miles around : I can take a common bee egg, and caufc How to re-inforce Bee-hives, 14.1 In fummer, a weak hive, that has few inha- bitants, may be re-inforced with a number of bees from a ilrong one, in xhe following man- ner : Suopofing there are two apiaries, a mile diftant from each other ; and that, in one of • them, there are a weak hive and a ftrong one, fituated within two feet or two yards of each other ; and no other hive near them : in fuch a cafe, let the ftrong hive be removed, about ten o'clock A. M. when the bees are bufy at work, to twenty or thirty yards diftance, and let the weak hive be placed where the ftrong one ftood. All the bees, belonging to the ftrong hive, that were abroad in the fields, will thus, on their return, go into the weak hive and unite peaceably with its inhabitants. Upon this plan, fcarce one of twenty will fight ; but if they lliould, which is feldom the cafe when they are bufy at work, then the ftrong hive muft be immediately brought back, and placed in its former fituation ; and the v/eak hive turned up and rapped heartily, upon \7hich the caufe the bees ralfe it to be either a Queen or a common bee as I plcafe : I can make my bees reft upon myfelf or any perfon near me, without oiFering us the fmalleft injury 5 and I can make them fall upon us with the fury of as many dragons, fo that wc would be glad to fly with as much precipitation^ as a fev/ rioters isyould do before a regiment of dragoons. 142 How to re-inforce Bee-hives, tlie bees will return to their own hive again ; and the weak hive may be placed in its for- mer fituation. But virhen a part of the bees of the flrong hive unite peaceably v^rith thofc of the weak one, the ftrong hive fliould be carried co the other apiary ; for fhould it be placed too near the lituation where it former- ly flood, too raany of its bees might go into the weak hive, and thus the one be impover- iihed by enriching the other. Another me- thod, to re-inforce a hive with bees, is to bring it into a clean room, where there is only onc. window ; then turn it up, and rajpi upon it, till feme hundreds of the bees fly to the ligliL They will run up and down the glafs in a be- wildered manner, wondering, (we may fup- _pofe,) how the air has become fo thick, that they cannot pafs through it» Let them remain in this fituation for about twenty miniiteSj which will cool their courage for fighting. Then let three or four fcore of thofe bees, that are v/iihed to be united to them, be introdu-^ ced clofe to them. Thefe will appear as much bewildered as the former, by the glafs preven- ting their egrefs, and will readily unite with them, without killing a fingle bee. Upon find- ing them thus agree, let them ail be brought to " How to re-infarce Bee-hives, 143 to the window ; and a fhort time after, let the hive be placed near them, and they will all run into it chearfully : after which the hive, thus re-inforced, may be placed in its former fitua- tion, provided it be about a mile diflant from the place w^ere the old hive formerly flood. Up- on this plan, even all the combs may be taken out of a hive orie by one, during which time, the bees will fly to the windov^^, and a few of the bees of the receiving hive being made to join them, upon their uniting kindly, the re- ceiving hive may be placed as above dire(5led. I have often re-inforced weak hives in fpring, which have done very well, though, at other times, they turned out very indifferently. I therefore feldom attempt to do it now, till the ftroing hives are full of bees, and feem to be near fvv^arming : on which occafions they can afford 2000 common bees to firengthen a weak hive, with very little injury to their own. Again, in fummer, a weak hive may be re- inforced by changing its fituation with that of a flrong one, upon a fine day, when the bees are bufily employed at work. I have often pracffifed this bufinefs with-much fuccefs and fatisfa(ftion. But, if they fliould not unite in a friendly manner, let both be turned up, the ftrange 144 Of Habitations for Bees, flrange bees rapped out, and each hive reflored to its former fituation. C H A P. XIX. OE HABITATIONS PROPER FOR BEES TO LIVE AND WORK IN. Lives, or the habitations in which bees Hve,v breed and work, have been made of different materials, and in different forms, according to the fancy of people of different ages and coun- tries. Melissus, king of Crete, is faid to hav€ been the firll who invented and taught the ufe of bee-hives. Not only ftraw, which experi-* ence now proves to be rather preferable to every thing ^i^y but wood, horn, glafs, &c. have been ufed for the conftruiflion of hives. Single box hives, hovv^ever, when properly made, anfwer very well, and, when painted, lad long. They have feveral advantages above ilraw hives : They are quite cleanly, and always fland up- right ; they lare proof againfl mice ; and are cheaper in the end than ilraw hives j for one bo]E Of Habitations for Bees, 1 4 r box hive will lafl as long as three of them. I have known many bee-maflers, who never uf- ed any other kind of hives, and whofe bees throve very well. I believe, however, they are rather colder in winter, but a proper covering will prevent all danger from that quarter. But ilraw hives are eaiieft obtained at .firft, and have been ufed and recommended by the mofl of bee-mafters. As to the iize, a hive that will hold about 2^ pecks, Linlithgow meafure, will hold a pretty large fwarm ; but there is no certain rule to judge what hive will be exa6lly filled by a fwarm. Much depends upon the fucceeding feafon. If the fwarm be early and large, it will require a large hive ; but if otherwife, the hive fhould be proportionably lefs. If a fwarm be put into one of the iize above mentioned, and the bees fill it foon, and appear to want more room, it can eafily be enlarged, by put- ting an eek below it : but if it be heavy enough for a flock hive, it will do, although it ihould not be quite full of combs. A ftraw hive, when made, Ihould have a piece of wood, fixed in the undermoil: roll, four inches long, with a notch cut out of it, three inches Jong, and one high, for an entry to the T bees 146 Of Haoitations for Bess, bees. The flraw of rye or wheat is befl for making hives : The heads of the ftraw fliould be cut off: The rolls fliouId be drawn very- tight, and wrought together with fixiall wil- lows or brambles, fplic and properly drefl, with the pith taken out cf them. The hives iliould be made as fmooth as poffible, without leaving any projedling draws ; which, v/hen not cut or linged away, (as fhould always be done when the hives are rough,) would occafion much un- neceffary trouble to the bees, when put into them, to gnaw them off. When the hives are miade, and, if neceflary, gently iinged with flraw, four fmall flicks fliould be fixed acrofs the infide of them, at proper difiances, in order not only to keep the hive firm, butalfo to pre- vent the combs from falling down^ (which they would otherwife do by their own weight ;) or from being iliifted out of their places, when the hives are rapped upon, or diflurbed acci- dentally. Some ingenious gentlemen have made their hives to confifl of different apartments, though inhabited only by one fwarm. This kind of hives are called colonies ; but I do not much approve of them ; as the partitions prevent that accumulation of heat, which is neceffary for Of Habitations for Bees. 147 for the health of the vv^hole family; and as fome of the rooms mufl be colder than others, the bees, efpecially in winter, will all draw to one place ; leaving the other apartments empty, and expofed to fach a deeree of cold, as will probably make the honey candy and become ufelefs. Beiides this method is iinnatm\al, for the bees always lodge in one apartment, when lefc \ to their own liberty, provided it be large e- nough to hold them : and as they lay their eggs in the middle part of their combs and hives firft, and afterwards gradually enlarge the brood around the centre of the hive, they not only get them more ealily defended from, all danger, but alfo fooner hatched, by the fu- perior degree of heat. Colonies have never yet been, and 1 am per- fuaded never will be extended to general ufe, although it is nearly two centuries fince they Vv^ere invented by John Geddy, Efq. I will not deny, however, that bees may thrive pret^ ty well upon this plan ; which mufl be allow- ed to have one advantage, as, when properly conftrucfted, thefe hives afford an opportunity to the inquifitive philofopher of feeing the bees carry on their labours. Colony hives are made in various forms, according to the tafte of T 2 diiferent 148 Of Hahitatlons for Beet, different gentlemen. Some confifl of three boxes, placed one above another ; others of an equal number placed collaterally ; and a third kind are made with one box in the front, ano- ther behind that, and the third behind the fe- cond. , All thefe different kinds have fquare holes in the fides or tops of the boxes, to al- low the bees liberty to go from one box to another, as they may find neceffary ; and there are fmali panes of glafs fixed in them, in order to obferve the operations of the bees ; with wooden fhutters to cover the glafs, when it is not intended to infped; the hive. I have feen, in thofe favourable years when the bees had fwarmed very liberally, that the proprietors have been greatly diftreffed for want of hives, to receive their fecond and fub- fequent fwarms. But an experienced bee- mafter will never be at a lofs in fuch circum- ftances. If all his empty hives are filled, and if he intends to take honey in Autumn, he will find many other articles in which they will chearfully build and work ; fuch as any large jar, half barrel, tub, pot, or box of any kind, that is large enough. For the bees are not de- licate in their choice of a habitation ; witnefs the well known inftance of Samson's dead lion* Of the Natural Swarming of Bees, 14^ Ion. They will work in any place during Summer ; for although the manufadure of honey and honey combs is fo natural to them, that they can work at no other employment, yet xhtfjop in which they make them, is a matter of indifference to them, provided it is only large enough, and capable of excluding cold, rain and robbers. Even darknefs itfelf is no difparagement, but rather renders their habitation more agreeable to them. CHAP. XIX. ©F THE NATURAL SWARMING OF BEES. A. .s it would evidence a coniiderable degree of folly to defert an old beaten path, for a new road, unlefs the latter were both nearer and better, fo I would by no means recommend artificial fwarming, if natural fwarms can be obtained. But even, in the latter cafe, many ufeful directions may be given, and fhall be laid down in as plain a manner as poilible. We 150 Of the Natural Swarming of Bees. We fhall like wife iliow, how it is fometimes e- qually neceiTary and advantageous to make ar- tificial fwarrns, along with, the manner of do- ing it to the befl advantage, when it is necef- fary. As the time when a hive will throw a fwarm. is quite uncertain, efpecially to young beginners in the bee*hufbandry, a conftant at- tendance is necelTary in fwarming time, from eight o'clock in the morning till about three or four in the afternoon. But this may be done with little trouble or expence. A boy, or a girl, or any old perfon, may be employed to watch the bees during thefe hours 5 and this needs only to be done in fine days, as the bees feldom fend out a colony in cold, damp, or chilly weather. Some hives will ly out longbefore they fwarm, though they will fwarm at laft; others, although they lie out equally long, will not fwarm at all ; a third clafs will fwarm without the fmal- lefl previous appearance ; and a fourth will make a buflle about their doors, for three or four days before they fwarm : And, therefore, from fuch a variety of chances, it is fcarce pof- fible to determine the precife time of fwarm- ing ; although we m^jr reafonably conjedure, from Of the Natural Swarming of Bees. 151 from the following fymptoms, that this wifhed for period is approaching. When the number of bees in a hive increa- fes fall, about the end of May and begjinning of June, and drones appear among them ; if a ihort time before this, water of an inlipid tafte appeared on the flool, about or within the entry ; if this water, which is calledyic;^^/, and is occafioned by the increafcd heat of the hive, be dried up, by the Itill greater increafe of that heat, from the; bees becoming more and more numerous ; if the bees, about 1 1 o'clock, A. M. fly about in a reeling manner, making a noife and motion, about the front of the hive ; all thefe are (igns to put the Bee-mafter on his guard, and to prepare him for the joyful event that is fad approaching, of a young colony within a day or two, or even, perhaps, with- in an hour or two. But if the bees, after all this, run haflily up and down the outfide of ) the hive, and at laft gather together in a clufler ^1^ upon the ftool, he may call his friends toge- gether, to behold his increafing flore, as he may depend that they will fwarm immediate- ly : * and nothing can furely be more delight- ful * It Is indeed furprizing, to fee the young colony leaving their mother 152 Of the Natural Swarming of Bee^. to the bee-mafler, than to behold the young emigrants flying in the air and darkening the fky with a thoufand varying Knes. Mean-time, while he is fatisfying his curio- lity as to the manner of their fwarming, he jQiould obferve, whether they are beginning to fettle upon any place, in, or near his own apia- ry, Mve, and defertiog it feemingly in the utmofi; hurry and precipi- tation, in fo much that they can hardly clear the way for each other. A ftranger to the nature of thefe wonderful infe£ts would be apt to conclude, that there wat fame fonnidable ene« roy within, who was murdering thetn by wholefale, and from "whom they were flying for their lives 5 or elfe that they were lefeving a dlfagreeable habitation, where there was nothing but war and poverty j and emigrating to fome happier fituation, where they would enjoy peace and plenty. But the reverfe of all this is the truth ; for they are going away of their own ac- cord, chearfully parting with their deareft friends, and leaving a warm habitation, and well-flored granary, to feek their fortunes in a new fituation, where they will have every thing to provide for tliemfelves, and all the varieties and inconflancy of weather and climate to ftruggle again ft. An old cuftom ftill prevails with many, when a fwarm of bees are riling, to rhake a tinkling noife upon a pan, or kettle, as they think that the noife makes them fettle the fooner, and prevents them from flying away. But I am of opinion, that when the fwarm comes naturally oiF, it is proper that they Ihould hear and underfland each other, which a noife of this kind will prevent. On all fuch occaiions therefore, I ufe none. But, when the bees attempt to fly off, all kinds of noife (houldthen be ufed, to fright- en and prevent them from hearing each other, and thus incline them to fettle at home. Of the Natural Swarming of ^ees. 153 ry, or attempting to fly away, vv^hich they they will fometimes do. If the former, he ihould keep at a diftance till they fettle, as go- ing near them might not only prevent them from fettling, but might alfo occafion the death of fome of them, by trampling upon them. As foon as they alight on any thing, that can eafily be brought to the ground, fnch as the < fmall branch of a tree, or a berry buih, or the like, let a flieet be fpread on the ground near the fwarm, and two flicks placed upon it, a foot afunder. Then place the fwarm upon the fheet, between the Hicks, and gently cover it with a hive f , refting the edges of the hive upon the flicks, to prevent it from crulhing any of the bees ; who will thus have free air, and accefs to and from the hive, which mufl be covered with a cloth, to prevent the rays of the fun from fcorching the bees, and provoking them to rife and feek out a more comfortable habitation. If their new lodging pleafes them, they will take U immediate f Some advife to rub the hive, before it be placed over the fwarm, with a little honey, or fugar and ale mixed, in order to allure the bees. This can Aa no harm, bpt I feldom adopt the praftice, as I have feen little or no benefit from it j the Queen getting into the hive is the only allurement to excite the bees to go into it, and aif'j to keep thesn there, when they are gone fafe- Jy in. J 54 ^f the Natural Swarming of Bees, immediate pofTeffion, and fall to work with ala- crity. Sometimes, after continuing two or three hours in it, and beginning to work, they will rife and fettle on fome other place, or go back to their mother hive again; and fometimes they will fly off" altogether, in fearch perhaps of a habitation prcvioufly fixed on. They muft therefore be carefully watched till the heat of the day be over, after which, it may be pre- fumed, they will not rife arrain. As foon as the young colony are fairly lodged in their new habitation, let the hive be placed on a ftool, and carried with all due caution to the place where it is intended to iland J ; for the fooner the hive is flationed, the fooner the bees will be acquainted with its fituation. A few flragglers, indeed, may fly about the place where the fheet was firfl laid down ; but they will foon either find out the fwarm, or return to their mother hive, either of which will be no lofs. When the hive is placed in its proper flation :j; At all feafons, as foon as a fwarm is fairly fettled, both the fize of the fwarm and the feafon of the year fhould be taken into confideration. If the fwarm be pretty numerous, if the mother hive can bear the want of it, and if the feafon be not too far ad- vanced, let it be put into a hive by itfelf. But direftions will afterwards be given, how to ad if any of the contrary circuni' fiances occur. Of the Natural S-warmtng of Bees. 15^ ftation, the cloth lliould be allowed to remaiii upon it, to keep off the rays of the fun §, till night, when the fkirts may be plaflered over with lime mixed with hair, and thus fixed to the ftool, and the top covered with turf, as for- merly diredled, page ,97. Sometimes, though feldom, a fwarm will fly off, notwithftanding every method that caa be ufed to prevent it. This happens only in very fine calm weather, when the bees have U 2 had § Sometimes, in very hot weather, young fWarms have fuffered greatly, by the intenfe heat melting the vcax, and making their combs fall down on the ftool, in confequence of which the honey runs out, the bees are befmeared, the young ones bruifed, and the hive almoft totally ruitied. Many hives fufFered in this man- ner, by the great heat laft fummer, (1794 ;) but fuch misfortunes only happen in the beft years for honey j and, indeed, It is to be regretted, that we have fo feldom reafon to complain of too much heat. In fuch favourable years, the beft method to preverit fuch con- fequences, is to keep the young fwarms, (for the ftock hives are in no danger,) well fcreened from the fcorching rays of the fun, by covering them over on the fouth fide, or placing fcreens be- fore the hives in fuch a manner as to keep off the heat, at the fame time, that they do not obftrudl the bees from going out and in to their work. One of the large boards or ftools, which the hives ufually ftand on, being placed on edge upon the ftool bo fore the entry to the hive, but in fuch a pofition that the bees may have tree accefs and egrefs, will anfwer this purpofe, and can eafily be renaoved, as foon as the ext^fUve h«at is ov^r. 156 Of the Natural Swarming of Bee s^ had liberty fome days before fwarming, to roam about in fearch of a commodious habi- tation ; which, if once they find, it is difficult, and often impoffible, to prevent them from e- migrating to it. When the weather is very favourable, the bees often, before fwarming, fend out fcouts in fearch of a proper habita- tion ; and when they difcover a hive whofe bees are dead, or any empty place about the roof of a gentleman's houfe, or a church, caf- tie, or trunk of a tree ; more efpecially, if bees have wrought combs in it the fummer before, but have died out of it in winter, they will fend out a fquadron of bees, three or four days before they fwarm, to clean out the place, and render it fir for the reception of the young co- lony, the firft favourable opportunity. At fuch places, I have often feen a coniiderable number of bees, buiily employed in clearing away the dead bees, broken crumbs of wax, and all other rubbiih; and fometimes I have ob- ferved bees from different hives, laying an equal claim to the newly difcovered habitation, and, as mankind too often do in fimilar cafes, fight- ing and kiUing each other for the uninhabited territory \ for, two fwarms have been feen fly- ing Of the 'Natural Swarming of Bees » 157 ing to flich a place in one day, in which cafe a bloody battle between them often becomes inevitable. There have been many inflances of a fwarm of bees flying in a diredl line to a dead hive, when it happened to be within their reach in. a neighbouring apiary. Such hives are often left (landing by the owner, either from his not knowing that the bees are dead, or from his ignorance of the confequences. They are alfo frequently left by roguifh bee-maflers, on purpofe to entice their neighbours fwarms ; which is as villainous as ftealing a fwarm, if not more fo. Mr Maxwell fays, there is a law againfl fuffering a dead hive to ftand in an apiary. If there is, it is a very jull one, but if not, an a(5l of parliament fhould be paffed againft fuch a pernicious pradice. Such caufes have been feveral times tried in courts of juftice, and fome judges have punifhed the trefpafs, which was certainly juft. But I late- ly heard of a caufe of this nature, which was tried before a judge, who afToilzied the aggref- for, upon this principle, that every man has a right to keep what he pleafes in his own gar- den. By this deciiion the judge evidenced his ignorance j for, if fuch a precedent were once 155 Of theNatural Swafming of Bees, once eflablifhed as law, no perfon, who has a covetous bee-mailer in his neighbourhood, would be fure to lofe fome fwarms of his bees ; for, a dead hive, left {landing in an apiary during fummer, feldom fails to receive a fwarm before Lammas. Many have been not a little difficulted how to determine, whether the old hive that the fwarm went into, had living bees in it or not, before that event took place. One eafy me- thod of deciding this point, is, by infpeding it, to fee if there are live young in it ; and another is, by the diftance from which the fwarm has come ; for, I know for certain, that a fwarm will not fly a mile to a living hive j whereas, they will fly four miles to take poffef- fion of an old one with combs in it, whofe inha- bitants are dead. I have, indeed, feen a fwarm go into a living hive, that flood in the fame apiary ; but this was rather accidental than otherwife. The Queen returning home in confufion, per- haps from a fruitlefs expedition, might mif- take another hive for her own. In fuch cafes, a great battle frequently enfues, in which ma- ny are flain, and often the Queen among them. Sometimes I have feen them agree very well, and make a good colony, when the hive was properly Of the Natural Swarming of Bees, 159 properly raifed with a very large eek. At o- ther times, I have feen a fwarin, after joining another hive, being well received, and remain- ing in it very peaceably, come off, notwith- ftanding, the very next day. When a fwarm emigrates, with a view to fet- tle in fome habitation, which their fpies had previouily difcovered, they fly to the place in a diredl line. The bee-mafter fhould, therefore, run or ride along v^ith them, as far as he can ; for on fuch occafions they fometimes fly fo flow, as a perfon who is fwift of foot may accompany them. But if he fliould be prevented from follow- ing them in a diredl line, by any interruptions from woods, waters, or inclofures, let him, upon recovering the line, proceed fl:raight forward, without turning to the right or left, and the chance is ten to one that he will difcover them, efpecially if they happen to alight or reft upon any dike hedge, or brufli by the way. But fliould this not happen, upon proceeding ftill forward, the line will probably lead him to fome garden where there is an apiary ; the owner of which Ihould be told the cafe j and if he is an honeft man, he will doubtlefs allow his hives to be fearched, in the prefence of wit- neflTes, to fee if the fwarm have taken up their abode 1 60 Of the Natural Swarming of Bees, abode in any of liis dead hives. This will ea- lily be difcovered by examining the entries of his hives, and if there are any fraall crumbs of wax lying like as much faw dufl, on the ftool be- fore them, it may be prefumed, that the bees of the new fwarm have cleaned it off the combs ; andy therefore, a farther fearch fhould be de- manded J and upon turning up the hive, and fearching with a fmall flick for young bees in the cells, as dire6led,(p. 120) the matter can foon be decided, v/hether the hive was inhabited by living bees, previous to the fwarm entering it, or not. If fealed tip maggots, or young bees ap- pear in the cells, the owner of the fwarm can have no claim ; but if none of thefe appear, he has a right to the hive, which, if the proprietor of the apiary fhould refufe to deliver, he ought to be inftantly fummoned before a Magiftrate, while the hive is ftill totally deficient of young bees ; when the cafe being plainly flated, and this deciftve proof adduced, the young fwarm will doubtlefs be ordered to be reftored, and the greedy proprietor of the dead hive in all probability fined for his covetoufnefs. But if the fwarm fhould not have alighted at the firfl apiary in the direct line, the owner ihould ftill proceed ftraight forward, and he will Of the Natural Swarming of Bees, i6i will in all probability arrive^ at another apiary, where the fame inquiries and mode of invefti- gation ihould be repeated : Or if any hollow tree, church, gentleman's manfion-houfe, old ruin, or any other building, ihould happen to lie in the diret^l line, they fliould be infpeded attentively, and proper inquiries made at the people in the neighbourhood, if they obfsrved a fwarm of bees flying or fettling on any of them. By thefe means perfevered in, a difco- very will certainly be made ; and if the fwarm has fettled in any fuch place, the following di- re(5lions will fliow the method of taking them out in this and other cafes of a like nature. If a fwarm fettle in a hollow tree, or any cavi- ty of a building, it will be impoiTible to get ic out by any other means, than taking them out by bandfuls. Some indeed, alledge, that rap- ping will force them out ; but not one fwarm of twenty will yield to that method, unlefs the Queen can be laid hold of, and brought out. The owner ihould, therefore, make as much room as pofTible, to get his hand introduced, fo as to pull them out by handfuls, and -put them into an empty hive ; and as foon as he is fo for- tunate as to get hold of the Queen, he fliould put her into the hive, where Hie will prevent X * the 1 62 Of the Natural S wanning of Bees. the bees from flraying ; and thofe that were ftill remaining in the building or hollow tree, "will quickly come to the hive, and join the reft. In fucli cafes, I have fearched whole hours for the Queen, vv^ho generally hides herfelf with fo ir^uch art, that it is extremely diiEcult to lay hold of her, although in fuch fearches I feldom failed to catch her at lait. But when the Queen cannot, by any means, be got, and when all or the greatef!: part of the fwarm is recovered, let the hole be clofe £hut up, and a weak hive brought- and re-inforced Ynih. the common bees, (as dired:ed page 142) which is the beft ufe that can be made of them in fuch cafes. Before bees fv^arin ,the fecond or third time, they do not ly out in clufters about the hive or upon the flool ; but as foon as they are ready, chey come off in a body, even in weather that is by no means favourable. The ligns, when thefe after fwarms will come off, are more cer- tain than thofe that precede the firft fwarm- jng ; for, if the v/eather be good, one may al- inoft prognofticate the very hour. By liften- ing at night to the found of a hive, about eight, ten, or twelve days, after the firft fwarm is gone off, that peculiar found, commonly called toll- |;^, will be-eaiiij diftin^uiihed. This ibund fee ms the Natural Swarming of Bees, i6% feems to be the royal proclamation ilTued by the young princefs, to warn, or rather to invite her fellow emigrants to prepare for their intended journey* It founds, fays one, as if the words peep ! peep ! peep ! were rapidly pronounced fif- teen or twenty times in half a minute. She theii Hops, and begins again repeatedly, like a chicken peepingforits mother, when it has loft her. When there are feveral young Queens iii the hive, there will be fo many diftin6l voices repeating this call. I have fometimes heard thefe princefles calling from all corners of the hive ; and, as it were, anfwering each other ; fome calling out peep^ peep^ in a' treble voice, and others anfwer- ing in a voice rather more hoarfe, and compara-. tively like bafs *. When thefe founds are heard X 2 m. * Almoft all authors agree, that thefe peculiar voices proceed from the young Queens peliliuning (fo to fpeak,) for leave to emi- grate with a young fwarm. I have fometimes thought^ however, that this noife might alfo proceed irom fear or rage being excited amongft them. I was led to entertain this opinion, b/ cbfervlng their different fcreams one day, which made me fufpeft thar there were more than one Queen in the hive. And as I Y/ifhed to have one or two ot them to enable me io caufe fome out-laying hives fwarm, I drove all the bees out of that hive, One Queen went along with them 5 but I ftill perceived other two Queens, befides three royal cells fealed up» 1 ftill heard the ufual quick try of the Queen j and, upon attentively obferving their mo- tioTrsj 1 64 Of the Natural Swarming of Bees, in the hive, the emigration of a fwarm may be depended upon, within a day or two at mod, if the weather holds tolerably good. The iirft night that thefe founds are obfervable, they are low, and not very frequent, nor even the next day ; but, on the fecond night, they become louder and more frequent, in fo much that they may fometimes be diflinguillied at the dillance of fome yards from the hive. Next day, if the weather be favourable, a fwarm may be depended upon. " It is delightful, (fays Mr Thorley) to hear thofe peculiar and " mufical founds or notes, being an eight or " chord, which is truly harmonious." They are fcarcely ever heard before a firft fwarm goes off; I believe not once in fixty cafes. The reafon, I fuppofe, is, that they have in ge- neral, only one Queen reared to go off with the firft fwarm ; and fometimes, when tempt* ed by very line weather, even the old Queen , will go off with the firft colony, before the . young tions, I fnw taera going to the royal cells, and tear at them with great fury, fcreaming and roaring fsemlngly with great indiona- tion .'-^a phsenonienon, which I could only account ior, upon tb« principle of their entertaining a jealoufy left their rivals in the ctll {hould coaie lorward, and ftand in competitition with them ', Of the Natural Swarming of Bees. 165 young princefs comes out of the royal cell. * Whereas, before the fecond or third emigra- tion takes place, they will fometimes have two or three Queens, and as many royal cells, in their hive ; one of which m.ay be taken to flip- ply any hive that needs them. Often have I feen a young Queen take an airing. For inftance, in Summer 1 790, 1 had a hive that had no Queen in it, but a pregnant royal cell, which had been feven days fealed up ; on which account, I expe«5l:ed that a Queen * The Queens are generally bred in fwarming time, as may be obferved by turning up a hive at that period, when the royal cells may be perceived on the edges or iides of the combs, al- though fometimes they hang from the middle. Thefe cells are of an oblong circular form, of confiderable thicknefs, and in ap- pearance rather clunky. One of them -will weigh as much as four or five fcore of common cells. When half made, they are not unlike the lovv/er part of an acorn, turned upfide down ; they gradually lengthen, and, when finiihed and fealed up, are about an inch in length, and woyld refemble the end of one's little finger, If it wanted the nail. In fwarming time, there v^'ill fome- times be from ov\t to fix of thefc royal cells j though commonly there are not above two or three. They all hang perpendicu- larly, with their open ends pointing downwards to the ftooL After the young Queens are iiitched, thefe cells are fometimes removed by the bees, and fometimes allowed to remain 3 but 1 ne- ver faw an lateft fituations. I have often feen a hive, by being placed nigh heath, become ten, twelve, or fifteen pounds heavier, in the month of Au- giift ; J whereas, if it had remained in its ori- A a ginal it I can affure my readers, that, in the middle of September 1792, I have feen bees in fuch fituations, filling their hives fviih 'combs an4 honey, as plentifully and as expedltioully, I S6 Advantages of changing the Situation ofBeeL ginal early fituation, it would probably have become every day lighter after Lammas. The only riik in this cafe is, that if the weather turn out bad in Auguft, the bee-mafter will lofe all his trouble ; but contingencies, of this kind happen in every other bufinefs in which mankind engage, which neverthelefs do not deter us from adventuring. When bees are placed in a new fituation, 'they fhould not be permitted to come out of their hives, for the firft time, in cold weather ; for, finding themfelves in a flrange place, they will fly about and take a view of the neigh- bourhood ; and fome of them alighting, and refting on the cold ground, the cold benumbs them, and they perifli, unlefs fpeedily recover- ed by the heat of the fun. When I remove a hive to a new ftation, I keep them clofe prifbn-' ers till the firft fine day, when, about lo o'- clock A. M.—the time they are moft impatient to as if it had been thennddle of June, In the beginning of Sep- tember, that year, I purchafed for a gentleman in Northum- berland, a corvfiderable number of hives, that were only about half full of combs when placed in his apiary • but the heath in his grounds being extremely rich and in full bloffom, the bee* v/ere fo expedinous- in thtir labburs, that they filled the hives completely i,\ilh both 6&mbs and honey, within a week theie- afier. Advantages of changing the Situation of Bees, 187 to get out, I place a feeding comb before their entry, which I at the fame time open, and. the bees come out in great numbers, and fly about with great alacrity, making their ufual chear- ful muflc in the air, for two or three minutes, and taking a view of their new lituation. In the nqean time, fome of them difcover the feed- ing comb, and entertain themfelves with it, while the flying bees alight at the entry, and make their ufual mufic for joy ; which invites the flraggling bees to return home, fo that, perhaps, fcarce a fingle bee of the whole hive will have miffed its w^ay ; whereas, if they are allowed to go out fingly, efpecially in cold weather, a confiderable number of bees will be loft, for want of fuch mufic in the air, or at the entry of the hive, to call them home. In the removal of bees in general, it is better and fafer, to remove a hive to the diftance of a mile or fo, than to a nearer fituation ; fbr, when a hive is removed out of an apiary, where there are a confiderable number of hives, to the dif- tance of about a quarter of a mile or fo; and ef- cially, if the bees are allowed to come gradually out of their hives, they will fly to their old place of j^bode; but not finding their own hive, they will flv about in fearch of it, in a difconfolatc if A a 2 • manner 1 88 Advantages of changing the Situation of Beeu Planner, for hours perhaps ;,and after being re- peatedly difappointed, they vv^ill at lafl try thofe hives that ftand neareft the place where their own hive flood, to fee if the inhabitants will admit them, as fo many defitute orphans^ into their community. When they thus come in a hum.ble fupplicating manner, they are feldom refufed permiflion to enter, and ailociate vv^ith the reft of the hive, as fellow-labourers. Be- ing favourably received, they are ever after treated, not only as allies^ but as brethren of the fame family, and live in the greateft harmony with them ever after. Similar meafures ought to be adopted in all cafes of uniting and re-inforcing Vv^hatever. If any perfon ihould take a hive out of his own apiary, and drive all the bees out of it, they would Hy about in the fame manner, and at laft enter into thofe hives, that would admit them kindly. In fuch cafes, however, the firft ambaffadors, (like thofe of King David to Hanun, the Ammonite,) may, perhaps, be miftaken for spies, and treated accordingly. But it will fomerimes happen, that the bee- mailer is in fiich circumflances, that he will be obliged to remove a hive a quarter of a mile frorii other beeSo In this cafe, he mufl keep the Of Bee-bread and Wax, 189 the bees prlfoners for fome time, as above-men- tioned, efpecially if the hives in the original appiaries be fhiit or covered over, till the bees of the removed one fly about for an hour or fo. Thus, the lofs will be the lefs, as perhaps fome of the ftraggling bees may find their way back to their own brethren again. But even although an hundred, or two hundred bees fhould fly off in this manner, a ftrong hive will fufFer little by the want of them. CF BEE- BREAD AND WAX. T. HE fubfliance, commonly called Bee-bread, is to be found at the bottom of many of the cells, and is frequently covered over with ho- ney. The bees carry it home in loads upon their legs, or rather their thighs. It is gene- rally of a yellow colour, but often takes its colour from the flowers from which it is col- leded. Various I go Of Bee-bread and Wax. Various conjedures have beea made by dif- ferent authors refpeding its ufe. Some alledge that the bees eat it ; hence the name, Bee-bread, Others fuppofe, that, after being taken into their ftomachs, it is converted by fome pecuhar a^lioii of their internal juices into wax, of which every body knov/s their combs are made. But an objection to this hypotheiis, arifes from the confideration, that the bees, v/hen firil put into an empty hive, carry httle or none of this fluff on their legs for fome time, till a great number of combs are made ; and that after the combs are completed, (which they general- ly are within two or three v^eeks after the fwarm have taken poffeilion of the hive,) the bees ftill continue to carry in this fluff during the whole v^rorking feafon. To this, however, it may be replied, that perhaps, as they have no cells to put it into at that time, they carry it home in their bellies, where it probably un- dergoes a fpeedy change in pafling through their bodies, and may thereby be converted in- to perfedl wax^ v/ith which they manufadure their combs. -There is another clafs of autliors, who fup- pofe that the bee-bread is ufed by the old bees to feed the young ones in the cells, by the mouth Of Bee-bread and Wax, i ^ i mouth, as pigeons feed their young ones. To this it may be objeded, that the young bees furely cannot make ufe of all the bee-bread, which the old bees are almofl conftantly car» rying into the hive when they are at work. Perhaps both thefe lad hypothefes may be true ; as it may not only ferve to feed the young bees, but alfo, by paffmg through the bodies of the old ones, may be converted into wax ; with which bees not only build their combs, when a fwarm is newly put into a hive, but alfo feal up both their young in the cells, and their honey in the combs. If this fuppoiition be true, then the confumption of bee-bread, through the courfe of the year, but efpecially during the honey and breeding feafons, mud be very great ; and therefore we need not be fur- prized at the quantities imported by the work- ing bees. But, whatever truth may be in ei- ther or both of thefe theories, I am certain of one thing, that the bees do not live on bee- bread alone ; for they will die of hunger, al- though there be plenty of it in the hive, if there be no honey in it ; whereas, when they have abundance of honey, they will live with- out bee-bread, at lead for many v/eeks. PvEAU- MUR igl Of Bee-bread and Wax, MUR, however, fays, that it is abfolutely necef- fary for food to bees. For my part, I have always obferved the bees inofl buiily employed in carrying in this fluff v^hile the young bees are breeding; but when they want a Queen, and have no eggs to rear another, they immediately give over carrying it into the hive, thinking, (as it would feem,) that as they have no young bees to feed or feal up in the cells, it would be an idle bufinefs to bring any more of it home, efpecially as they do not make much ufe of it themfelves, and have more already in the hive than they will 'ftand in need of, for their own ufe. Mr Thorley alledges, that the bees carry the wax home from the fields in fine fmall fcaleslf be- tween the folds of their bodies. He fays, that " For feveral feafons, after I became a Bee-ma- *' fler, I was very defirous and diligent to find " out hovi^, or where, they brought home their " wax, well knowing that grofs matter to be of ** a very contrary nature, and apphed to fome " other X 1 hefe fcales are well known by bee-maflers, and fomewhat t-fferable fmall fyl: at a diftance, but, upon a nearer infpeftion, they are more like the fcales of very fmall fiili, being thin, fmall, round and whiter Their fubflance is nothing but pure wax. Of Bee-bread a nd Wax. i g ^ " other ufe, but was not able for a confiderable " time, to enter into the fecret. " At lafl, viewing a hive of bees very bufy '' at labour, I obferved one bee among the refb , " as {]te fixed upon the alighting place, of an " unnfual appearance ; upon which I feized " her diredly, before flie had time to enter the *' hive ; v/here, with a very fenfible pieafure, I *' found what I had (till then) been in vain ** fearching for. Upon the belly of this bee, " within the plaits, were fixed no kfs than fix " pieces of folid wax, perfe6tly white and tran- ** fparent like gum ; three upon one fide, and " three upon the other, appearing to the eye e- " qual in bulk and gravity ; fo that the body " of the bee feemed duly poifed, and the flight " not in the leaft^ob(lru(5led by any inequali- *' ties. " Here have I found it at other times, and " once I took away eight pieces together, and \ " knew that it was was, and nothi4ig elfe. Will *' not this pafs for demon fi:rati on ?" That Mr Thorley, and probably fome o- thers, have feen bees carrying fuch white fcales, or pieces of folid wax, on their bodies, once Qr twice perhaps in their fives, I will not dif- B b pute. 1 94 Of Bee-bread and Wax. pute. I myfelf havefeen the fame phenomenon, once, or at moil twice, during an experience of thirty years. But it certainly would be abfurd to infer from thefe rare cafes, that all the wax, which the combs are made of, ,is carried into ti>e hive in this manner. The contrary infer- ence mufl be drawn, were it from nothing elfe but the coniideration, that thefe white fcales have been fo very feldoiTi obferved. It is alfo well known, that when a young fwarm is new- ly fet down, within a ihort time thereafter, fmall fcales of fine white wax will be feen on the (tool ; which is a certain proof that the bees are beginning to build combs : and perhaps a few of the bees may pick up fome of thefe fcales, to prevent them from being loit. But, if every bee, that is employed in carrying wax for build- ing the combs, either within or on the outfide of her body, could be obferved, we would fee thoufands thus loaded every day after a young fwarm is firfh fet down, inftead of obfervinir only one or two folitary inftances in the courfe of twenty or thirty years. If a natural or artificial fwarm is confined 24 hours in a hive, after it is newly put into it, the bees will be found bufily employed in making combs. From this it may be argued, that Of Bee-bread and Wax, i g^ that the bees, having eaten a quantity of bee bread on purpofe, before they left their own hive, and having it ftlU in their ftomachs, had made wax of it to ered the combs. Of this fad: any perfon may convince him- felf, by driving the bees out of any hive into an empty one, and confining them 24 hours ; after which, upon examining the hive attentive- ly, he v^^ill find a piece of comb, perhaps fix or eight inches long, befides feveral hundreds of fcales lying on the ftool. It is evident, then, that thefe fcales could not be brought from the teld, as Mr Thorley fuppofes, feeing the bees were never out of the hive ; and, it is far- ther to be obferved, that when they are at fall liberty to work in the fields, and when a young fwarm is moft bufily employed in rearing combs, nothing can be feen on their bodies of thefe fcales, or any thing elfe. I have foraetimes, indeed, been inclined to think, that the wax might be an excrefcence, exudation, or producflion from the bodies of the bees ; and that, as the Queen bee can lay eggs when fiie pleafes, if need require, fo the v,'orking bees can produce wax from the fub- llance of their own bodies. If this conjecture be right, it will follow of courfe, that all the B b 2 food 196 Of Bee-bread and ?Vax. food which the bees take, contributes to the for- Hiation of wax, in the fame manner as all the food which a cow eats contributes to the pro- duclion of milk : or, (to adopt a m.ore near fi- mile from the infedl tribe,) as all the food which a fpider takes, contributes not only to the nourifnment of the animal, but to the pro- du(5lion of the fiibftance of the cob-web from its body, Namberlefs other analogies in nature might be adduced in favour of the probability of this theory. The iilk, for infcance, produced from the body of the iilk worm, is a fahftance as different from that of the animal itf_If, or of the mulberry leaf it feeds on, as was is from that of the body of the bee, or of the honey or flow- er file fucks. And the excrefcenre produced in the human ear, which alfo goes by the name of zvax, is certainly a fubftance as different from that of the body which produces it, as either the one or the other. Upon the whole, until I meet with a more probable theory, fup- ported by fa(5ls, I mud give it as my humble opinion, that the wax is either produced from the bodies of the bees alone, or rather that the bees can fpeedily convert what they bring from the flowers into it, and therewith build their combs, and feal up both their young and their honej. CHAR Of the Honey HarveJI. {gj CHAP. XXV. OF THE HONEY HARVEST. ONCE tKoiiglitj that if we preferve all our bees, we moft alfo keep all our honey in the hives, to mpantain them during winter and fpring. But I am now of a different opinion ; for the feverity of the winter not only reduces the number of bees, but fometimes even kills whole hives, although they have large quanti- ties of honey in them. It is, therefore, inach more profitable to preferve all the bees alive, and unite them to other hives, although v/e fhould be at the expence of fome honey to feed them during fpring. It is indeed, proba- ble, that every Queen is capable of laying only a certain number of eggs. Suppofmg, then, that we Ihould put 100,000 common bees in a hiv^, the old bees would gradually die out, and as there would be but one breeding Queen in the hive, it would foon have no more bees than any 19S Of the Honey Harveft. any other hive. Indeed, experience convinces me, that there never v^^as a hive, however large, profperons, and numerous of inhabitants in fummer, either naturally, or by being united, that did not gradually decreafe againft next fpring, fo as very little to exceed the moft or- dinary hives in number. It is true, indeed, that fome fwarms of bees, by being kept in a very large hive for feveral years, have had as much honey and v^'-ax, as three or four ordina- ry hives. But fuch cafes only occur, either v/hen two or three fwarms go together in fwarming time, or when a thriving fwarm continues for fome years in a large hive ; and, by collecling perhaps 6olb. of honey every year, and confuming only the half of it dur- ing winter and fpring, thus increafes the ftock of honey, and the weight of the hives, at the rate of 301b. a-year*. Neverthelefs * I am quite certain, however, that a great number of bees in one capacious hive, — -I fliall fuppofc 30,000, — will breed a- mazingly ; as they will have perhaps, in June or July, not under 7,ooo young in the cells 5 for almofl: every comb in the hive at that feafon, will be quite full of eggs, nymphs and young bees, all gradually coming forward. According to this calculation, allowing 18 days to pafs between the time that an eo-g is laid and a complete bee produced from it, there would not be fewer than 3C0 eorgg kid each day in the hive,—an aftonianng nura- be Of the Honey Harvejl. iQg Neverthelefs it is evident, that a hive that has a great number of bees in autumn, (lands ber to be all laid by one mother. Monfieur Reaumur fays, that the Queen will lay 2co in 24 hours j but I am perfuaded, that, in fome extraordinarily populous hives, (he lays near double that number. She is acknowledged by all authors to be very proli- fic. SwAMM£RDANE beheld in the ovarium of a Queen bee, 5100 eggs at once ; and Reaumur, fays, that, " in the fpace of *' three vpeeks, 6000 bees are brought to perfeftlon." Nor, in- deed, is this at all incredible, when we confidet that fome cod fifh have had no fewer than 9,344,000 eggs in their ovarium at once. * The prolific powers of the Queen bee feem to depend very much on the Hate of the hive fhe belongs to j and I am apt to think, that the increafe of a hive fcarcely ever fails on hfer part, if fhe be in a healthy ftate. For, during the months of May, June, and July, all Queens breed furprifingly faft, if the weather is good, and if they have abundance of common bees to rear the young brood. When one, therefore, has a hive, that, «n account of the paucity of its inhabitants, does not breed fall, were he to add a great number of common bees to it in Summer, it would foon increafe as fall as any in his apiary. It mull, however, be allowed, that fome Queens will be more fruitful than others, although a hive feldom fuifers from that caufa alone- One fingle author alledges, that two or three Queens may be permitted to live for a fhort time in a hive, during the mid- dle of fummer, and that of courfe a greater number of eggs will be laid each day, than if there were but one Queen in the hive. But I am pretty confident, that this is a miilake j for, among the many hundreds of fwarms, which I have driven out, I never faw more than one breeding Queen at a time. In- deed, perhaps, in one hive among fifty, I have obferved two Queens, * Nature delineated, p. 130. 200 Of the Honey HarveJI. a much better chance not to perifli by the feve- rity of the winter, than a hive that ha.s not half the number of inhabitants ; for which reafon I would earneftly recommend it to my readers, never to kill a single working BEE, at any feafon of the year ; but, in autumn, to unite all the bees of thofe hives, from which the honey is taken, to thofe that are intended to be kept as ftock hives. This will render them fit to defend themfelves both againft the fe verity of the weather in winter, and againfl robbers in fpring ; and will alfo greatly for- ward their labours as foon as the working fea- fon returns ; for, as has been already obferved, it is of the greateil importance to have the hives always well-ilored with bees. The time of taking the honey out of the hives is fometimes earlier, and fometimes later, according to the weather, and the earlinefs or latenefs of the flowers in the neighbourhood. I Queens, an old and a younjT one ; but that hive would have fent off the young Queen witli a new fvsarm probably in a day or two, as fhe was only waiting an opportunity for that purpofe •, and it may be obferved, that the young Queen was not then arrived at the age of laying eggs, as flie is about eight days old before flie can become a mother ; and therefore I am fully perfuaded, that there are never on any occafion two Queens in tl:ie fame hive, laying eggs at one time. Of the Honey Harvejl, 201 I have knovTn a hive of bees wade their honey, and the hive become gradually lighter after the firft week of Aiiguft ; and, at other times, in favourable v^eathcr, I have \tti\ hives of bees, that v^ere fituated near heath, (as mentioned, page 185) continue working keenly during the whole of Augud:, and the gx^eater part of Sep- tember, and become daily heavier. In a word, the harveil of honey, like that of corn, is ear- lier or later, more plentiful or fcarce, in difter- ent years, according to the weather and the cli- mate, and the variety of feafons and fituatioas. One general rule, however, may be laid down for the proper time to take honey. As foon as the flowers, in the neighbourhood of an apiary, are moftly faded, although the bees may continue to work in favourable days, yet their families being nov/ generally very large, they will probably confume as much honey in one day, as they will colled: in two. At this period, therefore, the prudent bee-mafter will firil choof:2 his ftock hives, according: to the di- redlions given, page 89. He will then put a mark on every hive he has picked out for this purpofe, and fell or take the honey from all the reft, whether good or bad ; for the fooner the honey is taken, it will run the more eafily out C c of 503 Of ths Honey HarveJI, of the combs. And, as it runs beft in warm weather, he flioiild take the honey, that he in- tends to run out of the combs, immediately after the bees have nearly given over work, and unite the bees to his Hock hives, as dire6l- cdt page 1365 &c. But honey, that is intended to be kept in the combs, ought not to be taken fo foon, as cold weather renders the combs more fit to be hand- led ; and as the bees are all to be kept ahve, and of courfe mud be maintained, it is of no con- iequence, in point of expence, whether they are allowed to feed on the honey in the hive they are foon to lea.ve, or on that of the hive to which they are to be united. Beiides, there is an additional advantage, that arifes from their being allovv'-ed to continue in their native hive 5 as the longer they remain in it, the more young bees will be hatched ; which both preferves a greater number of bees, and makes the honey combs more free of the young brood ; fo that there is no harm in keeping the bees in the hives till Oftober, when the honey is not in- tended to be run out of them. When the honey of a hive is taken in Au- tumn, and there is a great number of young in |he cellsj thofe combs which contain the young., and Of the Honey Harveji. 203 and which may be intermingled with bee -bread, ihould be carefully and gently placed in an eek, (fee page no, &c.), and a numerous hive put over it, to hatch out the young brood, and fack up the particles of honey remaining in the combs, and probably alfo make fome ufe of the bee-bread. This plan is of great advantage to the bee-ma.fter, as the young bees, which are always the bed, and which would otherwife have been totally loft, will thus be all pre- ferved ; befides that very little ufe could have been made of fach honey in the cells, as was mixed w^ith young bees, eggs^ and bee-bread. The eek and the combs may be removed in a- bout three or four weeks thereafter, and the hive fet down in its former ftation* if the bee-mafter has not as many good hives as he wiihes to keep for ftock, he may fup- ply himfelf,by conjoining the bees and honey of two light hives, and uniting them into one in September, as mentioned in page 47, The hea- viefl hive ihould be firft felec^ed ; after which, the bees and honey ihould be taken out of the light hives in the follov/ing manner : The Bee-mafter muft iirft drive as many qf Ihe biies as poilfble into an empty hive, as di-^ G c ?. reeled 204 Of the Honey Harvefi. reeled in page 138. But, at this period, and in all cold feafons, bees are not fo eafily driven out as in warm weather ; although, the taking them into a warm room, will make them run up the better. Afterwards, he fhould take the combs carefully out, efpecially if iti be a light young hive, one by one, with his hand ; and, in doing this, all the bees that are upon the combs may be gently fwept off with a large feather, into the hive, among their brethren. Their Queen muft then be taken away, with a- bdut 100 bees, and kept ciofe prifoners ; then re-inforce any hive with the common bees that appears to have feweil inhabitants in it, (as di- rected p. 136, &c.) or rather any hive that will give them the mod favourable reception ; and, as foon as all the bees are united and happy, the Queen, with her hundred attendants, may be introduced ; and, if the)^ j^^^ge her to be preferable to their own, (for the bees are doabt- lefs the beft judges in thefe matters) perhaps they will ele6l her and baniih their own Queen. About two days thereafter, the hive intended for the (lock may be re-inforced with the honey combs ; according to the diredlions given in pages 1 10, 11 1, and 112. The Bee-mailer iliould proceed in the fame manner Of the Honey Harveft, 205 manner with every other hive, from which he intends to take honey ; and if any of his neigh- bours fhould happen to be ftlll lb prejudiced in favour of old cuftoms, as to continue the bar- barous pradice of killing their bees, he may make an advantageous bargain with them, and fave the lives of the ufeful infeds, by oftering a trifle f6r them, which will fureiy be accepted, as the owners can otherwife gain nothing by them. By uniting thefe to his own hives, eve- ry hive in his apiary will be fully fupplied with bees and honey: And being now in a profpe- rous ftate, may be carefully covered over, and rendered fit to endvire the winter. See page 97. C H A P. XXVI. OF PREPARING HONEY AND WAX. J3efore entering upon this neceffary bufinefs, the bce-mafter fliould be properly provided with a fufFicient number of utenfils, fuch a^» large dilhes, jars, fieves, knives and fpoons. He ihould begin while the honey is warm, as it ^q6 Of preparing Honey a7id Wax. it will ran from tlie combs the more quickly ; and therefore, to prefer ve the heat till the ope- ration is over, the hive fhould be brought into a warm room. He fhould next take hold of the ends of the crofs flicks in the hive v/ith pincers, and loofen them by tvt^ifling them round ; after which they will be eafily pulled out. The edges of the combs fliould then be loofened with a knife from the hive all around. Upon giving the hive a gentle knock on the floor, on that fide which is oppolite to the broad fide of the combs, they will fall to that iide, and upon turning the hive, and giving it another knock on the oppofite fide, all tlie combs, which could be reached by the knife will be efFeclually loofened. The hive being ftill kept on its broad iide, the combs will all be above each other. The uppermoft being firil taken off, if there are any dead bees in it, they may be blown or brufhed ofE The combs ihould then be divided into three parts. The empty combs being iirfl: laid alide for wax; next the combs containing eggs or maggots ; and laftly, the inofl valuable part of the whole, the fine fealed combs, containing the honey, ihould be laid in a veiTel by themfelves. An afliflant fhould immediately be ordered to cut ■ thefe Of preparing Honey and Wax. 207 thefc lail into thin iiices, firfl; obferving to pare cfF the fealed mouths of the cells, that the ho- ney may run freely out. In this it ate they ihould be laid in iieves, or any other veilels that will afford a free paffage to the honey, which will ran quite clear, and the honey thus ob- tained fhould be kept by itfelf, as being the pureft and befl. Thofe combs which may be filled with a mixture of live young maggots, bee-bread and honey, iliould immediately * be put below flock hives, as directed page 202, &c. and the bees will foon fuck up all the hone^/ in them. When the fine combs are completely run, they fhould be put into a pan, over a flow fire, and flirred conflantly till they are more than milk warm ; when they fhould be put into a ftrong canvafs bag, and the honey fqueezed out. This honey being of an inferior quality, may be either nfed in the family, for common ufes ; or rather kept for feeding the bees. All the combs, from which it was fqueezed, may then be foaked in v/ater, and a weak kind of mead * All combs containing eggs and young in the cells raufl be put immediately to other hives, while they are warm ; for, fhould they i-emain two or three hours out of a hive, they will become chili and cool, h as to make them decay in the cells» 2oS Of preparing Honey and Wax, mead drawn from tlicrn ; or a flronger mead may be taken from the combs by foaking them, after the fined of the honey is run off, without melting or fqueezing them at ail. Indeed, in warm weather, fine combs will run almofl: quite dry, without the leaft preffure. My method of running honey is this : I hang up a wide riddle, with the iliced honey combs in it, about 5 feet from the ground : About 8 or i o inches below this, I pi ace a fieve, fomewhat w^ider in circumference than the riddle, and, at an equal diilance under the fieve, a fine fearch, pro- portionally wider than the fieve, under which, a foot lower flill, I place one of my earthen covers, defcribed page 98, with the bottom uppermoft, and a fmall hole in the top, to anfwer the pur- pofe of a funnel This lafl being properly fixed in aveffel of a fufficient fize,the honey that runs into it is completely purified from all ex- traneous matter whatever, by running through fo many different fieves at one time. Thus, in a few hours, in a warm day, I can have mv honey purified to the higheil degree of fine- nefs, without boiling or diluting it, or ufing any other means that would deprive it of its original genuine flavour ; for any fmall crumbs ^f wax, bee-bread or the like, that pafs through ^ the Of preparing Honey and Wax 2o^ the riddle, are caught by the fieve ; and if any thing ftill fmaller iliould pafs through the fieve, it is intercepted by the fearch, which permits nothing but the purefl honey to pafs through the funnel into the receiving vefFel; and thus the whole procefs is completed in a fhort time. During this procefs, the combs in the riddle may now and then be turned over with a knife, to make the honey run the more freely. This method fhould be adopted by all Bee-^ mafters, who have m.any hives and much ho- ney to run. But fach as have but a fiiiall quan- tity may follow the other plan, and their honey will do/ very well, if they only keep it free of young bees and bee-bread : for a few crumbs of wax running through the fieve will not hurt the honey, as it v/ill foon rife to the furface^ and can be ealily fiiimmed off. The combs being now entirely free of ho- ney, the next operation necelTary is to make wax. My method of performing this is quite fimple. I boil the combs in a kettle, v/ith a fufEcient quantity of water, over a flow fire, for about 40 minutes, during which time they are all melted, and I ftir them about frequently all the time. I then take two or three ladle- fulls, and put into a bag, fewed together in D d th@ 210 Of preparing Honey and Wax, the form of a funnel, and which is commonly called Hippocrates' s Lever. It is made of thin flrong canvafs, and of fuch a length, that the upper part may come over the end of a board, which leans upon my breaii, while the other end of it is placed in a veifel fit to receive the wax, from which I prefs out the water and the wax, pretty much in the fame way that the tanners drefs their leather. I generally boil what remains in the bag a fecond time, and fqueeze it again to obtain more wax. By this method, however, the wax caimot be got entirely out of the drofs ; nor in- deed can it be obtained by any other mode that I have ever feen or heard of being attempted. All the wax that is ultimately left among the drofs, in this way of feparating it, is of very little value, and would not refund the expencc of any further trouble. * After the wax is cooled in the tub, I again put it into the kettle with clean water, and hav- ing * I have tried fevcral other methods, in order to extraft all the wax from the drofs. Near twenty years ago, I got a prefs made for this purpofe, fomewhat refembling thofe which the candle- makers ufe to fqueeze their tallow with j but, finding it did not anfwer the purpofe, I laid it afide. I have alfo put in pra£lice Mr Keys's method, but, after repeated trials, found it not fatia- fsftory. Of preparing Honey and Wax, 211 ing melted it, I pour it into a bowl or vef- fel) I which is wider at the top than at the bottom, and fkim ofF any drofs that may float on the top of the wax. After allowing it to {land in fome warm place, that it may cool gra- dually, which prevents it from cracking, I take out the cake of wax, and pare off all the drofs from the under fide, till there be nothing left but what is fit for the merchant. The iliimmings and parings fliould be kept and boiled over again, next time any more wax is made, in order to obtain as much wax as pof- fible. ( J A veffel made fomething like a flower pot, that is both nar- row and deep, anfwers beft for this purpofe : as the good wax rifes to the top, and the droiTy part is much more eaiily feparated from it, than when the vefTel is broad and fhallow j as in this cafe, the cake of wax is thin, and not fo cafily feparated from the drofs, when cold. D d 2 C H A P« Of the diferent Kinds of Honey ^ CHAP. XXVIL 0? THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FIONEY. T appears that honey does not candy from cold alone, without feme other concurrhig cir- Ciimftances ; for among a number of hives, all equally expofed to the fame degree of cold, fome will be found to have candied honey in them, vvdiile others have none. Even in the fame hive, a comb will fometiraes be found, •with hoiiiy in it, partly candied and partly li- quid ; And it is well known, that fame honey •will turn thick and candy, almoil as foon as it is run out of the cells, fo early as the month of Auguft ; while other honey will continue liquid till November, December, or January : And fome very fine honey will remain till A- pril, before it candy. From all thefe faCls, it muft be inferred, that there are other concur- ring circumftances befides cold, that co-operate with it in occafioning honey to candy. What circumftances arc^ it is difficult to deter-- miiis. Of the different Kinds of Honey, 21 j mme. My opinion is, that tlie candying o£ honey proceeds partly from ^the nature of the flowers from which it is colledled, and partly from the time that it has remained in the hive. But againft this lad fuppofition an objeAion arifes, from this coniideration, that the very fined of v/hat is called virgin honey ^ will fome- times candy very foon after it has run from the combs, and become like fine white fugar *. • This fine Vv^hite honey is collected from white clover, and alfo from fome other flowers which yield a white juice, and it is reckoned by mofc people the fineft; of honey. But the fpecies of honey v/hich continues longed in a liquid date, and * Many authors affirm, that honey, candied in the comb, is ve- ry deflrii£live to bees, and alledge, that they may as well eat poifon j others infill, that it chokes them j while a third clafs alled^^e, that it hurts them by bedaubing them, with many o- ther whimfical fuppofitions. But thefe authors certainly have either taken their own dreams for realities, or have #rote upon truft •, which they certainly ought not, in a cafe that can be {. ; and moderns, 2 j the knowledge of them ilill in a flate of infancy, ih ; miftakes concerning them, iL ; encomium on their ir>duilry, 3 ; fwarm twice in good years, 4 ; profits arifing from them, ii>. 5, 6 ; ra- pid poffible increafe of them, ib. ; poetical eulogium on them, 7 ; difcouraged by bad weather, ib. j the author re- fembles them, 8 ; their work retarded by wind, 9 ; though they fometimes thrive in fuch fituations, 10 j pafturage pro- per for them, 1 1 ; bees very fond of the flowers of tur- nips, 12; rape, muflard, runches, 13; clover, 14 •, heath, furze, and broom, &c. 15 ; prefer fubftance to {how, 16; continue to work on the fame kind of flowers they firfl pitch on, ib. ; extremely fond o£ honey dew, 18 -, make no change upon the honey, 20, 21 j but only coiled it, 2j2 ; working bees ought never to be killed, 24, 25 ; (see kil- ling;^ bees formerly plentiful in Scotland, 28. ly; bad weather, the chief preventive of their thriving, 29 -, they will thrive, if they have but three days per week of good G g weather. 834 INDEX. weather, 30 ; fhould be taken care of, ih. ; no danger of overftocking a field with bees, 35 ; profit fi-om bees almoft dear, 39 ; they put their owner to little or no expence for food, 4© ; fhould be guarded againft cold, famine, and rob- beries, 44 ; they fometimes travel far for food, ik. 45 j ac- count of the Queen bee, 50 ; {see Qiieenj) great order among bees, ^^ ; diflrefs of the bees for the lofs of their Queen, ^6-^ advice of an old fage to rear another Queen, ib. 57 j followed, ib. \ the bees kill their fupernumerary ones, 66y 67 ; dcfcription of the drones, 67 ; {see Drones,) f\t'arms thrive without them, 73 ; account of the v/orking bees, 78 ; {see Working,) are extremely irritable, 82 ; how to change their temper, 83 ; dire£lions to guard againft their ftings, 82 ; bees fhould never be difturbed in cold weather. 100 j when frozen, may be reftored by warmth, ^ o i ; are much hurt by long confinement, 102 ; cat little in v/inter, 103 ; breed in all feafons, 1045 fwarm early in good feafons, 105 -, how to fupply them with food, 1 10 ; {see Food,) of their wars and robberies, 116 i {see Wars, Robberies,) they confume their honey faft when they lofe their Queen in Spring, 128; cannot always be prevented from fighting, 137; will put up with any habitation, 148-, time when they kill the drones, 181 ; lift of their enemies, 216, ^/eq j see Enemies, Hives, Swarming, &c. Benty ground, not proper for bees, 35. Berwichjhirej the author went from, to London, to confult Mr Wildman on bees, v. Birdsy enemies to bees, 22 1 j method to guard againft them, 222. Blojfoms of muftard and honey, when they appear, the air fmells of honey, 131 ; see Flowers. Board of Agriculture •, see Agriculture. Boards, or ftools for hives, defcribed, 96 ; see Stools. Boiling of honey, no advantage to it, 215 ; but rather the contrary, 216 ; see Honey. Mofdnejs and gentlenefs equally necelTary in handling bees, 13?. Bonner^ I N D £ X, 23S Bonner, James, the author's father, fond of rearing bees, iv ; anecdotes of him, ib.\ purchafed a family bible with his wax one year, i[>. •, and'nearly fupplied the family with oat- meal from his honey, ih. Boys may watch bees in fwarming time, 150. Bragivort, or weak mead, a fubftitute for fmall beer, 41. Breeding of bees, amazing extent of the, 198, 199 -, See Pro- lific Powers, Qaeen, &c. Britain^ the culture of bees has never been carried to any height in, vi. ; a great part of, covered with heath, 15 ; might foon export honey and wax, inftead of importing them, 27 ; might be almofl covered with bee-hives at pro- per diftances, 96. Broom, the flowers of, agreeable to bees, 15 ; benefits of al- lowing it to grow, 40 ; ought to be fown on dykes or wade ground, 43. Butler y a writer on bees, 2 ; quoted, 1O8. / Buttery honey a fubftitute for, 42. c. Calculation of the extent to which bees may be raifed, 5 ; of the quantity of honey and wax that might be produced in Scotland, 37 ; of the number of eggs laid each day in a hive, 198, 199; of bees brought to perfedion in three weeks, ib. 5 of eggs in a cod fifh, ih. Caloyery anecdote of a, 225. Canaan famous for honey, iv. I . Candlemas, the author once faw loaded bees fo early as, 125. Candied honey, enquiry into the caufes of, 212 ; not hurtful to bees, 213; /^^ Honey. Care, proper, to be taken of bees, 30 ; negleft of this a caufe of their not thriving, ib. Carriage of bee-hives by land, 9 1, 92^ 93 5 ^y water prefera- 23$ INDEX. Ca/esy n'me, of artificial fu arming, dated, 170, et feq. : see Swarming. Celli, royal, ereded by the common bees, to raife Queens, 60; feveral of them in a hive, 63 ; empty or falfe ones de- fcribed, ib. 64 ;" doubt refpeaing the matter thrown into the royal cells, 65 ; uncertain whether it is generative or nutritive,?/^.; the roval cells torn by the young Queens, 164; number, weight and form of them, 165; manner of their fufpenfion from the hives, ib. Chevy chace, quotation from, 174. Changing i\ic (imztion oihtts, advantages of, 185, et feq. ; see Situation. Choofing ftock hives, diredions for, 88. Bee Hives, Scptem- tember, &c. Clergymen advifed to keep bee-hives, 225 ; the wife of one draws a good deal of money from the author for her ho- ney, ib. y two have wrote on the fubje<£l, ih \ anecdote of a Grecian pried, ib. ; and of a Spanifh one, 226. Clover, a principal plant from which the bees colle£l honey, 11; continues long in flower, 14; ought to be raifed in great abundance, ib. ; the bees extremely fond of it, ib. \ produces white honey, 21 ; advantages of fowing it, 40 ; virgin honey colleiled from its flowers, 213. Clujlers of bees, fo firmly compa61:ed about a Queen, that they could hardly be fcparated, 170 \ this done fometimes by enemies, ih. ; fometimes by friends, 171. Cod Fijh, number of eggs in a, 199. Cold, extremely hurtful to bees, 7, 29, 44, 99, 100, 186, 217 •, how to guard them againft it, 100, loi, 103 ; many die in fevere frofts, 104, 121, 122-, the fame degree of, fatal to bees in Britain and P-uflTia, 105 ; as great here for one week as in Ruflia or Siberia, 106; whole hives of bees killed by cold, 197. Co/dinghatn, the author's native parifh, formerly famous for bees, 29 J capable of maintaining fifteen hundred bee- hives, 57- Colonies INDEX 237 Colonies of bees • see Swarming. Colony hives defcribed, 1 46 •, when, and by whom invented, 147; ufeful to the inquifitive philofopher, ib.; made in various forms, 148 ; see Habitations. Colour of honey, derived from that of the flowers it is colle£l- edfrom, 21. Comb^Sj fometimes melted in the hives, in very hot weather, 155; may be prevented by fcreens, ib.-^ feeding combs fliould be given to the bees, when their fituations are changed, 186, 187 ; honey runs beftfrom the combs when taken early, 201 ; and in warm weather, ao2, 208 ; but fhould not be taken fo foon, when the honey is intended to be kept in them, 10% *, what is to be done with the young brood, the bee-bread, and particles of honey re- maining in the combs, 203. Common, or working bees, defcription of, 78, 79 ; see Work- ing. Conclufton, 224, et feq. ad 229. Confinement^ long, hurtful to bees, 102, 1 21, I22. Cottagers, advifed to rear bees, vii. 227. Counties, an overfeer of hives might be appointed for two or three, 228. Country dealers unjuftly fufpe£led of adulterating their ho- ney, 214 i j-^^ Honey-dealers. Covers for hives, different kinds of, defcribed, 97, 98 j earthen covers, advantages of, 98 ; they laft well, gg. D. Dantxich, a voyage to propofed, 49. Days, favourable, three in the week, during the honey fea- fon, will enable bees to thrive, 30 j in thirty, a good hive will collea four pints of honey, ib. Dead, or empty hives, bees very fond of, 156 } see Hives and Swarming. Debraw, Mr, his whimfical fuppoGtion of little drones, -jOy and 23S INDEX. and that they Imptegnate the Queens, 71 ; experiment proving the contrary, ib., 72, and that the whole idea is a chimera, 73 ; the author offers his beft hive for feven of them, ib. Dedication, i. Difeafes of bees, 105, 106, 107, lai, \%'X ; fome perhaps con- tagious, 108. Driving of bees defcribed, 138 ; see Re-lnforcing, Swarming, &c. Drones, the afiiftance of, in producing eggs, not neceflary, 53, 54 ; experiments in proof of this, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60 ; defcription of them, 67 ; hitherto fuppofed to be males, 68 ; fruitlefs conje6lures as to their ufe, ib. 75 , various o- pinions ftated and refuted, 68, 69, 70 ; little drones fup- pofed to exift, 70; the contrary proved, 71, 72; a top fwarm will thrive without drones, 73 *, experiment with four, ib. ; which afterwards bred tliemj ib, ; the beft hives breed drones earlieft, 74 ; time of killing them, ib. 181 j a curious conjedlure, 75 ; not wholly unfupported by fa£l:s, 76 J and therefore not to be totally rejected, 771 without an experiment, which the author intends to make, ih., 78 ; manner In which the bees kill the drones, 1 83 ; they fhould be affifted, ib. ; make terrible havock among them, ih. ; efpecially In bad weather, ib. ; but rear them again in good, i^., 183 ', fometimes banifh them, ib. ; the confe- quences, ib. ; the author afllfts in killing them, when nu- merous, ib., 184 ; but not otherwife, ib. ; see Killing. Duel between two Queen bees, 173, 174 ; amicably fettled by the author, ib. E. Earwigs, enemies to bees, 2,22 ; how to fearch for and de- ftroy them, ib. Edinburgh, flowers numerous In the neighbourhood of, ^-^'i might maintain fome hundreds of bee-hives, 34. Eeh, INDEX. 239 Eek, definition of an, 1 10 -, diredlons refpedlng It, iii,iu, and 203. Eggs, difFerent kinds of, erroneouily fuppofed to have been laid by the Queen bee, 2 •, all the eggs in the hive laid by her, 52 ; doubts refpeding the eggs in the common cells, 62 ; and the decayed eggs, 128, 129 ; method to difcovcr them, 129 ; may continue in the hives for years, without much hurt to the bees, 1 30 ; probable that the Queen can lay only a certain number, 197 ; calculation of the number daily laid by her, 198 ; and brought to perfeftion, 199 ; of the number in a cod fiili, ib. ^ England, the plan recomm.ended in this work will fuit, as well as Scotland, vi. Encouragements, various experienced by the author, viii, ix, x, xi ; see Author. Encomium on bees, 3 ; poetical ditto, 5, Enemies of bees, account of the various, 216 -, ^ feq, man hi- therto the chief one, 216 ; how to guard againit them, \h. 217, ^ftq, ; see Ants, Birds, Cold, Earwigs, Famine, Filth, Impurity, Noife, Robbers, Spiders, Wafps, Wax-moth, Weather, Wood-lice. Entries to hives, exatSl fize of, 97 ; fnould be (hut up in win- ter, 99; and gradually widened in fpring, 133, 134; their fize in March and April, 1 34, and in the midft of Summer, ih. ; method of enlarging them, ih. Errors in the Author's former pra£lice, retracted and correc- ted, 130, 131, 178, '97. Exhibitions of bees, which the author can perform, 140, 141. Expence, little or no, incurred by rearing bees, 40. Etxperiencey length of the author's, in bees, 229. Experiments refpeding bees, 20, 22, 23, 56, 59, 7r, 73, 106, Exportation, honey and wax might be rendered articles of, xii. Tamme^ 24© ' INDEX. F Fatninty diredions to preferve bees from, no, it^, 131 ; see rood. Farmers, gentlemen, advifed to rear bees, 226, 227. Feedings see Combs, and Food. Filth hurtful to bees, 223, 224. Flowers, melifiuous, the number of, in Britain almoft infinite, vi. ; the principal ones proper for bees, catalogue of, 11, 13, 14, f 5 ; no kind of, refufed by them, \6 ; thofe firft pitched on, preferred ever after, ib. , honey contained in all flowers, 23 ; thoufands of millions of them in Scotland, 33, 34 j artificial to be raifed, where natural ones fail, 40 ; various kinds recommended to be fown^ 43, 44 : bees fly far in fearchof, 44, 45. Foody direQions how to fupply bees with, 1105 four methods, III, 113, 114, 115 ; weight of thofe hives that need fup- plies, 125, 126; a hive with few bees wdll generally re- quire none, 126-, bees (hould be fed, when young drones are torn out before fwarming, 183 j feeding combs (hould be placed before hives whofe fituations are changed, 187. Frsxen bees, method to recover, 106. Furze f the flowers of, grateful to bees, 15 ; bloflbras early and continues long in flower, ib. ; advantage of rearing, 40 ; ought to be fown on dykes or -wafle ground, 43. G '. Geddiey John, Efq; a writer on bees, 2 ; the inventor of colo- ny hives, 147. Generation of bees, a miftake concerning the, 2. Gentleman, opinion of an intelligent, refpeding the change of fyrup into honey, 22, 23 ; his experiment in proof of this, 23 ; anecdote of another, 44. ■Cenilemen of property, the incrcafe of Bee-hives beo-in to occu- py the attention of, 26 ; called upon to exert themfelves, 27» INDEX 24t 27, 34, 40 •, blamed for negle£ting the culture of bees, 28 j ought to employ perfons fkllled in managing them, 43 ; and to rear a fufficiency of food for them, ib., 44 •, the au- thor's concluding advice to, 224, Gentlenefs, neceffary in handling bees, 135, Goofeberry bufties, the flowers of, afford work and materials for beesi 15 ; (hould be reared, 227. Ground^ very little, will maintain many hives of bees, 12 ;fome ground does not naturally produce much food for bees, 35, FL Habitations^ proper, bees muft be lodged in, when they fwarcn, 44 ; made of different materials, and in various forms, 144 j MelilTus, the firlt inventor, ib. ; advantages of wooden hives ib. ; draw ones mofh generally ufed, 145 -, fizes various, ib. i can be enlarged by an eek, ib. ; directions refpefting flraw hives, ib., 146 •, colony hives defcribed, 146 j objections to them, T47 ', never generally ufed, ib ,• when and by whom in- vented, ib ; the only advantage of them, ib. ; varieties of them made, 148-, deficiency of empty hives in favourable years, ib. ; eafily fupplied, ib. ; hives whofe bees are dead, prefer- red by young fwarms, 156, 158; left fcanding either through ignorance or villainy, 157 ; a law againft this, (jf^^Law) ib. Harnefs^ or fafeguard, defcribed, 83. Harvejl of honey great, but the labourers few, vli, 33 ; see Floney. Havock dreadful, fometlmes made among the bees, 170 ; sei Robberies and Wars. Beat exceffive, hurtful to bees, 155 ; fuch a degree too feldom occurs, ib. ; bad effects of it eanly prevented by fcreens, ib. Heath, or heather, the bells or flowers innumerable, 14 ; bees fond of them, ib. ; the plant grows fpontaneoufly, 15 -, yields much honey ib. ; and of a high colour, 21, 214 ; advantages of placing hives near it, 185, 201. H h Highland 24a INDEX. Highland SoclztY' dedication to the, i, the author's plan laid before them by Sir John Sinclair, ix. he receives their high- eil premium, iL \ might give fmall premiums to encourage the culture of bees, 228. Highlands, the, turnips and rape recommerTded to be raifed in, 13. Hippocrates' s lleeve, a funnel for refining wax, defcribed, 209, 210. Hives of bees, three, purchafed by the author when very young, V, and gradually increafed, ib. ; very few in Scotland, viii, pra£licability of increafing the number greatly, i/^., ix ; pro- fit of keeping, 4, 5, 6 ; eftimate of the increafe of, in ten years, 5, 6 ; little ground will keep many at work, 12 ; the increafe of them a great national obje£t, 27, 40 ; reafons why there are fo few in Scotland, 28, 29, 30 ; almofl totally neglefled hitherto by men of property, 28 ; the wantof paf- tare not a caufc, 29 ; but the inconflancy of the weather, ii^. ; want of care, 30 ; and the poverty of many bee-mafters, 31 ; reafons for increafing their number, 32 ; pra£l:icability thereof, 34, 35, 36 ; poffible increafe, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44 ; how to attain it, 43, 44 ; objeclions, 44, 45 ; anfwered, 46, 47 J probable increafe in feven years, 48 •, another method of increafing them, 49 ; the author's confidence of its fuc- cefs, 50 •, directions to choofe ftock hives in September, 88, 89, 90 •, weight necefiary to lafl till June, 89, 90 j the youngeft fhould be preferred, 90 ; how to remove hives, 91, 92, 9^j 94 5 {see Removing,) how to prepare them for win- ter, 95, 96, 973 98 -, fnould not be placed too near each other, Q^ ; direSions as to the ftools, 96 ; the entries, /^., 97 •, and the covers, 97, 98 ; hundreds of hives deffcroyed by rniccj 97; fliould be kept clofe fhut up in froft and fnow, 99, 10c, loi ; feldom fail in a mild winter, 105 ; (hould be exa- mined in January, 109 5 deferted hives diouldbe kept to feed beef, ih.f 123 y good hives feldom much hurt by robberies, 120 -, hVes fomenmes found without a fmgle bee, 121 ; caufe, tj., 122, 123 -, one good hive worth four bad,. 123 ; weak hives deferted INDEX. ' 243 .defettcd gradually, ib. ; ftrong ones need no fupply of food, 125 ; weight of thofe that fl^ould be fupplied, il?., 126 ; a thinly inhabited one requires none, 126 j but awell-peopled one ought to be fupplied, even though it {hould not feem to need any, ib. ,- a hive ruined when the Queen dies in fpring, 127; figns that a hive is in this predicament, ib.j 1:8 ; and has been long without a Queen, 128 ; to diftin- gui(h abortive hives, 129 ; and how to manage them, 130 ; hives differ in the number of their inhabitants, 133 -, their entries (liould be enlarged gradually in fpring, 134; me- thods of doing this, ib. ,- various circumftances attending the Iwarming of hives, 150 ; previous fymptoms, 151 ; hives whofe bees are dead, preferred by young fwarms, 156, 158; left {landing through knavery or ignorance, 157; crirerion to difiinguifh between dead and living hives, 160-, and when a hive will fwarm a fecond or third time, 162, 163 ■, one large hive of more value than two fmall ones, > 67 ; weight and number of bees in hives, 1 68 ; how to treat a lying-out hive, 176, 178 J a fign of a thriving one, 180 ; advantag'fes of changing the fituation of hives to better pafture, 185, it/eq. the removal fhould be to a diftance, 1 87 ; a nume- rous hive gradually decreafes, 197, 198; but has often as muoh honey and wax as other four, ib. ,- and ftands a much better chance not to periOi, 199, 200 j hives fhould be al- ways well ftored with bees, 200 ; the bees of thofe, from which honey is taken, fhould be united to flock hives, il>. s hives fometimes become lighter after Auguft, and fome- times heavier, 201, see Habitation. Honey-dealers of Scotland do not adulterate their honey, 215 ; only fpoil it through ignorance, ib. \ are unjuflly fufpe£led, ib. Honey dew, dlfquifition concerning, 16 j Mr Key's opinion of it, 17 ; found only on a few particular plants, ib ; and m fine weather, 18 ; the bees exceiTively fond of it, ib. ; Tipped by ants, ih. ; very feldom feen, 19 j not once by the author upon oak leaves, ib. ; but on thofe of runche*. and white thorn, ib. H h 2 Ho/70'> INDEX. Honey, rich crops of, may be reaped without fowing, vii. a tolerable quantity produced even in the worft feafons, tb^ ; viil. : inference, viii. ix. the price of, reduced, 9 ; catalogue of the principal flowers that produce it, 11 ; various opi- nions refpeding it, 2c, 22 j fuppofed to undergo a change in the bladder of the bee, 20, 22, 23 \ the contrary proved, ib.^ %\ ; not above five minutes in the body of the bee, 21 j beft when youngeft, ib. ; not made, but only colIe£led by the bees, 22; perfe6l in the flowers, ib. ; not materially injured by keeping in the hive, ib. ; all flov/ers contain fome of it, 23 ; a conjeflure as to the quantity contained in the king- dom, ib., 24 5 price of it might be much reduced, 27 ; and thus it would become a fource of national wealth, ib. ; and an article of exportation, ib. ; immenfe probable increafe of it in {^ytxi. years, 48 5 honey of a deferted hive fhould be kept to feed bees, 109 j (hould be melted and poured into empty combs, 113 5 fubftitutes for honey, 115 , quantity of honey fuflicient to fupply hives, 126 ; mere coile£led by a certain number of bees in one hive, than by the fame num- ber in two, 167 j the reafon, ib. ; more collected in one very large hive, than in three or four ordinary ones, 198 j reafons, ib. ; time of taking honey, 200, 201 ; and manner, 201, 202, 203, 204 5 how to prepare honey, 205 ; and take it out of the hives, 2©6 5 method of running and filtering' honey, 207, 208, 2093 and fqueezing out the remainder, ib. ; or making mead of it, 208 ; of the different kinds of honey, 212 ; caufes of its candying invefligated, ib. ; does not from cold alone, ib. ; fome candies early and fome late, ib.; even virgin honey often candies quickly, 213 j candied! honey not hurtful to bees, ib. j the fpecies that remains longea liquid defcribed, ib., 214 j a beautiful high coloured honey obtained from heath, 214 • when candied, it becomes griftly, ib. ; old honey defcribed, ib.; not adulterated by the country dealers, 215 - though fometimes fpoilt through ig- worance, ib j anecdote of a knavifn dealer, ib. •, honey fliould not INDEX. 245 not be boiled, ib. 5 bed In its natural Hate, ib., 216- ciean- Imefs all that is neceffary to produce the fineft honey, ib. Honey harveft, great, but the labourers few, vii. 33 5 like that of corn, early or late, plentiful or fcarce, according to cir- cuir.ltances, 201 • fhould commence when the iiGwers are nearly faded, ib. • the fooner hon^y is taken it runs tbe more eafily, ib. j runs beft in warm weather, 202 j honey intend- ed to be kept in the combs Ihouid not be taken early, ib. j how to take the bees and honey out of light hives, 203, 204. Himiniitig, the melodious, of bees, chear the fpirits, 227. Impuriiy of every kind hurtful to bees, 223, 224. Increa/d oi bee-hives, reafons for the, vi. vi:. viii. pra6llcability of, ix, an important national objeft, 27 \ ot honey, poflible, in Scotland, 37 5 would reduce the price greatly, 41, 4^. j eftimate of, in feven years, 47, 48 ; see Honey and Hives. InfiinSi, a powerful fubftitute for rcafon, 53. Ireland^ the plan recommended in this work will fuit equally well with Sotland, vij Jujiicey courts of, trefpaffes in, refpe£ting bees, 157 ; punifhed in, ib^ K, Keys, a writer on bees, l; his account of the honey dew^ 17, 18 j and of the depredations of earwigs, 222. Killi^'g of bees condemned, 24, 4';' ; reprobated by Thorn fen the poet, ib.y 25 ; reafons againft it, 197 ; no working bee fhould at any time be killed, 200, 228 j this barbarous pradice wearing faft away, 216, 217 : of drones, the time of, 74 J a fign of a thriving hive, 180 ; feldom takes place till the honey feafon be nearly over, 181 j happens fooner In feme hives tl»an in others, i^. .- the bees fliould be af- filkd U6 INDEX, fifted in this work, 182 ; their manner of killing the droneSj iB. ; the author's manner, 183, 184 ; see Drones. Liimmas^ the fituations of bees fiiould be changed about, 185. J^aiv, faid to be againft allowing dead hives to (land in apia- ries, 157 ; if not, it ftiould be enuded, ih. ; an erroneous tlecifion en this fuhjeft, ih. ; would be a bad precedent, 1^8 : no perfon would be fure of his f warms, ih. ,- difiicul- ty dated, ih. , folved, ih. Leqfcs, a hint refpedling the granting of, to tenants, 228. Lime, plafter, the Ikirts of hives fnould be clofed up withj and the entries flraitened, p6. Loaded hets, time when they begin to appear, 132; at firft can be eafily counted, 133 ; in the lieat of fammer, defy al! power of ivumeration, ih. see Bees, Hives, &c. London, the author went from Berwick to, in order to con- verfe with Mr Wildman abput bees, v \ could carry an hundred bee-hives to, 140. Lying-out hive, how to treat a, « 765 j-f^ Hives, Swarming. M, Maggots, decayed, found in hives, 1 28 ; see Hives. Man, hitherto the chief enemy of bees, 216, 217. Management of bees, dire£lions for the, in winter, 99, et feq-. in March, April, and May, i2i, et seq., see Bees, Cold, Hives, &c. March, bees begin to carry loads in, 125 ; dire£lions how to manage bees in, 121, & seq. see Bees, Hlives, &c. Maxiuelij R. a writer on bees, 2; quoted, 157. May, how to manage bees in, 121, & j-^'^y. particular atten- tion to be paid to bees this month, 131 ; how to choofe a hive at this period, 134 ; see Bees, Hives, Management, &c. Mead, A fubftitute for ale and porter, 41 5 may be made weak I N D E X. m v/eak or flrong from the Loney that remains In the combs, 2.07, 2c8. Meiijus, king of Crete, the Inventor of bee-hives, 144 •, would probably never have been heard of otherwife, aaS. Melody of the humming of bees, a remedy for chagrin, ,227. Mtce^ the mod pernicious enemies to bees, 97, 2,17 ; deftroy hundreds of hives annually, 97. Mtlhons^ the only proper numerator for the flowers of Scot- land, 33, 34 J see Flovi^ers, Hives, Honey, Increafe, &c. i!/5/?^/&fj- concerning bees, a, 53, 68, 70, 73,104; fpecimen of, 2 ; correaed, 44, 45, 53, 54, 73, 104, 199, 213. Moorland fituations, turnips and rape, proper for, 13. Mother bee, the proper name of the Queen bee, 5 2 j her ap^e when fhe becomes a mother, 200 ; see Queen Murderers of bees, man, one of the chief, 216, 217, see Kill- ing. Mujtc of bees, invites different fwarms to join each other^ 166, 167 ; a remedy for chagrin or melancholy, 227. Mujlardy one of the principal plants from which bees extract honey, 11 ; they are very fond of its flowers, 13 ; fhould be fown at dlfFetent periods, to protra£l the flowering fea- fon, ih, 14, 43. N. National importance, honey and wax objects, of, 27, 40, 4?, Necejpiries, honey might be made a fubftitiite for fome, 41. Neighhouri-'g proprietors of bees fliould join in providing flowers, 46. Newcaflie^ the ladies and gentlemen of, fond of the honey produced from heath, 21 4. News-papers, hints, refpe6ting the management of bees, might occafionaily be given in, 228, 229 Noife, improper when a fwarm are rifmg, 152; birt neceffa- ry when they attempt to fly off", ih. ; in general hurtful to bees, 2^3 5 how to guard againlt it, ih. S4S INDEX. O. Oahf the lea^'cs of, honey dew found on, iS, 19. Oecommy rural, the culture of bees a branch of, within the reach of the pooreil cottager, vii. Old people, the increafe of bee hives would afford employ- ment for, 48, 49, 150. Order and regularity great among bees, 53. O'ver-JlocUng fields with bees, no danger of, 34, 35, 36. Oziersy the flowers of, afford honey and work for bees, 15. Pama/Jlis, account of a repafl of honey at, 2,25. I'arifoeSi fome, that have not twenty hives, might maintain three hundred, 32 ; a thoufand hives in each would not extra£l the half of the honey in their flowers, 37. Parlia'me?it, an act of, fhould be pafTed, if no law already ex- iils, againfL allowing dead hives to remain in apiaries, 157. Pafnirage of bees, ii. 7^1? Flowers, Muftard, Rape, &c. Pafture, good, bees thrive befb near, 10. Patriots called upon to attend to the fubje£l of this treatife, 2,7. Paucity of bee-liives, reafons for the, in Scotland, 28, 29, 30. Ph:/ifcus, a contemplator of bees, 2. Philofjphers puzzled to account for the diverfity of talents among mankind, iii. ; antient, who contemplated bees, i. 2, 144 \ bees worthy the attention of, 3 ; colony hives ufe- ful to the inquifitive, 147. Phtne-trcesy the flowers of, afford food for bees, 13 ; highly agreeable to them, ih. ; ought to be planted on purpofe, 43. Plcafure of keeping bees, i, 3 ; of the bee-mafter in feeing his hives fwaniiing, 151, 152 •, see Bees, Hives, &c. .P 5) 6, 38, 39. O. ^een bee, a miftake concerning the, 2 ; defcribed, 50, 51 j very pacific, 51 j ought to be called the mother bee, as fne lays all the eggs, 52 5 and excrcs no fovercignty, ib. ; is an- xious for the good of the commonwealth, ib. ; errors re- fpedUng her, 53 ; refuted, ib. 54 ; can be raifed from a common egg, ib ; can lay eggs to produce bees, and become a mother without feeing a drone, 55 ; experiment in proof of this, ib. 56; diftrefs of the bees for want of their Queen, 57 ; they ralfe another, ib. ; who lays eggs, 5§ ; another experiment, ib. ; objections, ib. ^(^ ; anfwer- ed, 59 j method of rearing a Queen, 60 ; gradual meta- morphofis, 61 ; doubtful whether every egg in a common cell can be raifed to be a Queen, 62 j the author has cauf- ed two hundred artificial Queens to be reared, 6^ } fign when a Queen may be depended upon, 64 ; difficulties re- fpeding the matter injeded into the royal cells, 6 j j more Queen bees raifed than are needed for fwarms, 66 ; the I i fupernumerary 5« INDEX. fupernumenry ones killed, ib. ; a fpare Queen, however, often ufeful, 67 5 little drones fuppofed to impregnate her, 'JO, 'jl j the contrary proved, 72, 73 5 when 1 Queen dies in fpring, her lofs cannot be fupplied, 127 ; the author can caufe the bees rear as many as he pleafes, 140, 141 ; the Queen, the only allurement for bees in fwarming, 153 j hides herfelf with great art on thefe occafions, i6z ; her petition or proclamation to her fellow €;migrants, t6^ ; feveral young Qneens fometimes in a hive, t'b. 165 j their voices different, z'^. ; conjecture refpeCling them, 163 ; royal cells torn by the young Queens, 164 y old Queens fometimes head a colony, z'i. ; the young ones often take an airing, J 65, 166 ; when fwarms meet they fometimes fight till one of their Queens be killed, 170; hundreds of bees clufter round them, zb. ', either for attack or defence^ i^. 171 ; Queen to be kept clofe prifoner, 171, 179; experiment with two Qiieens in one hive, ^73 ; a duel enfues, 174; the author feparates them, and faves both, ib ; confequences of the lofs of a Queen, 180, iBi ; probable that {he can lay only a certain number of eggs, 197 ; calculation of the number Ihe lays each day, 198, 199 ; number at one time in her ovarium, 199 ; fhe breeds amazingly faft, 2'^. ; but in pro- portion to the ftate of the hive, z'^. ; feme Queens more fruitful than others, i^. ; only one breeding Queen in a hive at a time, tb ; age, when fhe becomes a mother, 200. Rotations from Triftram Shandy, iii. ; Nature Delineated, 163 Mr Key, 17, 18, 73, 222*, Thomfon's Seafons, 24, 25 '■) Schirach 53, 54 j Bonnet, 545 Swammerdam, 68, 199. Debraw, 70 •, Stephen White, 103 j Wildman, 105 j Virgil, 117 j Thorley, 164, 192 jMaxwell, 157, 192 ; Chevy chace, 174. Reaumur, 19 1, 199 j "Wheeler's journey into Greece, 2,25, 226 ; the Account of the fheep m Spain, 226. R, B.n}:: -ijurlous to bees, 7, 36, i6g. set Weather. I N D E X^ 25t Rape, one of the principal plants that produce flowers proper for bees, n, 13 ; flowers later than turnips, 13. Reafons for the paucity of bee-hives in Scotland, 28, 29, 30, 31 ; for increafing their number, 32. Reaumur, a writer on bees, quoted, 19 f, 199. Re-inforcinghtQAmcs, direaions for, 135, et/eq. definition and obje£l of, 136 •, circumftances that render ic neceffary, iB, ,• precautions, ib. ; ambafladors (hould be fent to the deficient hive, 137. bees will fight at one time and unite at another, 138 j driving and rapping defcribed, i&. 139 ; the operation quite eafy, 140 ; how to re-inforce weak hives, 141, 142, 143. Remedies for the fting of a bee, 87, 88. Removing of bee-hives, 91, from a great diftance by land, 92 ; danger of jolting, 93 j water carriage far preferable, 94. Rich proprietors advifed to raife turnips, 12 ; might make much more of their bees than they do, 30. Robberies and wars of bees, 116 -, defcribed, 117 ; danger of coming near the battle, ib. ; caufes, 1 18 j how to diftinguifti robbers, 119; and get rid of them, ib. 120 ; robbers of the human fpegies deilrudive to bees, 217 ; as well as thofe of their own, ib. Roguip bee-mafters, dead hives left by, to entice their neigh- bours fwarms, 157; ought to be ftridly puniflied, ib. i {see Law) a roguilh honey dealer juftly rewarded, 215. Ro'^al cells eietled to rear Queens, 60, see Cells. RuncheSy the fldwers of, proper food for bees, 13. RuJJia, bees might be imported cheap from, 49 \ endure a fe- vere cold in, 105 •, the cold as great here one week lately, as in, 106. Safe- guard, or harnefs, defcribed, 83. ^allo-ws, the flowers cf, afford work and materials for bees, i^ ; ought to be planted by men of property, 43- Samfon's dead lion, made a hive of, by the bees, i4§. ^ I i a Sauvages^ 252 Index. Sauvages, Abbe Boiflier de, his teftimony that ants Tip honey dew, 19. Sca/es, fmall white, of wax, defcribed, 192 ; Mr Thorley's ac- count of them, tb. 193 ; very feldom feen, 193, 194 ; his inferences as to the forination of wax, controverted, ib. j and refuted, 194, 195. Zchirach^ Mr, refutes fome old errors rcfpe£llng the Queen bee and drones, 53, 54 j his experiments fatisfa6lory, 54. Scot/and^ conje£lure refpedting the quantity of honey and wax: it might produce, 23, 24; reafons why there are fo few bee-hives in it, 28, 29 ; probability that bees were former- ly more plentiful in it, ib. j abundantly fupplied with pro- per food for bees, 32, 33, 34. Screens, in exceffive hot weather, {hould be ufed to keep off the fun's rays, 155. SeafoTis, the worft, a tolerable quantity of honey produced in, viii. September, how to choofe flock hives in, 88 ; the Bee-mafler's feed time and harveft, 89 ; hives cheapeft then, ib. see Hives. Siberia, the cold in Scotland for one week,lait winter, as great as in, 106. Sinclair, Sir John, the author's firft: meeting w4th, x. the for- tunate confequences, ib. xi xii. see Author. Situations, unfavourable for bees, 35 -, fuch as are proper for bee-hives, numerous in Scotland, 40 ; early, recommended, 1245 advantages of changing them, to better pafturage, 185, 15" pq. the only danger, i85 ; diredions how to change them, ib. ; how long to keep the bees prifoners, ib. ; and how to treat them, 187 \ the removal (hould be to forne diftance, ih. j bad confequences if too near, 18^, 189. Snails, the whole genus of, faid to be hermaphrodites, 66 \ of- ten creep into hives, 97 ; but feldom do much hurt ib Society, the Highland, the author receives a Premium from, xi. see Highland. Soliloquy in a garden, 33, 34. ^6ng of the bees, a (ign of their health, lea. Spain INDEX. 253 Spain, bec-hlves Incredibly numerous In, 226 ; number in the pofFeffion of one prielt, ib. *S>/./-?r^,a fimile drawn from, 196 ; enemies to bees, 222 ; how to deftroy them, ib. ^pies fent out before fwarming by the bees, 156, 159 j their ambaffadors fometimes fufpeded to be, 188. Spring, hives fometimes found in, without a fingle bee, 121 j the author's method of managing bees during, 124 j his ce- lebration of the return of, .32 • entries of hives Hiould be widened in, 133, 1,4. ^Ling of a bee, defcribed, 80, 81 ; its wound proveg mortal to fmall animals, 81, as M'ell as to the bee, ih. ; dlredions to guard againft it, 82, 83, 84, 85 ; efFeas of it on dif- ferent perfons, 86 ^ remedies, 87, 88. ^tcch hives, average profit from, 4, 6 •■, probable increafe- of, 5 ; may be preferved fn the word feafons, 9 j increafe from, in a good one, 44 j direflions to choofe them in September, 88 ^ and prepare them for winter, 95 ; fliould be chofen and marked, when the neighbouring flowers are moftiy faded, 201 j how to fupply a deficiency of flock hives, 203 \ mode of operation, 204, 205 j bees may alfo be purchafed cheap from bee-killers, 205. Storm^ the late, fatal to bees, 121, 122 5 see Cold. Suhfcribers, names of the, xi, et feq. Summery the midft of, incredible rapidity of the bees in, 133; entries of the hives fhould then be widened, 134 ; hovv to re-inforce a weak hive in fummerj 141 5 Queens thtu breed very fad, 199. Sxuammer dam's opinion as to the ufe of drones, 6S ; refuted, il-. Siuar rnhg oihees, artificial, fometimes equally neceflary and advantageous, 350, 168, 1795 deftiu61ive to bees when attempted by unfkilful perfons, 'Z-. ; diredions how to perform it properly, i-jc; when two fwarms meet, z6. ; and do not unite, 171 3 a Qneen may be offered to each, 172) the critical moment to do this, /^ ^ account of two hivei that were, united, 173 ; ai-.d cf a duel that enfued be- tween £54 I N D E X. tv/een the Queens, 174 j how to ad when half the young fwarm have been prevented from emigrating, 175 ; with a fniall fwarm and lying- out hive, 176 j with two fmall fwarms, 177 5 with an old hive that has a royal cell, and an empty one, ib. 5 with a hive that has long lien out, 178 j the author's former pra^ice, ib. j now almoft en- tirely given up, 1795 how to return a fwarm, when the mother hive cannot fpare it, ib. \ and how io prevent a late fwarm from coining off, 180 j set Bees, Hives, and Re- inforcing. Ewarmifig of bces, natural, preferable to artificial, when it can be obtained, 149; the time uncertain, 150 5 attendance ne- celiary, ib. j variety of chances refpecling fwarming, ib. , previous fymptoms, 151 j a certain fign of its taking place, ib. J manner of fwarming, ib. -^i^i) beautiful appearance in the air. 152; noife imneceffary, except when the bees attempt to fly off ib. 5 caution to be obftrved, 153 5 means to make them fettle, ib. j muft be carefully watched till the heat of the day be over, 154 j will fometimes fly off, notwithftandmg every method is ufcd to prevent them, 155 j young fwarms fond of old hives, whofe bees are dead, 156 j fuch hives of- ten left on purpofe to entice them, by roguilh bee-mafters, 157 J this equ see Honey. Virtue^ bees emblems of, i. Voyage to Dantzick for bees, prcpcfed, 49. , W War, man of, more honey and was might be produced than v/ould load a fiift rate, 24. JF^rrx of bees defcribed, 116, 117, 119-, caufes, 1185 pre- ventivea, 119, 120; fometimes happen at re-inforcing hives, 136 ; cannot witii certainty be prevented, 137 ; fome- times occur among emigrant bees about an empty hive, 156, 157 ; fometim.es by the bees miftaking their own hive, 158 ; fometimes by two fwarms meeting, 170 *, who^ will ti^ht till one of their queens be killed, ib. j and make dreadful havock, ib. j methods to put an end to the battle, 171 j and pacify them, 172 5 a duel between two Queens, 173, 174. Wafps, great enemies to bees, 218 ; methods to extirpate, ih. Ji'^'ater carriage of bees preferable to carrisge by land, 50, 94 • water mixed with honey ferments, 215. Wax moth^ an enemy to bees, 220 \ account of its depreda- tions, ib. 5, an imprudent remedy, 221. Wax., quantity of, that might be produced, 24 \ price might be much loweied, 27 j would becoiTie a fouri(^-of national wealth, ib.^ 41 ; eftimate of the poflTible increafe, 37 \ ap- plied to various ufes, 42 5 immeiife probable increafe of, in feven years, 48 j fometimes melted in the hives in very hot weather, 155 j method to prevent this, ib. j difquifition re- fpefting the formation of it, 190, 191 ; Mr Thorley's opi- nion, 192, 193 -, difputed, 193, 194 ; proofs of its fallacy, 105 j the author's opinion, ib. 196- analogies in proof of it, 195; mei';hod of making or preparing wax, 2095 and, refilling it, 210, 21 1. Weahh, n?.;t;onal, hcney and iihx^ great fovrrces of, 27, Weather INDEX. 457 U^eathery good favourable to bees, 6, 7 j bad, very hurtful to them, vii, 7, 8, 9, 29, 223 5 inconftancy of it, the only pre- ventive of bees from thriving, 29 j how to guard againft its effefts, vii. 223 j /-^ Cold, Heat, Rain, Wind, &c li^e'/ght of hives, that require fupplies of food, 125, n6 ; of honey fufficient for that purpofe, 126 j of fwarms, 168 j of hives increafed by changing their fituations, 185 ; by the jun£lion of fwarms, 198 j and by being long kept, ii> Wheeler ^ George, Efq-, his account of a repaft of honey, 225^ 226. White clover, white honey extra£l;ed from, 21. White matter thrown into the royal cells, by the bees, difqui- fition concerning it, 6^^ 66, White Stephen and W. writers on bees, 2 j the former quoted^ 103 ; and refuted, ib. White thorn, honey Azw obferved on the leaves of, 19. Wildmatiy Mr, a writer on bees, 2 5 quoted 19, 105 \ his rea- foning upon the cold endured by bees in Ruflia, 105 j con. troverted, ib. 106, 107, fays that ants do not hurt bees, 222. ^iW hurtful to beeSj 7^ 29, 169. Winter, how to prepare flock hives for, g^, 96, 97, 9S j and to manage them in, 99, 100, loi, 102, j a mild one fup- pofed to be dangerous to bees, 103 j this opinion refuted, ibi 104: experimet?ts, 1075 fevere winters fometimes kill whole hives, 197- tVofii/ers, fee- Ingly incredible, which the author can perform with beesj 140, 141. JVood-Iice hurtful to bees, 233 5 how to extirpate them, tb. Wood, advantages of hives made of, 144 Working, or common bees, Schirach's opinion of, 54 ; any one capable, in an early Uage, of becoming a Queen, ib. ; delcnp- tion of them, 78, 79' 805 differ in feme particulars from both Queen and drones, 80 , compofe the whol^ community for thTee fourths of the year, 81 ; perform the whole labour of th.hive. ib-^ and kill the drones, tb. > ualefs hurt or ax- K Is fronted, ajS I N D E X. fronted, they feldom ufe their ftings, 82 5 extremely irrita- ble, ib. ; directions how to handle them, ib. ; their organs of f ' el'iinjr very acute, 84 5 they never fling when at work, 85 •, {see :-tting ;) not one of them (hould be killed, 200. Worms, filkj -nalo^ous to bees, i^6. Tears peculiarly favourable to bees, viii. 4, 9, 105 j probable increafe of hives in ten, 5 j ditto in feven, 47, 48 5 years hurtful to bees, 104. T^Z/qw, the fields and bees legs equally fo, in May, 133. X'oung bees fometimes found decayed in the cells, 1 28 ; (^see Bees and Cells j) the rnore will be hatched, the longer the old ones remain in the hives, 202 ; hov/ to preferve the young brood, when the honey is taken, ib., 203. Toung fwarms fometimes defert their hives, I23,>r«'^ fwarming. ^ea/, patriotic, of the bees, in defence of their Queen and hive, 170, 171, see Qu.een, Wars, &c. ADVERTISEMENT. Any Gentleman, or Lady, who may he dejirous of conjulting or employing the Author of this work, with regard to the Management of Bees, in any refpeEi, upon addrejjing a line to him at Mr Grant's, Leitb Wyndy Edinburgh, will be duely waited upon. The Author embraces this opportu^iity of returning his hefl thanks to his numerous cuflomers in general^ and to thofe of this metropolis in particular, for the 'very liberal encouragement he has repeatedly met 'with from them as a Honey Dealer ; and begs that they will favour him with their orders, as early as poffible,for the honey of the enfuing feafon^ to prevent danger of being difappointed. E^pINBURGH, ? July 18. 1795. 5 ERRATA. ?AGB V Line 19th, For both read all three. — — 9 — — yth, Foi dses read do. — — 21 2ifl, For conmojfeurs read cenrioijfeurst — — 2a — _ J 8th, For »?^ij«f read meat. • 2Z • 37th, For gentlemen Te2id gentleman. — — 27 ' 26ch, For iT« article read articles. ' 29 — —4th, Vor preventati've Tcu.d fre-venti-ve. — — 31 — — aift, and aad, For Jhe prove a iad cne and die, read oi^/i or all of the bees die. ' 37 — — i6th, For 80,000, read 320,000. " ' ■ 47 — — 29th, For comities read countries. ' 76 7th, For breed TC2ii. bred. ■ iao — — 19th, For fame fore read a blood^. "— — 136 — 17th, For her read it. ■ ■ ■ 149 — — ad. For Ion read lion, y *_— I2th, For XIX read XX. ■ 152 2d, For no read every. — — 159 13th, For as read that. '• ■ - —— ■ 3iil, For brujh read iufi. • 199 8th, For SwAMMERDANE read S\¥'ammerdam. — — aiO — — 3d, For lever YC^dJleeve. -— 215 jd. For floiuer, read four, «»— — — » . 19th, For fomented rt^^d fermented. ■•' ^