Spring Management
Those who commence an apiary by the purchase of established stock-hives, and who did not secure such in the autumn, can, with the opening of February, and for the five or six weeks ensuing, make a selection of those that have the characteristics of health and strength, which may generally be ascertained on a fine day, by observing the quantity of farina carried into a hive. “The best time,” says Payne, “to establish an apiary is from the middle of February to the middle of March. The stocks will have passed through the winter, and the removal is safe and easy. There are few commodities in which a person can be so easily deceived as in a hive of bees. I would, therefore, recommend the young apiarian to take the opinion of some experienced person before he makes his purchase. If the hive is not of the preceding year, its weight is no criterion of its value; for an old stock contains a large quantity of pollen.” An examination of the combs, as to discoloration, will often be a useful criterion of age. The selected stocks should be removed to their new quarters by hand, at dusk, to be no more disturbed.
Cleaning or changing Floor-boards.—All who have been accustomed to the care of bees must have perceived the saving of labour to them, in the early spring, in the cleaning of their floor-boards, by scraping away all filth, removing dead bees, refuse wax, &c., and thoroughly drying them. In many cases the best and quickest plan is to change the board, and particularly when it shows signs of decay, which always leads to mischief.
Comb-pruning.—In conjunction with an examination of the floor-boards, opportunity can be taken of observing the state of the hives, as respects their combs. Where these are seen to be old, mouldy, mildewed, or infected by moths, they should be cut away; as also when they have become filled with a mass of stale pollen and useless honey; at the same time taking care not to disturb any brood there may be. Hives sometimes contain too large a proportion of drone-combs, which can now be removed with advantage. Some persons use a little smoke, but at this season it must be resorted to sparingly, as the bees are weak. They will speedily fill up the vacancies thus made, and a stock in this way partially renewed may be continued in health several years, provided the hive itself is in good state. Nevertheless, it may be well to recur to an opinion we have already expressed, that it is often more to the interest of the proprietor to allow a stock to swarm rather than to persevere for several succeeding seasons in preventing it, in a hive constantly becoming worse for occupation.
General directions.—As soon as vegetation begins to appear, with genial weather, all obstructions to the free access to the hives must be removed; and by degrees extended space given at the mouth. The critical time for the bees is now approaching; for in February brood often rapidly increases, requiring greater attention to a uniform warmth. The tops of the hives, therefore, should be closed in, to prevent currents of cold air, often at this time fatal both to the eggs and larvæ, as may be seen by the ejectment of dead grubs. Even much later on in the season the recurrence of cold days will leave certain proofs of mischief; and at such times the mouths of the hives ought again to be contracted and screened; carefully retaining till all danger is past the outer coverings to the hives.
The bees will now, in fine weather, go forth in search of pollen, which they bring into the hive in large or apparently in useless quantity, so as sometimes to render it necessary afterwards to remove it, at a great expense of labour. “This,” says Gelieu, “is the only point on which they can be accused of a want of that prudence and foresight, so admirable in every other respect.” A supply of pollen, together with water, are the first requirements of the spring, both essential to the brood, and the eagerness of the bees to seek them is a certain indication of health and strength in the hive.Y At page 102, a list is given of early flowering plants, which it is desirable to have in the immediate vicinity of the hives. At present the bees are weak, and incapable of a long flight: the weather, too, is often unfavorable for it.
An attentive observer will now readily distinguish the strong, healthy stocks; but now and then a family may be seen sluggish in its work, though, perhaps, not deficient in numbers. The cause may generally be traced to an unfruitful Queen, to be got rid of as soon as the season is a little more advanced, and a successor can be reared in the way described under the head Queen Bee. Or, it might happen if the Queen dies before the bees have the means of establishing another, when an abandonment of the hive often ensues, though honey may still be plentiful in store. Prudence will at this time point out the expediency of surveying the state of the apiary as to repairs, painting, &c., to be done before the bees have fully entered into a state of activity.
Spring-feeding.—It is well now to examine the remaining stock of food, for much will shortly be required for the increasing numbers. If needed, some must be given, though in less quantity than in autumn; and it ought to be placed within the hive, either at the top or bottom; but the time is arrived when every precaution should be used to prevent the effects of chill to the brood, by the creation of cold currents. It usually suffices to supply food about three times a week, but the feeding trough must be closely covered, to keep up the temperature, or the bees will not at first enter into it. When this is the case, some proprietors do not hesitate to invert a hive, and pour a cup of honey amongst the combs: the bees will soon lick one another clean. Or, in lieu of a trough, I have used a tin vessel, holding nearly half a pint, open at each end, made somewhat taper downwards, the lower end fitting into a hole on the top of the hive, of about two inches. This part is somewhat loosely tied over with linen cloth, through which the bees suck the food. It may be made cylindrical, if preferred, with a flanch to rest upon. At this season it is well to give the food slightly warmed. Many persons recommend feeding even the strong hives, for it is certain the bees are stimulated by the increased temperature to which it gives rise; and there can be no doubt of the importance of bringing the stocks forward as early as possible. But no feeding, unless from absolute necessity, should be resorted to till a certain degree of animation is visible in the dwelling, otherwise the bees are prematurely put in motion, and numbers perish, unable to reach home. Nor is it of less importance to observe that feeding is not discontinued too soon; for even after warm days there will be a return of ungenial weather, and a stock might perish where a very little additional food would have saved it. But some limit should be put to the quantity as the weather becomes fine and warm; for I have known evil arise where the cells have been filled by the bees with sugared mixtures, at the time when the Queen requires them to deposit eggs. We have already alluded to the advantages of a supply of water withinside, in the very early year, before the bees can go abroad.
Where honey is abundant, it is of course preferable; and it is no worse for being slightly made liquid with water. In other cases various kinds of substitutes have been resorted to. I have used good sound ale, sweetened with sugar and honey, and boiled for a minute or two: the usual proportion is a pint to a pound of refined sugar, adding a fourth part of pure honey, which imparts a flavour the most agreeable to the bees. A tablespoonful of rum still further improves the compound. Mr. Golding recommends a very similar mixture; to which, however, he adds a teaspoonful of salt and a glass of wine. Payne prescribes lump sugar, in the proportion of three pounds to a pint of water, boiled for two or three minutes, and mixed with a pound of honey.
The kind of food we have been describing is that which is most commonly used for bees at this season. I have, however, turned my attention, occasionally, to the saving of trouble that arises where food can be given them in a concrete form, to supersede some of the evils attending the common methods of administering liquids at this season. In one of my feeding troughs I have sometimes put some large lumps of refined sugar, dipped previously in water till pretty well saturated, which the bees will appropriate. Of the various concrete saccharine preparations, however, I have found none entirely combining the needful requisites except that in which the crystallizing properties of the sugar had been altogether destroyed. It is well known that this change can be effected by certain methods of boiling. I believe I am correct in stating that the heat required to convert crystallizable into uncrystallizable sugar is from 320° to 360° of Fahrenheit. If, therefore, to two pounds of loaf sugar half a pint of water is added in a saucepan, it must be boiled up to a temperature not exceeding 360° of heat. This may be pretty well known when the syrup becomes brittle; ascertainable by suddenly cooling a little on a cold substance, or plate, when it begins to assume a pale yellow colour. The longer it is exposed to heat, up to this point, the more perfect is the change produced; but about twenty minutes’ boiling is usually sufficient. If, instead of water alone, a fifth to a fourth part of vinegar is mixed with it, the process is expedited; and when thus made, the bees appear to give it a preference. The whole must be poured out gradually upon a cold dish, or a slab of stone, marble, or slate, previously rubbed with a very little fine oil, or other unctuous matter, to prevent adhesion. In a few minutes it is sufficiently stiffened to allow of being cut, with a pair of scissors, into such conveniently-formed pieces as are best adapted for insertion into the hive at its mouth. To those who do not object to the trouble of preparing this kind of bee-food themselves, the cost may be estimated at that of the sugar, as there does not appear to arise any loss in weight. It will be seen that this preparation differs but little from the common confection, familiarly known as barley-sugar. The bees, as lambent insects, have no difficulty, from the deliquescent properties of this concrete, in appropriating it speedily; and in the use of a large quantity I have always found it to be unaccompanied by the usual degree of disturbance, observable when honey is administered. It may be given at any time of the day; and an impoverished family might frequently be saved by inserting a few sticks of barley-sugar within a hive, when any other mode of feeding was impracticable. In fact it would appear that no other artificial food is so acceptable to the bees; and much of it doubtless returns to the proprietor, intermixed with natural honey. By the process we have described, common sugar has now been converted into a substance much resembling in its properties the saccharine matter of certain fruits, as grapes, &c., known as uncrystallizable sugar; probably nearly identical with the honey collected by the bees from the nectaries of flowering plants. After exposure to the action of a moist atmosphere, the concrete soon assumes a dissolved form; and so, thenceforth, remains, as I have proved by keeping it, in any way unaltered, for several years; in short, it becomes a substance very much resembling honey.Z
Enemies and robbers.—The enemies of bees, already pointed out at p. 116, should now have the attention of the proprietor; and more especially robber-bees, for these are sometimes troublesome at this season, particularly where the hives are placed not sufficiently apart. On this subject we would refer to what has been said at p. 131. Let a vigilant look-out be given for Queen-wasps, now becoming common, and destroy them in any way possible; remembering that each of these is the parent of a future family. When the wasps are seen to alight, the use of a garden syringe and water is often effectual in disabling them from flying, when they are easily killed.
Super-hives.—As the season continues to open, young bees will become numerous, timidly peeping out of the hive, and distinguishable by the lightness of their colour. With genial weather, wealth also rapidly accumulates; and the strong odour of the hive, and increased activity of its inmates, attest the growing prosperity of the family. Attention now is requisite to these symptoms of a rising temperature, and, consequently, to the crowding of the hive. If the glass windows become sensibly warm, attended with clustering at the mouth, increased building room should at once be given, as detailed at pp. 23 and 119, or under the head of Nadiring stocks; for a fertile Queen will require a large proportion of the stock-hive for the purpose of depositing eggs. Should a few cold nights ensue, the supers must be kept covered; and more especially glasses, which the bees will desert unless a warm temperature is fully preserved in them.
I much doubt the probability of preventing the swarming of bees, where the extra storing room is delayed till royal cells have become tenanted, or, perhaps, only formed. Mischief has also frequently arisen where the bees have all at once had a large additional space given them of too cold a temperature; and often rendered more unacceptable by undue or ill-timed ventilation, as in using Nutt’s hives was often the case. The same cause has sometimes operated to prevent progress of any kind; and in a collateral hive, thus managed, I witnessed the fact that, during five or six successive seasons, there was no more breeding or storing than barely sufficed to keep the unhappy family in existence, the proprietor deriving no benefit whatever.
Temperature and weather.—With the advance of the season, and a more abundant efflorescence, the buzz of the hive becomes louder and more general, and particularly when the family are all assembled at night. And now the exertions of the bees are called into action for the purpose of promoting ventilation, and expelling the vitiated air. This they accomplish by means of a rapid and continuous fanning, or vibration of their wings, giving rise collectively to the sound usually termed humming; and which is readily distinguishable from the sharp, angry note emitted by a bee under the excitement of irritation. Sometimes the heat of the hives impels the inhabitants to seek a cooler temperature by clustering on the outside. At such times it is often well to aid in moderating the warmth by slightly raising up the bottom edge of the supers with a few strips of wood or lead. At p. 115, we have given some general recommendations relative to the shading of exposed hives, now to be attended to; as also on the subject of water.
In most localities, the best part of the honey season will now be approaching; and much consequently depends on the state of the weather. In particular, a prevalence of dry easterly winds, acting on vegetation, causes the suspension of almost all operations; so that the main honey-storing time is often limited to three or four weeks in the season, or frequently even less, in our uncertain climate. The secretion of honey is remarkably promoted by an electric state of the atmosphere. Huber says truly of the bees: “I have remarked that the collection by these creatures is never more abundant, nor their operations in wax more active, than when the wind is from the south, the air moist and warm, and a storm approaching.” A certain commencement of the latter is to be looked for when the bees are seen rapidly hurrying home in crowds to the hive. Payne may be cited in this connexion. “I am not aware,” he observes, “that bees have ever been placed in the list of those animals which are said to foretell the changes of weather, as many of the feathered and insect tribes are; but in my opinion they stand foremost of the weather-wise. A nice observer, by looking at them in the early morning during the working season, will very soon be able to form an opinion as to what the day will be, and that almost to a certainty; for they will sometimes appear sluggish and inactive, although the morning is very bright, and showing every appearance for a fine day; but the sun soon becomes clouded, and rain follows. And, again, the morning may be dull and cloudy, and sometimes rain may be falling; still the bees will be observed going out in considerable numbers; and as sure as this is seen the day becomes bright and fair.”
“Thou wert out betimes, thou busy, busy bee!
When abroad I took my early way:
Before the cow from her resting-place
Had risen up, and left her trace
On the meadow, with dew so gray,
I saw thee, thou busy, busy bee!
Thou wert alive, thou busy, busy bee!
When the crowd in their sleep were dead
Thou wert abroad in the freshest hour,
When the sweetest odour comes from the flower;
Man will not learn to leave his lifeless bed,
And be wise, and copy thee, thou busy, busy bee!
Thou wert working late, thou busy, busy bee!
After the fall of the cistus flower;
I heard thee last as I saw thee first,
When the primrose free blossom was ready to burst;
In the coolness of the evening hour,
I heard thee, thou busy, busy bee!”
Southey.
Swarming.—The month of May, in fine seasons, usually brings with it the period of the greatest interest to the proprietor, as regards the swarming stocks of bees; on which subject we would refer to p. 21. Drones now begin to make their appearance, darting out of the hive in the middle of warm days, though occasionally in strong stocks they may be seen in April; in which event early swarming may be looked for. The usual limits during which swarming takes place vary in different localities; but in general they are comprised in the months of May and June; though in extraordinary circumstances a swarm may issue somewhat earlier, or a little later than this. When it is expected, the hive should be watched from ten in the morning till two or three o’clock, after which time swarming rarely occurs. In particular, the bees ought not to be left for five minutes if a hot sun intervene between showers; for a greater predisposition to swarming then exists than in dry weather; it seldom, however, takes place with an east or north wind.
It is not always easy to distinguish the appearances that precede a first (or prime) swarm, and experienced apiculturists are sometimes deceived. If, however, we had access to the interior of the hive, the usual time would always be found (accidents as to weather not interfering) to be that in which the larvæ of the royal cells were about to be transformed into nymphs, and therein sealed up; viz., eight or nine days before the young Queens are matured; for it is to be remembered that on the occasion of a first swarm it is always the old Queen that accompanies it. The issue of a swarm is frequently to be expected when the bees have remained for some time previously in a state of seeming inertness, followed by an unusual commotion among the drones; and more especially if these make their appearance in the morning, hanging out with a cluster of bees; conjointly with a disinclination to foraging abroad, among the workers. If, in addition, the honey previously stored in a super is observed to disappear suddenly, swarming may be anticipated, as the bees load themselves before leaving home. But mere clustering at the mouth of the hive is not invariably the precursor of a swarm; and the bees frequently continue to congregate in unmeaning idleness on the outside, even though honey may be abundant. “In this case,” says Dr. Bevan, “the cluster may be swept into an empty hive towards dusk, and carried to a short distance from the apiary, when they will gradually return, and generally join the family.” This, however, is often only a temporary expedient; and the prolonged continuance of a period of inaction frequently denotes the absence, from abortion, or other cause, of a young Queen; the old one not choosing to leave the hive without the prospect of a successor. Or it may be that the hive contains an unfruitful Queen, and a weak population with insufficient warmth, when little of store is collected, and often no drone eggs are produced, these being always the preliminary of royal cells. A continuation of unfavorable weather, moreover, notwithstanding the sealing up of the Queen-cells, will often prevent any issue of a swarm; for the reigning sovereign will avail herself of this compulsory detention in severally destroying the young princesses as they are matured. An old Queen is permitted by the bees to do this, but it is otherwise with a young one, till a later stage. Neither as to swarming will the state of the thermometer be an invariable guide. I have rarely seen it reach as high as 95° within a stock-hive, but I have observed the issue of swarms at a temperature four or five degrees below this; and in one instance it occurred when the thermometer ranged but little above 80°.AA
AA Some naturalists, and amongst them Huber, have imagined a much higher degree of heat at the time of swarming; but in this there must be some error, for I have proved that the combs collapse and fall at a temperature a little above 100°. I am almost ashamed to say that this experiment cost me the destruction of a fine stock-hive.
It is common to imagine that a swarm consists exclusively of the young bees of the season; but Nature is no such bungler, or what would become of the parent stock? Accordingly, we find that bees of all ages, and usually several hundreds of drones, go forth intermingled, to form the new family. It is not always an easy matter to estimate the strength of a swarm. The bulk is not entirely a criterion, as the temperature of the weather causes the bees to cluster together more or less closely. A pint will usually contain about 2000. Five thousand bees are estimated to weigh nearly a pound; but this also varies, for on swarming they are always provident enough to load themselves more or less with honey before their departure. A good swarm, however, ought to weigh about four pounds. Some have reached to six pounds, but this is rare.
Returning of swarms.—Cases sometimes occur in which it is thought desirable to compel the return of a swarm to the stock-hive. On this subject we will use the words of Payne. “The process,” says he, “is very simple, and I have always found it succeed. As soon as the swarm is settled in the hive, turn it bottom upwards, and, if the Queen-bee does not make her appearance in a few seconds, dash the bees out upon a cloth, or a gravel walk, and with a wine-glass she may be easily captured. Upon this the bees will return to their parent hive. The queen may also very easily be taken during the departure of a swarm; for she appears to leave the hive reluctantly, and may be seen running backwards and forwards upon the alighting-board before she takes wing.” I have sometimes found it advantageous, instead of a cloth, to place on the ground four or five sheets of large paper. On these the bees have been spread, and the sheets carried in opposite directions, thus enabling a better search to be made for the Queen; and especially in the case of a second swarm, for then there are frequently three or four. Where there is no Queen, the bees will soon be in confusion and fly to their original home; but in the reverse case, she may be discovered by their congregating in one particular part. Nor is there any danger in thus proceeding; for the bees, being gorged with honey, are not often disposed to attack, with the precaution of not breathing upon them. Moreover, any such operation is best done in the shade, as a hot sun makes the bees less tractable at all times. Occasionally it might happen that, on the issuing of a swarm, the Queen, from inability to fly, falls to the ground, when the bees will return to the hive, which is often attended with advantage.
In judging of the desirableness of compelling the return of a first swarm, we must be guided by circumstances. Should it be a large issue, expediency would dictate the hiving it at once, as a new colony; for the Queen may reasonably be supposed to be a vigorous one, and a compulsory returning of the bees to the parent hive (the result of destroying her) would occasion a loss of valuable time; a young Queen not yet being in a state to commence laying eggs. On the other hand, a poor swarm might denote an unfruitful Queen, to be got rid of in the way we have just pointed out. The bees would re-issue under a young sovereign, after the usual interval, with a large accession of numbers, the produce of the brood matured in the mean time; and this might have the further good effect of preventing an after-swarm, which is always desirable.
It has already been said that on the occasion of a first swarm the old Queen invariably issues with it. It is also a fact that she leaves no actual successor, but that an interregnum usually occurs of eight or nine days; the royal larva being left short of maturity by this period, unless bad weather has interposed to delay the issuing of the swarm, in which event this interval may be much shortened; it is also subject to extension under certain contingencies of weather. The first princess that is subsequently liberated from her cell becomes the future mistress of the hive, unless she leaves it with an after-issue; for the law of primogeniture has been observed to be strictly followed. It is therefore evident that no regal disagreement can occur except in the cases of after-swarms, when a Queen returning to the stock-hive might chance to find a rival, and would have to contest her way to the supremacy.
After-swarms.—It is not an unusual thing to hear a boast of a number of swarms from a stock-hive; but nothing is proved by this beyond the fact, that a thriving community has been weakened (if not destroyed) by too much subdivision. The proprietor, therefore, must not imagine that his care is ended with the return of a swarm to the parent hive. Though one Queen has been removed, several successors are usually at hand, and swarming may occur again and again, so long as more than one is left. The hive must be watched more especially from the eighth to about the twelfth day from the departure of a first swarm, after which another rarely issues; the probability, or rather the certainty, then being, that the first-liberated young Queen has succeeded in destroying the others—an event always to be desired. But the symptoms which precede a second issue are more unequivocal than those in the previous case. The young princesses are now arriving at maturity, and two or more may be ready to come forth at the same time; impatiently awaiting the assistance of the bees to liberate them from imprisonment; for, unlike the workers and drones, they are not allowed by their own volition to leave their cells. In this state of confinement they are objects of great solicitude, and are supplied with food through a small orifice in their cocoon, till one of them is set at liberty, which is never till she is able to fly. At this precise period, a singular and plaintive call or croak, proceeding from the young Queens, may be heard, often at a distance of several feet from the hive, and more particularly in the evening. These notes are of two kinds, according as the princesses emit them from without or within their cells. For want of a more distinctive term, these sounds have obtained the name of piping. To Huber we are largely indebted for the knowledge we possess as regards this peculiarity in the natural history of the bee; and his observations have since received abundant confirmation,—perhaps from no apiarian more satisfactorily than from Mr. Golding. “The first note of piping heard,” says the latter, “is low and plaintive, and is uttered by the princess already at liberty, and I have frequently seen her emit it. She traverses the hive, stopping upon or near the royal cells which still contain brood, and emits her long plaintive note. This, when the other young Queens are sufficiently forward (generally in about two days), is answered by them from within their cells, in a quick, short, hoarse note. After these last have been heard for about two days, the swarm may be expected to come off.” “These sounds, therefore,” in the words of Keys, “convey to the apiarian one certain warning, that when heard, he may be assured the first or prime swarm has escaped.” But universal as this rule has been considered, it has not been entirely without exception; for in a stock-hive of Dr. Bevan’s, in the remarkable season of 1852, swarming had been so long prevented by bad weather, that a young Queen became liberated, and escaping into a super, piping was the consequence for two days before the issue of a prime swarm.
After-swarms are frequently accompanied by more than one young Queen; often by three or four, and always in the virgin state. “Indeed,” observes Mr. Golding, “it would appear that all which are ready to quit their cells (one only, be it remembered, being at liberty in the hive, until the moment of swarming) go off with the swarm; leaving the more forward of the younger princesses to come off with subsequent swarms, or ’fight out’ their title to the sovereignty of the parent stock at home.”
A third and even a fourth issue sometimes takes place, the intervening periods successively becoming shorter, and more piping being heard. As all the royal cells must have been tenanted before the old Queen departed from the hive, it follows that from sixteen to eighteen days comprise the limit during which, under ordinary circumstances, swarming can occur; and thenceforth the Queen-bee is mute for the year. Moreover, the worker brood originally left in the hive will now, or in a few days, be matured, leaving the combs less occupied, probably in any way, than at any other period of the year, until the young reigning Queen is in a condition again to stock them with eggs. This state of the hive is therefore considered by some as the most favorable for examination and excision of old combs, and other operations usually attended to in the spring.
I have known piping after a second swarm has departed, where no third issue has followed. The second swarm, however, in this instance, was restored to the stock-hive on the same evening, together with one Queen. This is often the best time for making a reunion of after-swarms; for I have usually found that all the Queens except one are ejected on the day of swarming: she, being stronger than those still in the parent hive, is able to destroy them on her return to it. If a cloth is spread on a table, placed in front of the old hive, at dusk, the bees of the swarm can be jerked out upon it, and guided to its mouth. In two hours after the reunion just mentioned, piping from a Queen at liberty was heard. The next day two young Queens were ejected; one of them torn from its cell, not having attained its full growth. From the other the sting was protruding, evidently the result of a recent combat. Piping was again heard on the following morning; and soon after, another princess, doubtless the last, was cast out of the hive, which I took away still alive; making five in all, since the issue of the first swarm. We may observe that when swarming has taken place more than once, the original utilitarian principle no longer impels the bees to guard the royal cells; the reigning princess being then permitted to tear them open and destroy any prospective rival.
No point has been better established, than the fact recorded by Huber, as to the destruction of the supernumerary young Queens by their combating together; the sovereignty remaining with the single survivor. “In order,” says Huber, “that at no time there may be a plurality of females in a hive, Nature has inspired Queens with an innate inveteracy against one another. They never meet without endeavouring to fight, and accomplish their mutual destruction. If one combatant is older than the rest, she is stronger, and the advantage will be with her. She will destroy her rivals successively as produced. Thence, if the old Queen did not leave the hive before the young ones undergo their last metamorphosis, it could produce no more swarms, and the species would perish.”
It is not clear by what instinct bees are guided as respects after-swarms, or rather as to the construction of royal cells; for, as has been shown, these abound much more in some hives than in others. The repeated issues occasioned by the presence of supernumerary young Queens, although there has previously been a rapid development of brood, not only leaves a hive comparatively depopulated, but the succession of interregnums is mischievous as operating to suspend, not breeding alone, but almost entirely the gathering of honey. A different kind of instinct appears to direct the bees than is observable at the time of the original issue; for the young Queens will depart in weather that would be thought unfavorable for the issuing of an old one. “The reason seems evident,” observes Mr. Golding; “for when the proper age of the young Princesses has arrived, the swarm must go off, or not at all, as the younger would be destroyed by the eldest.” As a natural consequence, there is evidently less of foresight as regards the future place of abode. Where so much of prudence and seeming intelligence are discernible in all the proceedings of these wonderful insects, it is hardly to be expected that mere chance should direct on so important an occasion as the change of residence; although when a swarm suddenly finds itself in a comfortable dwelling, by the act of hiving, it is rarely inclined to relinquish it. A hive containing a few combs, placed in the season near an apiary, is almost certain to receive a colony, which will sometimes fly to it at once, without any previous clustering. AB The instances are numerous of prime swarms proceeding a considerable distance to a new domicile, carefully inspected and cleaned beforehand. I was an eye-witness to an example of this, where the bees, taking a dislike to the hive in which they had been housed, soon after quitted it; and, mounting high in the air, flew in a direct line to the roof of a church nearly a mile distant. But an after-swarm appears to have little or nothing of preparation; and has been known, in seeming perplexity, to commence comb-building in the bush on which it had alighted.
AB In the garden of a friend stood an untenanted hive, in which were a few empty combs. Some straggling strange bees were observed hovering about and in it, for several successive days; and, at my suggestion, the hive was left undisturbed. On the day following, a fine swarm of bees suddenly made its appearance, undoubtedly from a distance, and entered the hive. In this instance, a few hundreds, or perhaps dozens, of pioneers alone could have been in the secret as to the locality of the chosen domicile to which they so sagaciously conducted their Queen and a community of perhaps 20,000 bees.
Uniting of Swarms.—It has been shown that it is easy to compel the return of a swarm of bees to the parent hive; but their remaining there depends much upon accidental circumstances. We have seen that several young Queens are often only waiting their time and opportunity to leave their cells and depart from the hive; and till all these are in some way or other disposed of, there can be no progress made in the family. Under such circumstances, many persons think it best to hive all swarms in the usual way, and to strengthen the later ones by joining two or three of them together; for, separately, these are rarely of any value. In cases where more than one after-swarm or subdivided swarm, comes out on the same day, each can often with little difficulty be shaken into the same hive, at the time: or the branches on which such swarms cluster may be cut off, and brought to one hive. Otherwise, a generally certain method of union may be resorted to at night. At any time, within a few days after the first swarm has been established, another may be added to it. On the same evening of the issue, in front of the one to which it is to be joined, place a table, over which spread a cloth. By a sudden and smart stroke the bees may be displaced from the second hive, and will fall on the table in a lump. Take the first-hived colony and place it over them, raising it a little at the bottom, when the bees below will ascend and join it, forming one family. In moving this hive, let it be done with caution, for the combs, being at present new and brittle, are otherwise apt to fall down. It is seldom that any quarrel takes place if the business be done properly; but some persons think that a little smoke previously blown into both the hives, has a tendency to prevent fighting. Early the next morning move the hive back to its former position, when one of the Queens will have been deposed. In thus uniting swarms, the doubled colony should always occupy the first hive. As a general rule, it may be remarked, that the mode the most likely to succeed is that in which the bees are suddenly blended together, without space or opportunity for individual recognition or fighting, bee against bee; but it must be done when the first hive contains but a few combs.
In this place it may be noticed, that in an apiary where a weak and sluggish old stock is now observed, opportunity can be taken to add to its numbers, by uniting to it an after-swarm, in the mode just pointed out; though some persons would prefer puffing a little smoke to both parties. If either Queen be removed, the strangers will usually be well received, and this accession of numbers is almost certain to lead to a vastly increased action and industry.
Like most other operations on bees, the mode of uniting swarms admits of variety, according to choice and circumstance; and some apiarians prefer to drive them, in the way for which general directions have been given at page 152; a plan that may be resorted to almost at any time. Another mode of junction can be effected by the aid of a sheet of perforated zinc, inserted between the two hives about to be united. There is little reason to doubt that the members of each colony of bees are distinguishable amongst themselves by a certain peculiarity of odour, which, if assimilated, appears to have the effect of preventing mutual dissension. When the construction, therefore, of the hives admits of their being brought into juxtaposition, the perforated zinc allows a free circulation of scent between them, without permitting actual contact of the bees. After leaving matters in this position for two or three days, I have usually found, on withdrawing the zinc divider, that no disturbance has ensued.
Prevention of After-swarms.—Where the construction of the hive admits of it, no doubt the repetition of swarming may be prevented by depriving it of the royal cells. Under the head Bar-Hives, we have alluded to the facilities given for this object; and it may be done immediately on the issuing of a swarm, when but a small portion of the bees will remain in it. Let the cover be unscrewed, and moved sideways as required, puffing in some smoke on each side the combs, which must be lifted separately, beginning first at one end of the hive, and then the other, so as to work to the centre. Cut out the Queen cells as you proceed, replacing the bar. A quarter of an hour will suffice for the operation. In the meanwhile, the swarm may be hived in the usual way, and afterwards permanently returned; for her majesty has now no alternative; “stay at home,” as Mr. Golding says, “she must. Or,” he continues, “after the first swarm is gone off, subsequent ones may be prevented in this way: so soon as the long note of piping has been heard, cut away at the royal cells. The young princess, already at liberty, will then remain Queen of the stock.”
Maiden Swarms.—Under peculiar circumstances of early season and situation, a prime swarm will occasionally send forth another, the original Queen again going with it; in such instances, termed a maiden swarm; rarely, however, of much value. “In this case,” says Dr. Bevan, “it usually occurs between the twenty-eighth and thirtieth day of its establishment. The only indication of the approach of such an issue, besides those already enumerated, is the worker-combs, with which first swarms generally store their hives, becoming edged with drone-cells.” Indeed, an indispensable condition necessary to a maiden swarm is a Queen, capable of producing drones; and this rarely happens in the case of a young one.
General Directions on Swarming.—An absurd custom is very general of beating a metal pan, or some such sonorous thing, usually called tanging, on the occasion of bee-swarming. The practice, doubtless, originated in the precaution formerly observed of ringing a bell, or giving some signal of the flight of bees, with a view to an identification of the property in case of its straying to a distance. By degrees the idea became prevalent that the bees themselves were the parties interested in the hubbub; but as regards them it is worse than useless, and frequently prevents their settling so soon as they would do if left quietly to themselves. The drenching or anointing of a hive, intended for a swarm, with any kind of material, is another common practice much better avoided. A dry clean hive is preferable; only, if of straw, cutting off the loose ends. As respects the precise mode of housing a swarm, no directions will meet all cases. After rushing in great apparent excitement from the family domicile, the bees form a cloud in the air, wheeling about in a thousand directions, and exhibiting a scene of the greatest animation; then, for the purpose of assembling together, they alight and cluster round the Queen that has accompanied them, usually on a bush or branch of a low tree. The hive must now be put close under the swarm, into which it is easily shaken; or, according to circumstances, swept with a light brush, which is all the better if made of very fine shavings; but care should be taken not to crush any bees. The success of the operation depends upon the inclusion of the Queen, when the new family will soon collect with her, within the hive, on placing this in its proper position, a little raised on one side, and shaded in some way from the sun. On the occasion of swarming, bees are seldom much inclined to use their stings, unless irritated by wind. The hiving ought not to be delayed, especially with a hot sun, or the bees would soon again take wing, perhaps for a long flight, and be hopelessly lost. A somewhat larger hive may be selected for a full-sized early swarm than for a later one. In case a swarm returns to the parent hive, which sometimes happens, let the latter be watched, for it will soon re-issue, and perhaps on the same day. Occasionally a swarm will divide and settle in two parts, which, if near together, can be shaken into one hive. Otherwise a junction may be made at night, in the way pointed out at page 193. An observance of the advice of Gelieu, and others, is to be recommended, not to allow the swarm to remain where it had been hived till the evening, as is customary, but to place it at once, as soon as settled, or within a quarter of an hour, on the spot (if at hand) it is destined to occupy. In sultry weather raise the hive a little to admit air, especially if a large swarm. When first hived, it is curious to observe the caution with which bees mark the site of their new position, making circuits in the air, wider and wider, till they clearly understand the locality. Having done this, they are much perplexed at any subsequent removal of their dwelling; nor do they ever, under ordinary circumstances, re-enter the original parent-hive.
We may say a word as to the practice of some proprietors, with a view of giving additional strength to a recent swarm: the stock-hive from whence the issue took place is moved to a little distance, and immediately that the swarm is settled in its new hive, the latter is placed on the site which the other had just left. The outlying bees, on returning home, will of course fly to the original spot, joining and strengthening the new family. The old one must necessarily be weakened in the same proportion, but it will soon be recruited by the maturation of the brood which it is sure to contain. Sometimes this shifting of the stock-hive has been allowed to be permanent; whilst, in other instances, it has been found more expedient only to do it for two or three hours immediately following the swarming. The hives should, under the latter supposition, then be made to change places, and no bees would be lost, as one or the other of the two positions would be sought by them.
It may be well to refer the reader to what has been said at page 108, relative to the occasional necessity that might exist for feeding a newly-hived family of bees.
Artificial Swarming.—Many apiculturists have practised the making of what have been termed artificial swarms of bees;—in other words, have compelled them to leave the parent hive sooner than they would have done in their own natural way. What is more common than to see a large bunch of bees hanging in idleness, often for weeks, on the outside of a stock-hive, at the best part of the season. Is it not a great gain if we can contrive in some way to set this unprofitable community to work, in a new home? The advantages of early swarms have been already pointed out, and in our uncertain climate the risk is often great, either of losing them altogether, or of their coming too late for the principal season of blossoming. Such considerations have led to the compulsory system, which may, in one form or another, often be successfully resorted to by the practised hand, but otherwise, it is scarcely to be wondered at that failure sometimes ensues. Different operators have succeeded in different ways of proceeding; and we will briefly point out some of them. The raising of a young Queen from worker larvæ has been already described under the head Queen Bee; and for the purpose we have now immediately in view, we will suppose the use of a bar-hive, as the one best adapted; the time of year being that when it is ascertained to contain eggs and young larvæ, both of workers and drones. A comb must be abstracted from a full box, and put into an empty one, care being taken that it is not allowed to chill during removal. In describing the subsequent process, we may adopt the words of Dr. Bevan. “Towards noon of a fine day, or almost at any time, if the bees cluster out much (for there ought to be plenty of them), let a stock-hive be removed to a distance, and a spare hive or box be put in its place, to one bar of which is attached a comb containing worker-eggs, or very young larvæ of the same sex (better still if the hive contain also one or two other worker combs); the outliers, or the bees that are abroad, or both, will then enter the new habitation, cluster round the brood, construct one or more royal cells, and raise a young sovereign: and thus, if the season be favorable, form a flourishing stock; whilst the old removed family, with beneficially reduced numbers, will soon be reconciled to their new situation.” But we may often proceed a step further, and at once ensure the presence in the new hive of an embryo sovereign, by inspecting a stock about the time of closing up the royal cells, and deprive it of a comb, containing one or more of these, as alluded to under the section Prevention of After-swarms. In this way the double advantage will be gained of ensuring greater certainty, and saving valuable time; for, from the commencement of the process of raising a Queen from the worm, to the period at which young bees may be looked for—her progeny—can scarcely be less than seven weeks.
Artificial swarm-making is sometimes successfully accomplished by means of driving the bees; to the general principles of which process we have directed attention at page 152. A diversity in the objects to be obtained, of course, leads to a little alteration in the details of the proceedings; and we have now in view, not, as before, the creation of a young Queen in the new hive, but forcing the old one into the latter. Dr. Dunbar thus narrates his own method of procedure, and which will usually be found to answer. “We carried,” says he, “the full hive into a dark place, turned it up, fixed it in the frame of a chair from which the bottom had been removed, placed an empty hive over it, mouth to mouth, and partially drove it. As soon as we perceived that about half of the bees had ascended into the empty hive (knowing that in these cases the Queen is generally amongst the foremost), we immediately replaced the old hive on its former station, and removed the new one, now containing the Queen, to a little distance. As the former had plenty of eggs and brood, they were at no loss to procure another Queen; whilst the other, having a Queen, proceeded to work in all respects as a natural swarm.” To avoid annoyance, and loss of the foraging bees, as they continue to return homewards, during the process of the preceding operation, it is well to set an empty hive (or it may have a few combs) on the site just before occupied by the parent stock. The bees will be in no very placid mood, and this piece of deception has a tendency to divert their attention temporarily, till the re-establishment of their old house restores them to their proper home.
Some operators so far depart from the mode of proceeding we have described as to prefer placing the newly driven swarm, possessing the Queen, on the old site. In such case the original stock-hive is removed to a little distance, and the entrance door stopped up, but raising the bottom edge sufficiently to admit a sufficiency of air only, with but little of light or sun. The bees thus confined are left undisturbed during two days, and will probably have spent their time in founding a prospective new monarchy. They may then be safely again trusted abroad, for in their anxiety about the requirements of the provisional government, they will no more trouble their old companions. Another variation of plan, recommended by some, is, instead of shutting up either portion of the bees, immediately to convey those driven into the new hive, to a distance of not less than a mile, leaving the original position for the old one.AC
AC I may here not inappropriately call attention to a subject touched upon by Mr. Golding. His remarks are borne out by my own observation; and I believe it would be for mutual benefit were bee-keepers, resident a few miles apart, occasionally to exchange swarms in the season. I make no apology for introducing a passage from the ‘Shilling Bee-Book.’ “Though I can give no satisfactory reasons for the fact, yet it certainly is one, that bees brought from a distance very generally thrive better than families long domiciled on the spot. I am borne out in this opinion by the concurrent testimony of my apiarian friends. Whether they ply more vigorously on finding themselves in a strange situation, or what can be the reason, I leave others to guess at.” An American author observes on this subject, “I am strongly persuaded that the decay of many stocks may be attributed to the fact that the bees have become enfeebled by close breeding. The cultivator should guard against this evil by occasionally changing his stocks.”
Dividing Bar-Hive.—So far we are supposed to have proceeded in forcing artificial swarms with hives of the usual kind. But an idea has often been suggested of having boxes so made as to be divisible vertically into equal halves; and, in this way, to create the basis of two distinct families without swarming. Such hives are alluded to by various authors, and, amongst them, by Dr. Dunbar and Dr. Bevan; but we have hitherto had no guide as to any intelligible details of construction; and on these depends the possibility of proceeding with advantage. My own views on the subject induced me to think that my eight-bar hive, already described, possessed, with a little modification, the required facilities; and, indeed, I know of no other that could be so adapted. Moreover, as the original dimensions are preserved, the other boxes and all adjuncts remain as detailed at p. 54, so that the hive can be used without reference to the provision made for subdividing it; this being altogether a super-added advantage. The chief novelty is in the stock-box, which, with its cover, is cut from front to back into two equal parts, but so as not to alter the regular interspacing of the bars, four of which will of course appertain to each compartment. In addition to the usual side-windows, there should be a small one at the back of both the half-boxes. The hive-board must also be divided, so as to be lifted up each half independently of the other. Cross bars are appended on the underneath side of the boards, the ends meeting in the centre. A groove is here notched out from the upper side of the extremities of the cross bars, to receive a moveable tongue, as it may be called, of half-inch wood and an inch wide, inserted from behind, and passing through to the front. The tongue connects the half-boards together on one level, and forms a joint below. The entrance for the bees is in the centre,—half being cut out of each board; though, probably, some persons might prefer to have, instead, a smaller one at the two outer extremities. In order to stiffen and serve as a stay or tie at the divided ends, I have found the utility of a piece of very strong tinned wire, crossing each half-box, horizontally. All that is needed is to cut the wire into the requisite lengths, turn the ends at a right angle, and drive them flush into the wood; where, as they fall within the space between the two central bars, they are not at all in the way. A reference to the illustration will be found sufficiently explanatory, the two half-boxes being shown a little separated. When placed together, to form one hive, they are held in position by means of the centre-board, covering the whole top, and secured at the four corners by means of iron pins going down through the centre-board and the projecting edge of the crown-board of the boxes. On the occasion of hiving a swarm, for the purpose of stocking the dividing-hive, a cord or strap must be passed round the whole, and guide-combs should be used; for successful subsequent separation of the two halves depends altogether upon the regular working of the combs in straight lines upon the bars.
It will naturally occur, that to carry out the design of a Dividing Hive every part must have its duplicate, so that four halves, boards, &c., are necessary; each made so precisely alike as to fit and be attached to any other half-box. We must suppose the time of year to be arrived (usually in May) when the combs are well filled with brood, both of worker and drone bees. In the middle, or, as some would prefer, the evening, of a fine day, the two halves of the hive can be separated. To effect this with as little disturbance as possible, two dividers may be used. These are made of strong, well-flattened sheet zinc or tin, the full size of the box, in length; and deep enough to include the hive-board, besides an inch at the top edge to spare. This latter part should be turned back, as a rim or flanch, at a right angle, as seen in the illustration. Commence by withdrawing the wooden tongue underneath the hive-board, and removing the centre-board; then, with a thin knife-blade, the half-boxes can be loosened at their point of junction; not allowing the knife to enter beyond the thickness of the wood. This done, gently insert one of the dividing plates horizontally from behind, its whole length; there being no obstruction, unless the combs are worked across the bars. The other divider is to be pushed in in a similar way, the flanches resting respectively right and left on the upper edge of each half-box. The latter may then be moved apart on their boards in safety. An empty half-box is to be adjusted to each of the full halves, when the dividers may be withdrawn. We have thus two families, which must be moved some distance apart. The Queen will, of course, be in one of them; and, probably, Queen larvæ in the other, or in both halves. A little tapping will serve to show the position of the Queen, as the bees will soon become quiet where she is, whilst in the queenless box confusion will continue to prevail. The latter should then be put on the original stand, to receive the foraging bees as they return home; whilst the presence of the old Queen will secure a sufficiency in the other hive, which may be placed at a little distance. In about twenty-four hours, preparation will have commenced for founding one or more royal cells, if required, in the queenless half-hive; and thus a new colony will arise, without swarming.AD
AD The dividing hive, and some other inventions described in the ‘Bee-keeper’s Manual,’ may be seen at Messrs. Neighbour and Sons, 127, High Holborn, and 149, Regent Street, London.
BEE-PROTECTOR.
It ought to be remarked that, in general, all important operations on bees should be conducted in the middle of the day, that being the time when it is least annoying to them, and the safest to the operator, as a large portion are then engaged abroad. Indeed, the bees are always more suspicious and irascible by night. On their homeward way they are not disposed to attack, any more than they are when at work in the fields. The defence of home is their actuating principle; and the danger arises from the bees furiously darting out on any supposed enemy, from within the hive. Make as little bustle and disturbance as possible, and have at hand an assistant and whatever is likely to be wanted, for a very trifling matter will often mar an operation irretrievably. Let all things be done coolly and quietly, and without hurried motions of any kind, which cause suspicion and irritation. Avoid breathing on the bees; and, above all, be careful to kill none, for the smell of the wounded body exasperates them exceedingly: in short, the aim should be to do what is needed without the bees being conscious of it. Another precaution may be mentioned, which is, in operating, not to employ any one known to be obnoxious to bees; for without going the length of saying with some that certain individuals are recognised by them, it is well known that, from their nice discrimination of scent, the persons of others are objects of constant and very marked dislike.
Security from attack, however, is essential to self-possession, and I know of no covering so effectual as an envelope I devised of a kind of light net, or gauze, sometimes called leno. It should be so made at the top as to go over a hat or cap; with sleeves, tied at the wrists, and strings at the bottom to draw and fasten round the waist. The sleeves may be made of some stronger material. (See preceding page.) The entire upper part of the person is in this way enveloped, as seen in our engraving annexed. The projection of the hat keeps the dress clear of the face, and it is sufficiently transparent. A thick pair of gloves, which some think are best made of buck-skin, is all that is further necessary to complete protection.
If attacked by a bee, the best plan is not to offer resistance, but to walk away and thrust your head into a neighbouring shrub or bush, when the enemy will in all probability retire. However, an accidental sting may now and then be received, for which various remedies have been prescribed. In the first place, the sting should at once be removed, but without rubbing the part. My own experience leads me to recommend, in preference to anything else, the immediate application of liquor potassæ to the spot, as a powerful alkali, to neutralize the poison of the sting, which is an acid. It should be used in small quantity, on a point of some kind, as a needle, introduced into the wound. In the absence of this, pure liquid ammonia is said on good authority to succeed, if properly applied. Keep it in a close-stopped, small-necked bottle, which should be turned bottom upwards, and held very tight over the part. Some persons have found relief from an immediate application of cold water. Indeed, any remedy to be efficacious must be speedily resorted to; and particularly in the warm months, for then the poison is much more active than in winter.
In the foregoing pages I have given an outline of my own experience in the general management of bees, freely availing myself of such further information, derived from the most trustworthy sources, as seemed most likely to interest and instruct the reader. My aim, however, has been restricted primarily to matters of a practical bearing, passing over the obsolete speculations of by-gone periods, and relying on the superior intelligence of a later day. Those who wish to enter more fully into the natural history and physiology of the bee may consult a variety of works, at the head of which it is usual to place that of Huber; followed by the later comprehensive and highly satisfactory one, ‘The Honey Bee,’ of the late Dr. Bevan; both publications to which we have often had occasion to refer. That portion of the subject relating to the structure and arrangement of their combs and cells is treated of at considerable length by Lord Brougham, in his ‘Dissertations on Subjects of Science connected with Natural Theology.’ Perhaps the accurate observations and elaborate mathematical demonstrations of the noble author have left little more to be desired in the particular department to which he has devoted the energies of his powerful mind. With his summary of the progress of apiarian knowledge, we may not inappropriately close the ‘Bee-keeper’s Manual.’
“The attention,” says Lord Brougham,AE “which has been paid at various times to the structure and habits of the bee is one of the most remarkable circumstances in the history of science. The ancients studied it with unusual minuteness, although being, generally speaking, indifferent observers of fact, they made but little progress in discovering the singular economy of this insect. Of the observations of Aristomachus, who spent sixty years, it is said, in studying the subject, we know nothing; nor of those which were made by Philissus, who passed his life in the woods, for the purpose of examining this insect’s habits; but Pliny informs us that both of them wrote works upon it. Aristotle’s three chapters on bees and waspsAF contain little more than the ordinary observations, mixed up with an unusual portion of vulgar and even gross errors. How much he attended to the subject is, however, manifest from the extent of the first of these chapters, which is of great length. Some mathematical writers, particularly Pappus, studied the form of the cells, and established one or two of the fundamental propositions respecting the economy of labour and wax resulting from the plan of the structure. The application of modern naturalists to the inquiry is to be dated from the beginning of the eighteenth century, when Maraldi examined it with his accustomed care; and Reaumur afterwards, as we have seen, carried his investigations much farther. The interest of the subject seemed to increase with the progress made in their inquiries; and about the year 1765 a society was formed at Little Bautzen in Upper Lusatia, whose sole object was the study of bees. It was formed under the patronage of the Elector of Saxony. The celebrated Schirach was one of its original members; and soon after its establishment he made his famous discovery of the power which the bees have to supply the loss of their Queen, by forming a large cell out of three common ones, and feeding the grub of a worker upon royal jelly; a discovery so startling to naturalists, that Bonnet, in 1769, earnestly urged the society not to lower its credit by countenancing such a wild error, which he regarded as repugnant to all we know of the habits of insects; admitting, however, that he should not be so incredulous of any observations tending to prove the propagation of the race of the Queen-bee, without any co-operation of a male,AG a notion since shown by Huber to be wholly chimerical. In 1771 a second institution, with the same limited object, was founded at Lauter, under the Elector Palantine’s patronage, and of this Riem, scarcely less known in this branch of science than Schirach, was a member.
AE Vol. i, pp. 333-36.
AF Hist. An., lib. ix, cap. 40, 41, 42.
AG Œuvres, x, 100, 104.
“The greatest progress, however, was afterwards made by Huber, whose discoveries, especially of the Queen-bee’s mode of impregnation, the slaughter of the drones or males, and the mode of working, have justly gained him a very high place among naturalists. Nor are his discoveries of the secretion of wax from saccharine matter, the nature of propolis, and the preparation of wax, for building, to be reckoned less important. To these truths the way had been led by John Hunter, whose vigorous and original genius never was directed to the cultivation of any subject without reaping a harvest of discovery.”
In conclusion, whatever may be the degree of ignorance or doubt in which on certain points respecting the Honey-bee we are still involved (and these are probably not often practically important), there are few but may receive instruction and example from these wonderful little creatures, in the duties of persevering industry, prudence, economy, and peaceful subordination; whilst all may be taught, by their perfect organization and faultless adaptation of means to an end, a lesson of humility; and, finally, by the contemplation of their beautiful works, “to look from Nature up to Nature’s God.”
Adapter, 31.
After-swarms, 186, 188, 190, 195.
Ancient bee observers, 213.
Apiarian authors, 212.
societies, 214.
Apiary, management in summer, 106.
autumn, 124.
winter, 157.
spring, 166.
Apiary, plan of, 94, 95.
position and aspect, 97.
repairs of, 170.
size of, 103.
to commence, 106, 152, 166.
Apis Ligustica, 1.
Mellifica, 1.
Artificial food, 172.
swarming, 199, 204, 206.
Aspect, 97.
Authors on Bees, 212.
Autumnal management, 124.
feeding, 132.
unions, 140.
Bar hive, 54,
advantages of, 55, 69, 195.
dividing, 204.
double, 66.
glass or observatory, 72.
single, 66.
straw, 73.
wooden box, 54.
Bar system, 54.
Bars, size of, 57, 58.
Bee, Queen, or mother, 3, 4, 170, 181, 184, 186, 190, 214.
common or working, 3, 11.
drone or male, 3, 15, 16, 180.
authors, 212.
boxes, size of, 52.
duration of life, 14, 151.
eggs, 6, 10, 12, 16.
flowers, 102.
food, 137, 172.
ligurian, 1.
pasturage, and number of hives, 101, 156.
protector, 208.
sex of, 12, 17.
sheds and houses, 94.
sting, 4, 12, 210.
Bees, confinement of, 148, 158.
destruction of, 28, 149.
driving of, 152, 201.
enemies of, 116, 175.
fighting, 131.
flight of, 103.
fortification of, 117.
fuming of, 140.
humming of, 177.
increase of, 10.
longevity of, 14, 150.
number of, 11.
removal of, 100, 107, 167, 198.
to hive, 196.
to unite, 140, 192.
various occupations of, 13.
weather-wise, 178.
working, 11.
Bell-glasses, 120.
Blocks, 43, 44, 96, 160.
Box hive, 51.
Brood, 12, 126, 151, 168.
Cells, common, 13, 111.
drone, 15, 112.
royal, 4, 180, 182, 187, 195, 200, 201, 208.
Cement, 38.
Circular wooden hives, 75.
Cleaning or changing hive-boards, 165, 167.
Cocoons, 12.
Collateral system, 24, 78.
hive, White’s, 81.
Nutt’s, 82.
Colony of bees, 106, 152.
Comb-knives, 130.
pruning, 147, 167, 189.
Combs, 5, 29, 109, 147.
and wax, 109.
and cells, construction of, 109.
Common, or working bees, 3, 11.
straw hives, 27.
Condensing trough, 161.
Confinement of bees, 148, 158.
Covers to hives, 37.
Crown-boards, 35.
Damp, 157.
Deprivation, 23, 125, 148.
Depriving hives, 30, 51.
system, 21, 23.
Destroying of bees, 28, 149.
Directions on swarming, 196.
Disease, 159.
Dividers, 36.
Dividing bar-hive, 204.
Doubling-board, 78.
Driving, 152, 201.
Drone, or male bee, 3, 15, 180, 181, 183.
cells, 16, 112.
Drones, destroying of, 18, 19.
expulsion of, 18.
number of, 20.
office of, 17.
Duplet, 24.
Dysentery, 159.
Eggs, 8, 9, 10, 16, 151.
Eke, 25, 122.
Enemies of bees, 116, 175.
Evaporation, 161.
Farina, or pollen, 113, 168.
substitute for, 169.
Feeding in autumn, 132, 137.
in spring, 170.
swarms, 108, 199.
Feeding troughs, 133.
Flight of bees, 103.
Floor- or hive-boards, 42.
to clean or change, 165, 167.
Food, artificial, 172.
Fortification, 117.
Frame-bar, 58.
Fumigation, 140, 146.
Fuming bees, 140, 148.
material, 143.
tube, 142.
Fungus, 143.
Gauge, 57, 74, 76.
General directions in operations on bees, 209.
on swarming, 196.
Glasses, 120.
to remove, 128.
Glass or light-hive, 72.
Guide-combs, 69, 120, 206.
Hive, bar, 54.
dividing, 204.
double, 66.
observatory, 72.
single, 66.
straw, 73.
wooden, 54.
boards, 42.
circular wooden, 75.
common straw, 27.
covers, 37.
nadir, 25, 87.
nether, 91.
Hive, Nutt’s collateral, 82.
protector, 41.
range, 49.
shade, 39.
stands or pedestals, 46.
White’s collateral, 81.
Hives, collateral, 81.
number of, 101.
shape of, 28.
size of, 29, 31.
super, 24, 119, 176.
wooden box, 51.
Hiving, 196.
Honey, 113, 128, 175, 178.
comb, 5, 109.
dew, 113.
harvest, 128, 149.
season, 178.
store of, 132, 138.
to strain, 129.
virgin, 124.
Hornets, 116.
Humming, 177.
Imago, 13.
Impregnation, 17, 19.
Increase of bees, 10.
Italian bee, 1.
Journal, 106.
Knives, 71, 130.
Larvæ, 12.
Light in hives, 53, 72.
or observatory hive, 72.
Ligurian bee, 1.
Longevity of bees, 14, 150.
Maiden swarms, 196.
Male bee, 3, 15, 180, 181, 183.
Management in summer, 106.
autumn, 124.
winter, 157.
spring, 166.
Moisture in hives, 161.
Moths, wasps, hornets, and other enemies, 116.
Moving of bees, 100, 106, 166, 203.
Nadir, 25, 62, 87, 119, 122.
drawer, 89.
Nadir-hive, 87.
Nadiring, 25, 87, 89, 119, 122.
Nether-hive, 91.
Number of hives, 101.
Nutt’s collateral hive, 82.
Nymph, or Pupa, 12.
Observatory, or light hive, 72.
Odour of bees, 194.
Office of drones, 17.
Painting, 37, 54.
Pasturage, 101, 156.
Pattern gauge, 57, 74, 76.
Pedestals, or stands for hives, 46.
Piping, 186.
Pollen, or farina, 113, 168.
substitute for, 169.
Population, 107, 139, 150.
Position and aspect, 97, 158.
Prevention of after-swarms, 195.
Princesses, 6, 185, 186, 192.
Propolis, 112.
Protectors, 208.
Pruning combs, 147, 167, 189.
Queen, or mother bee, 3, 4, 170, 181, 183, 184, 190.
cells, 4, 5, 180, 182, 185, 187, 195, 201, 208.
Queens, combats of, 186, 190.
duration of life, 6.
fertility of, 10.
impregnation of, 17.
piping of, 186.
Queens, reared artificially, 7, 208, 214.
unfruitful, 170.
Range for Lives, 49.
Remedy for the sting of a bee, 210.
Removal of bees, 106, 167, 203.
Removal of a box or super-hive, 125.
Removing of swarms, 106, 198, 203.
Returning of swarms, 183, 186.
Robber bees, 127, 131.
Robbers, 134, 175.
Royal cells, or cradles, 4, 5, 176, 180, 186, 195, 200.
Screen in winter, 159.
Sex, 12.
Shade, 115, 178.
Single hiving, 21.
Snow, to clear, 158.
Song of the bees, 109.
Spring feeding, 170.
flowers, 102, 169.
management, 166.
Stands for hives, 46.
Sting, 4, 12, 210.
Stocks, 152, 166.
to strengthen, 194.
Store of honey, 128, 132, 137.
Storifying, 24.
Straw bar-hive, 73.
common hives, 27, 28.
depriving hives, 30.
Straw hives, painting of, 37.
Strength of a colony, 107, 192.
Stupefying bees, 140, 143.
Suffocation, 28, 149.
Summary of apiarian knowledge, 213.
Summer management, 106.
Super-hiving, 119.
Supers, 24, 31, 34, 119, 125, 176.
to remove, 125, 128.
Swarming, 21, 180, 182, 191, 196.
artificial, 199.
Swarms, 180, 186.
maiden, 196.
removing of, 106, 198, 203.
to feed, 108, 199.
to return, 183, 184, 189, 195.
to strengthen, 107, 198.
to unite, 192.
weight of, 183.
Tanging bees, on swarming, 196.
Temperature, 13, 83, 119, 122, 139, 151, 158, 168, 170, 177, 182.
Temperature and weather, 177.
Thermometer, 83, 163, 182.
Titmouse, 117, 160.
Top-feeding, 133, 170.
Transferring bees, 140.
Triplets, 24, 32, 122.
Triplets and Nadirs, 122.
Trough, feeding, 133.
Tube for fuming, 142.
Uniting bees, 107, 140, 192.
Uniting swarms, 107, 189, 192.
Ventilation, 83, 119, 121, 161, 177.
Ventilators, 85.
Virgin honey, 124.
Wasps, &c., 116, 117, 175.
Water, 115, 169, 178.
Wax and combs, 109.
Wax moth, 116.
White’s collateral hive, 81.
Winter management, 157.
position, 158.
screens, 159.
store, 132, 138.
Wooden bar-boxes, 54.
circular hives, 75.
hives, 51. Worker cells, 13, 111.
Notes
Y It is worthy of attention that a distinguished German apiculturist has recently introduced a substitute for pollen in the early year, when the bees have no means of procuring it. Observing that his bees frequented a neighbouring mill, he found them engaged in conveying from thence a quantity of rye meal. Deriving a hint from this discovery, he placed a trough of the meal in front of his apiary, which was eagerly carried to the hives, the bees preferring it to old pollen; and this continued till the opening blossoms supplied the natural article. Some hives consumed as much as two pounds. Subsequent experimentalists, at home, have used the flour of wheat, or other grain, with success. The knowledge that the collection of pollen and the need of water by the bees are simultaneous, led these observers a step further, by giving a supply of both these essentials at the same time. As this assistance has been afforded as early as January, it would seem necessary, in our climate, to place both articles in some accessible part within the hive. In the absence of any better provision, wet sponge or moss has been found to answer; or old combs will suffice as receptacles either of water or flour. Stocks thus treated are said to be greatly forwarded both in breeding and swarming.
Z I am not amongst the number of those who (to my apprehension) go out of their way to maintain that this vegetable secretion undergoes some kind of chemical change by passing into the stomach of the bees (in reality a mere receiving bag), from whence it is often regurgitated into the cells of the combs in a few minutes, or even seconds, of time. Honey doubtless derives both its colour and flavour immediately from the plants supplying it; the bees not possessing the power of altering either. It even sometimes contains an original poisonous matter. Its subsequent thickened consistency naturally results from the effect of a lowered temperature; acting in a greater or less degree, according to circumstances, season, &c. That the bees have not the ability to change chemically the contents received into their honey-bags, is shown by an examination of the saccharine mixtures given to them as artificial food; in which I never could detect any alteration after being stored in the combs.