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THE

AMERICAN

BEE KEEPER’S MANUAL:

BEING A :
PRACTICAL TREATISE

ON THE

HISTORY AND DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF THE HONEY-BER
EMBRACING A FULL ILLUSTRATION OF THE WHOLE
SUBJECT, WITH THE MOST APPROVED METHODS
OF MANAGING THIS INSECT THROUGH EVERY
BRANCH OF ITS CULTURE, THE RESULT
OF MANY YEARS EXPE-

RIENCE.

tH
By PBs MINER.

EMBELLISHED BY THIRTY-FIVE FINE WOOD ENGRAVINGS.

Drone.

FOURTH EDITION.

IN) HW Om’
Cc. M SAXTON & COMPANY,
AGRICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHERS.
1857.

WIP PDD ODIO AIL OI Se ~ PIF FFL EPS
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 13849, by
iaBe Nele NERS
In the Cl2:k’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southers
District of New York.
2
SAS RAR

C. W. BENEDICT, Stereotyyer,
201 William street, cor. of Frankfort.

PREEACE.

me

Tue following treatise has been written to fill a
vacuum in this country, that has long existed. How it
has happened that the management of the honey-bee
should have been so neglected by writers in the United
States, | am at a loss to comprehend; but so it is, and
we cannot boast, up to the present time, a single volume
on this subject, worthy of being called a full, practical
treatise on the culture of this insect.

Such small essays as have appeared from the pens ot
American authors, have given little, or no information
of practical utility ; the most of them, not even present-
ing a single engraving, as an illustration. In this work,
the expense of the embellishments alone, will equal the
entire cost of publishing any of the works of American
origin, that have preceded it; and it has been my pride
and aim, to render it a production, that will not only com-
pare with, but even exceed the most popu.ar European
treatises on the same subject, especially in all matters of
a practical nature.

The great difficulty in the way of producing a truly
popular work on the honey-bee, has hitherto been, the
imaginary dryness of the subject, operating as a great
discouragement to practica. aplarians to write thereon °

iv PREFACE.

but in this work I have, I think, divested the subject of
its dryness, to some extent, and I have placed it before
the reader in a more attractive form, I trust, than it has
hitherto appeared in many works of this kind. I have
endeavored to discuss the various questions in a clear,
ample, and comprehensive manner, divested of the
superstition of the ignorant, and the errors of those who
profess to be learned in the science.

I have not placed that implicit confidence in all of
Huber’s writings, as may be seen, that some apiarians
do; yet I have quoted him, to some extent, on subjects
where he is und ubtedly correct.

What I have written in the following pages, is most-
ly the result of my own practical experience, during
many years of close application to the management, and
the study of the honey-bee. On some points I have
taken an entirely new course, in my own management
of bees. For instance, I treat them differently in the
winter season especially, from the ordinary custom,
keeping them much cooler, &c.; and my general course :
of management is peculiar to myself, with a full know-
ledge of all systems, yet based upon the true principles
of the nature and economy of the bee. My success in
the culture of this insect, has been beyond precedent,
and having the test of a long series of years to support
me, I offer t!is work as one worthy of the confidence
of the pub's.

THE AUTHOR.

CHAPTER I.

THE QUEEN.

Every association of bees is composed of three classes,
viz: a queen, drones and workers, and when separated
from their natural connections, they loose all their attri-
butes of industry and soon perish in inaction.

The queen is the mother of the entire increase of
every family of bees, unless in rare cases of the exist-
ance of a few fertile workers, that produce drone eggs
only, of which I shall speak hereafter. The queen is
longer than either drones or workers, and much larger in
every respect than a worker, but not so large as a drone.
Her trunk or body is shorter than that of the other two
classes, and her abdomen tapers to a point, in the form
of asugar-loaf. Her legs are longer than those of drones
and workers, but have no cavities or baskets for holding
gathered stores. The most remarkable feature pertain-
ing to her majesty, is the shortness of her wings, reach-
ing only to about two-thirds of the length of her abdo-
men. Her color is much darker than workers, and
sometimes approaching to a jet black; that is, upon her

6 MINERS «s MERICAN

upper surface, but her belly is of a dark orange color.
It is this latter hue that enables one to easily distinguish
her in a cluster, even without seeing any other part of
her body.

WHEN SEEN, AND HOW FOUND.

It is only in particular instances that the queen is to
be seen, such as during swarming, or on her erial excur-
sions, which takes place on the second or third day after
being hived, or upon some occasion of her being found in
a cluster of bees upon the alighting board. In this latter
case, which occurs with recent swarms only, as a gene-
ral rule, and very seldom, a close cluster of bees is seen
about the size of a hen’s egg, remaining quiet, and when
the feather end of a quill, or a stick is used to separate
them, and they instantly re-form into a cluster again, it
is almost certain that the queen is in the centre. The
kind of cluster that I allude to, is very different from
ordinary clustering upon the side of the hive, or on the
bottom board, when the bees are driven out by heat;
then the bees cluster with their heads upward; but in
clusters where the queen is to be found, nothing of such
a regularity is to be seen.

STING OF THE QUEEN.

The queen is armed with a sting which is curved, but
she seldom uses it, except against rival queens indeed,
she may be taken witb the bare fingers, at any time,
with perfect impunity; put a worker taken in that man-
ner, would be droppec as a piece of hot iron.

BEE-KEEPEK S MANUAL. q

HER FECUNDATION.

The fecundation of the queen has ever been a subject
of deep interest to naturalists, and it is not at the pre-
sent day so fully decided, in what manner, or by what
agency it is effected, as to put the question entirely to
rest; and I may safely add, that the day will never come,
when this long disputed point will be so fully cleared up —
as to silence all Sees to the now generally received
opinion: of the case.

Some naturalists and sien have supposed that the
queen is sedf-impregnated ; that is, that the fecundating
germ of the ovary is inherent in her, and when her eggs
are laid, that the drones fertilize them, and generate the
principle of animal life by incubation, or sitting upon
them. Others have supposed that a vivifying seminal
aura exhaled from the drone, penetrates the body of the
queen, and that produces impregnation. This opinion
arose from the fact, that a strong odor is sometimes ex-
haled from them.

Naturalists rightly supposed, that a sexual union did
take place between the queen and drones in some man-
ner, but how, or when, was beyond the scope of their
knowledge, since such an union had never been beheld
by mortal eyes. However, during the latter part of the
eighteenth century, light seemed todawn upon this long
hidden mystery, which had lain shrouded in darkness
for thousands of years. The fact that the sexual union of
many species of winged insects takes place in the air,
while on the wing, did at last, after centuries upon cen-

Fs] MINER S AMERICAN

turies had past in wild speculation, cause the films to fall
from the eyes of the naturalists of the day, and they
came te the conclusion that the impregnation of the
queen bee must be effected in the like manner.

That many hundred years should have past away,
before this simple fact should have become developed, is
truly a matter of surprise! Yet it is a matter of still
greater surprise, that many apiarians of the present day
pertinaciously adhere to ancient notions in regard to
the agency of the drones in the impregnation of the
queen, and utterly refuse to divest themselves of tradi-
tions founded in error and superstition.

That such is the natural use and purpose for which
drones were created, viz: to eflect impregnation on the
wing, I presume the reader will readily believe, on
hearing what I have to say on the subject hereafter, in
Chap. ili. devoted to “drones.”

HUBER, THE GREAT (?) APIARIAN.

Huber, a German naturalist of distinction, who flour-
ished at the close of the eighteenth century, has placed
this question beyond a doubt; provided that we may
place confidence in his statements, which I consider
somewhat questionable.

Since Huber is cited as orthodox authority by almost
every writer on the honey bee, or at least by a very
large portion of them, and inasmuch as many emi-
nent naturalists and apiarians consider the greater por-
tion of his writings as an ingenious fabrication of expe-

BEE-KEEPER'S MANUAL. 9

riments, that never occurred save in the imagination of
this naturalist, or of his assistant, | deem it necessary to
place the position of this author fairly before my readers,
that they may be able tc judge for themselves, in some
measure, whether he is, or is not, entitled to full cre-
dence. I do this, partly for the reason that some authors
on this subject, within the reach of an American public,
servilely tread in the footsteps of Huber, without ever
having read his writings from his own pen, which is
perfectly apparent, from the limited knowledge of his
work, possessed by the writers, as their essays plainly
manifest.

At the time that Huber wrote, about the year 1790,
the natural history of the honey bee, as well as its do-
mestic economy and management, was in a state of ob-
scurity. Very few men of talent had given the subject
a profound attention, and the traditions and absurd fan-
cies of olden times, in regard to this insect, were believed
and acted upon, by the majority of bee-keepers. At
this epoch, Huber professed to have made a series of
experiments, during a period of some five or six years,
illustrating the physiology and economy of the honey
bee to an extent that had never been reached before.
But his writings throw no light whatever upon the do-
mestic management of bees; therefore, they are of no
value to the apiarian who studies the economy of bees,
merely for the profit derived from them. The natural-
ist alone considered his discoveries as highly important
and valuable, and being a novelty, the world at once
‘ook the truth of his theories and experiments for grant-

} *

a

10 MINER'S AMERICAN

ed, and Hu oer was forthwith placed upon the pinnacle of
apiarian science.

Many apiarians who subsequently wrote upon the bee,
servilely followed him through both truth and fallacy,
without being able, from their ewn experience, to either
refute or corroborate his theories and hypotheses. En-
cyclopeedias and other publications cited him as unex-
ceptionable authority, and he was styled the “ Prince of
Apiarians;” hence we find American authors taking
their cue from some foreign proselyte to his theories,
and blindly re-echoing many of his discoveries as facts,
which may be as far from the truth, as the east is from
the west !

The reader may here inquire, if the natural history
and domestic economy of the honey bee, is so involved
in mystery and obscurity, as not to be fully understood
at this late day, and susceptible of being clearly ex-
pounded and laid down, without the possibility of error ?
Yes sir, it is thus involved; and the day will never
come, when the veil of obscurity that now shrouds much
pertaining to this interesting little insect will be wholly
removed. ,

Man may experiment—he may send forth theory and
hypothesis to the end of time; yet the natural instinct
~ and wisdom of the bee, in many of her acts, and the
modus operandi of her internal domestic labors, to a
great extent, will forever be terra incognita to all hu-
man knowledge!

Let not tre reader suppose from the above remarks,
that we are 'oomed to remain ignorant of important

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 11

facts, to enable us to meet with perfect success in our
management of bees—the curtain has been raised, and
man has beheld-—enough for man to know.

As the wisdom of God is past finding out, so is the
instinctive wisdom of the little bee, a direct attribute of
the Architect and Creator of all animate and inanimate
nature, beyond the pale of human knowledge.

HUBER S AUTHORITY DOUBTED.

As it will be necessary for me in the following work,
to frequently allude to Huber and his writings, since the
history of the bee is based, to a great extent, upon the
foundation laid by him, the reader will excuse a continu-
ation of remarks touching the confidence due to his
statements. His writings comprise simply a series of
letters to his friend and patron, Bonnet, of Geneva.
Bonnet’s reputation as a naturalist stands high, and
those letters were written at his suggestion of various
things pertaining to bees, then in obscurity, and which,
for the benefit of science, it was necessary to unfold.
Huber being in affluent circumstances, and unable to
attend to any ordinary pursuits, in consequence of his
blindness, he being unable to discover the difference be-
tween a white person and a colored one, he, with the
aid of a servant, instituted his experiments in the econ-
omy of bees, to avoid that tedium vite that ever accom-
panies the unemployed.

Now, had Huber had personal ocular der onstration
of what he has written, as being verified by him,
through his ass’stan‘, we might consider him entitled to

12 MINERS AMERICAN

credence; but he trusted entirely to his servant, in all
those alleged discoveries that have astonished and
amazed the world. |

I can give but a faint credence to-discoveries thus
verified, so far as the authority is concerned; but where
Huber’s statements tally with well known principles, we
should give him the benefit of our confidence sn his as-
sertions.

The reader may be interested to know what wonder-
ful discoveries this man has made? ‘They consist in
discoveries relative to the impregnation of the queen,—
retarded impregnation and its effects—verification of
the existence of fertile workers—the power of the bees
in raising a queen from any ordinary worker’s egg at
pleasure—combats of rival queens—massacre of drones,
&c., &c., interwoven, as many apiarians presume, with
considerable fiction, since many things which he alleges
to have seen, or rather that his servant saw, have never

been beheld by any one else.

HUISH S OPINION OF HUBER.

Huish, a writer of some celebrity on bees, whose
work was published in London, in 1844, says, “ Huber,
from a natural infirmity of the eyes, was wholly disabled
from prosecuting his researches into the natural economy
of the bee, and consequently that he relied solely on the
skill and information of his servant, Francois Beurnen’s,
for the veracity of those singular discoveries, which,

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 13

under the sanction of his name, have been sent forth
into the world, but which will never stand the test of a
rigid and scientific examination.

Now, this same Francois Beurnens was a rude, un-
educated Swiss peasant, with a mind immersed in all
the prejudices of his country, and who pertinaciously
adhered to many of the Swiss customs in the manage-
ment of bees, which have for their basis the grossest-
ignorance and superstition. Thus, for instance, when
any of the family died in which Beurnens was a domes-
tic, he turned all the hives in the garden topsy turvy, in
which condition they were obliged to remain until after
the funeral, as it was most proper and becoming that the
bees should be made to sympathize with the loss which
the family had sustained.”

Notwithstanding that the lash of ridicule has been
well applied to Huber, by those apiarians whose expe-
rience has proved a portion, at least, of his writings as
fallacious, yet some of his discoveries are undoubtedly
true, inasmuch as they accord with the observations of
apiarians in general; and of this kind is the discovery
of the manner in which the impregnation of the queen
takes place in the air, by the drones, the subject on
which I was speaking, that gave rise to the introduction
of this author; and I think I cannot more profitably
occupy the attention of the curious reader for a few
moments, than to give his account of th's discovery in
his own words. Here it is:—

14 MINER S AMERICAN

HUBER'S DISCOVERY OF THE IMPREGNATION OF A QUEEN.

“ Aware that the males usually leave the hive in the
warmest part of the day, in summer, it was natural to
suppose that if the queens were obliged to go out for
fecundation, instinct would induce them to do so at the
same time as the others.

“At eleven in the forenoon, we placed ourselves
(Beurnens was the one to watch for the queen, directed
by Huber, the reader will understand; yet Huber al-
ways wrote as if he could see,) opposite to a hive con-
taining an unimpregnated queen, five days old. The
sun had shone from his rising, the air was very warm,
and the males began to leave the hives. We then en-
larged the entrance (Huber had contracted the entrances
of several hives to prevent the egress of the queens,) of
that selected for observation, and paid great attention to
the bees entering and departing. The males appeared
and immediately took flight. Soon afterwards the
young queen came to the entrance; at first she did not,
but during a little time traversed the board, brushing
her belly with her hind legs, neither workers nor males
bestowing any notice on her. At last she took flight.
When several feet from the hive she returned and ap-
proached it, as if to examine the place of her departure,
perhaps judging this precaution necessary to recognize
it; she then flew away, describing horizontal circles
twelve or fifteen feet above the earth. We contracted
the entrance of the hive that she might not return un-
observed and placing ourselves in the centre of the cir-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 15

cles described ‘nm her flight, the more easily to follow
her, and witness all her motions. But she did not re-
main long in a situation favorable for our observations,
and rapidly rose out of sight. We resumed our place
before the hive; and in seven minutes the young queen
returned to the entrance of a habitation which she had
left for the first time. Having found no external evi-
dence of fecundation, we allowed her to enter. In a
quarter of an hour she reappeared, and after brushing
herself as before, took flight, then returning to examine
the hive, she rose so high that we soon lost sight of her.
This second absence was much longer than the first, it
occupied twenty-seven minutes. We now found her in
a state very different from that in which she was after
the former excursion; the organs distended by a sub-
stance, thick and hard, very much resembling the mat-
ter in the vessels of males, completely similar to it in
color and consistence.” |

Huber afterwards says, that from subsequent discove-
ries, he found that what he took for the generative mat-
ter, was the male organs left in the body of the female.

QUEENS FLIGHT TO MEET THE MALES.

That queens do thus sally forth on the second or third
day after entering.a new habitation with a swarm, is a
fact that has come under the observation of many apia-
rians, yet it is doubtful whether the change in the ap-
pearance of them on their return, as spoken of by Hu-
ber is generally, if ever visible. If the young queens
are to be seen at all, it is at this period, and it is not

16 MINER'S AMERICAN

unfrequent, that queens of all swarms, after the first,
during the first few days of their inhabiting their new
tenement, are found in a cluster of bees at the entrance
of the hive or near it. The reason of this is, that on
the return of the queens from their excursions in search
of drones, they are immediately surrounded by their
subjects and held prisoners for a brief period. The
reason why the queens of first swarms are not thus
found is, that such swarms are accompanied by old
queens, whose impregnation is already effected.

ANALOGY PROVES IMPREGNATION ON THE WING

It is a well known fact that the sexual union of the
humble bee takes place on the wing. I have frequently
witnessed it; and it is the same with the most of insects
of the winged tribe ; hence analogy is strongly in favor
of the theory of the impregnation of the queen honey
bee as aforesaid.

HUBER CONFINES QUEENS TO PROVE THE THEORY OF

IMPREGNATION ON THE WING.

Huber states that he confined the queen with a large
number of males, and also confined her with the males
excluded from the hives; at the same time admitting the
ingress and egress of the workers as usual, and in every
case, which were numerous, the queens remained sterile.
He confined them over a month, which was enough to
test the question whether a queen can be fertile and net
leave the hive.

BEE-XEEPER S MANUAL. 17

RETARDED IMPREGNATION.

Huber also states, that when a queen is retarded
twenty-one days from her birth in her impregnation, she
then, and ever thereafter, lays drone eggs only.

As no one has ever experimented on queens in the
manner of the above two cases,—at least, no one having
yet given publicity to any observation, refuting or cor-
roborating Huber’s discovery, it is not easy to say,
whether the last case be true or false.

In regard to the sterility of queens that have not been
allowed to leave their hives, there is no doubt. Their
impregnation being effected on the wing, it follows, of
course, that confinement with, or without males, must
render them barren.

That retarded impregnation does cause queens to lay
drone eggs, is quite possible, yet the fact might not come
under the observation of an ordinary bee-keeper in a
century, in most cases, since nature has so amply pro-
vided for the effectual impregnation of queens, that to
be retarded by any natural event, is out of the question,
except in cases of the death of a queen, at a period
when the drones are exterminated, or so few of them
existing as to jeopardize the mmpregnation of the suc-
cessor to royalty.

I, myself, have had a case in which drones only were
produced, but whether it was owing to a retarded im-
pregnation of the queen, or whether it was the produc-
tion of fertile workers, I am unable to say positively,

18 MINER S AMERICAN BEE-KEEPERS MANUAL.

owing, unfortunately, to the destruction of the stock, by
my own act, before the question could be decided.

I shall give the full details of this singular case in my
remarks on “workers,” as it more properly belongs to
that-class of bees.

CHWIAPTER If.

THE WORKERS.

Tue workers are the smallest bees of the family. A
worker’s head is of a triangular shape, as well as that of
the other classes,—the abdomen is connected with the
trunk or thorax, by a small ligament, of a thread-like
nature, and it is composed of six scaly rings, at the apex
of which, is the sting, which is full of barbed points like
an arrow, which can only be seen by the aid of a strong
magnifier, and which prevents the extraction of the
sting when darted into one’s flesh, causing a portion of
the entrails of the bee to be drawn out with it, and thus
causing death to the insect.

Every bee has four wings; and on queens the num-
ber of wings is more preceptible than on workers or
drones. They have six feet.—The eyes are situated upon
the upper surface of the head.—Every bee has a pair of
antenne, of a fine wiry flexible nature, protruding dia-
gonally from the head, which are used as organs of feel-
ing, or perhaps of smell, since a stranger-bee is known
at once, on applying the antenne to it.

20 MINEK S AMERICAN

The antenne of the queen generally are turned or
curved downward.—This is their natural position, and
the inexperienced bee-keeper may know her majesty
from this circumstance, when he is in doubt as to her
identity.

Workers have spoon-like cavities or baskets upon
their posterior legs, that hold the pollen or farina gath-
ered by them. No other beeshas these cavities. Work-
ers also have a honey bag, or stomach, expressly to hold
the gatherings of the day. It will hold about half a drop
of honey. The bodies of bees are covered with a hairy
down, which, through a microscope, appears like a de-
fence of palisades.

Wonderful are the labors of this class, and truly may
they be called “workers,” for never did industry show a
brighter example of indefatigable perseverance, than in
the labors of this little insect.

The following little stanza often recurs to one’s mind
as he surveys these ever industrious workers, hurrying
to and fro, on a bright sunny day.

‘‘ How doth the little busy bee,
Improve each shining hour;
Gathering honey all the day,
From every opening flower.”

The workers are the architects of the association.
They construct the ce ls, arrange their size and distan-
ces, repair damages, &c., &c. They are the laborers
of the family; they gather the honey and farina, and
eompound the food for the young bees, and upon their
skill and labors depend the prosperity of the colony.

3EE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 21

Who that has witnessed this class of bees, during the
height of their harvest, has not been forcibly impressed
with their indefatigable industry! They sally forth be-
fore the rising of the sun, and return when evening twi-
light has cast her sombre mantle over the face of nature,
laden with sweets, which but for this industrious insect,
would be lost on the desert air. Neither the scorching
rays of a vertical sun, nor the peltings of the storm, can
restrain their zeal in securing to themselves life and
prosperity, by availing themselves of every moment that
can possibly be employed, when the fields are decked
with the flowers that most invite them.

They do, indeed, afford a theme worthy the attention
of the philosopher and moralist. Man is here taught a
lesson that should never be forgotten; but ever be in-
delibly impressed on his mind. The improvident and
lazy may here learn, from the book of nature, truths that
would lead them to fortune and prosperity, were not
their consciences seared and callous to all lessons of
wisdom.

The little bee, aware that the days of her harvest are
few, “makes hay while the sun shines,’ and that Divine
injunction, “ Whatsoever thy hands find to do, do with
all thy might,” is here acted upon, and carried out to
the letter, to the shame of man, for whose especial bene:
fit it was given.

To the bee, no written law can be given by their Cre-
ator; consequently, an instinct is given them to guide
them in their labors; and when the flowers are faded
and gone, and the bleak blasts of winter flit around, she

99 MINER'S AMERICAN

looks upon her loaded combs, as the reward of her toils,
and laughs at the raging winds and pitiless storms.

But how stands the case with man—the being who
is made but a grade inferior to Angels? Does he show
himself worthy of his vocation—does he even show him-
self equal to the little puny honey bee, in foresight of
those evils that delay, neglect, procrastination, action,
or downright laziness produce ?

For an answer, just cast your eye around.—In yon-
der hovel is a human being clothed in rags, surrounded
by a large family of children, who are crying for bread.
The emaciated mother, the unwilling victim of the fa-
ther’s improvidence, is fast approaching the grave. Her
leaky tenement has, year after year, caused the seeds of
disease to germinate, and now friends call to console—
to alleviate; it is too late. Ah! how is this? has this
man had his health—has he had the use of his limbs, in
this land of prosperity, where poverty need be known
only in name, to be thus impoverished, and to have his
house falling around his head? Jndeed, he has been
as hale and hearty as the most robust among us. He
is also an excellent workman, but he has never heeded
the old adage, “make hay while the sun shines ;” and
when winter comes, it finds him naked and penniless—
his children cold and hungry, and his wife without the
ordinary comforts of life. Would he but follow the ex-
ample of the little bee, and from her learn wisdom, pov-
erty would be banished from his door, and the bleak
winds of winter would bring no terrors, and their howl
would be music in the ears of the little fire-side group,

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 23

as they sing their merry songs of contentment and hap-
piness.

THE EFFECTS OF A SUDDEN STORM ON BEES.

I have often seen these workers returning so late in
the evening, in warm sultry weather, that they were
barely able to find their respective hives; and so eager
are they to devote every moment to their labors, that —
many of them, suffer themselves to be overtaken by the
tempest and storm, before they take their homeward
flight.

It may be supposed, that under such circumstances,
storms and winds arise so suddenly, that the bees are
taken by them unawares; but such is not the case.

Wishing to note particularly the return of bees from
the fields, in the height of their harvest, and to what ex-
tent they would remain out, on the approach of a heavy
thunder storm, I, in the month of June last, took a sta-
tion among my hives, on the approach of a shower, and
minutely watched their course. It was about the mid-
dle of the day, or. noon; the sun had been shining all
the morning, and the bees were out in their greatest
numbers.

On the appearance of dark clouds, in the west, and
accompanied with thunder, the bees commenced return-
ing more than is usual in fair weather. In about a
half an hour, the heavens were darkened by clouds, with
a slight sprinkling of rain, and the roar of thunder shook
the earth. At this crisis, the bees came in with a rush

24 MINER S AMERICAN

and a few, in the face of the approaching storm, darted
forth to the fields again.

This state of things lasted forty minutes, with sufh-
cient rain to have given every bee ful war ning, even
were they both blind and deaf.

Even the most distant bees, | considered within the
reach of the rain, and I supposed, that in fifteen minutes
from the commencement of the shower, every bee would
have been in; but such was not the fact. They con-
tinued to pour in during the whole of the forty minutes ;
then the winds commenced blowing furiously, and the
rain fell fast; I took an umbrella, ard standing in the
midst of the apiary, beheld the bees beating in against
winds and rain, until the water came in such torrents,
that a perfect sheet encompassed me; and at this junc-
ture, several bees on their return, finding it impossible
to gain their hives, came under my umbrella for protec-
tion. Every bee that was out at that crisis, must have
been dashed to the ground, unless they sought refuge on
the nearest thing that came in their way.

This observation proved that bees can fly a conside-
rable distance to their homes, while the rain literally
pours down. Before the last heavy dash to which I re-
fer above, | noticed the bees coming in very slowly in-
deed, for the rain came down in torrents; yet they did
slowly make headway through it. Their speed, as they
approached the apiary, was much slower than a man
usually walks; and I presume, that it would have been
impossible for them to have proceeded much farther.

This observation also shows how indefatigable they

BEE-KEEPEK 8 MANUAL. 95

are, in the pursuit of their natural avocation. The
sturdy iron-bound frames of the laborers of the adjacent
field had taken flight, long before the bees considered it
necessary to vacate the flowery hills and vales, as if
those iron frames were made of salt, while the little frail
bee, with her fragile silken wings, braved the tempest,
and bid defiance to the driving storm!

THE SEX OF WORKERS.

Much diversity of opinion has been expressed, in re-
gard to the sez of workers, by naturalists and apiarians;
and this is not the only question in dispute among them.
The natural history, physiology, and economy of the
honey bee, has perplexed and baffled more scientific
men in their attempts to unveil the secrets of their na-
ture, than any other subject whatever. As I hefore
stated, much that pertains to the bee, is beyond the pale
of man’s knowledge ; and a thousand years hence, dark-
ness and mystery will hang over this subject, and man
will behold and wonder ;—but to fathom the secrets of
their intuitive wisdom, he never will be able.

The reader may possibly ask, “what benefit is it to
know, whether the workers are males, females or neu-
ters, so long as we know sufficient to enable us to man-
age our bees with perfect success ?”

Why, sir, so far as pecuniary advantage is concerned,
it is of no consequence to know many things concerning
the bee, that will occupy much of my attention in these
pages; but there is a curiosity extant, that is not satis-
fied with any thing short of all the knowledge, touching

2

26 MINER'S AMERICAN

the nature and habits of this insect, that is attainaple by
man ; and while many will pass these pages, with a hur-
ried glance, for those that reveal a knowledge, that
comes home to the pocket of the reader; saying, “why
is this long useless expenditure of words upon queens
workers, drones, fecundation, sex of workers, &c., &c.,”
others will wish for a more lengthy and elaborate trea-
tise, on the same subject.

"The sex of workers is neither -nale nor female. They
appear to be strictly a phenomet:on in nature, and by
many, are termed neuters. Cj

WORKERS SAID TO BE SOMETIMES FERTILE.

The workers approximate very nearly in their internal
organization, to the queens, having ovaries like them,
but not so fully developed. In their natural capacity,
they never produce eggs; yet it is contended, that under
peculiar circumstances workers exist, partaking of the
nature of queens, to a much greater extent, than in the s
ordinary state; and that such workers lay drone eggs
only. The most positive proof of this assertion, ever
given to the public, so far as I have been able to learn,
is adduced by Huber. He states, that having a hive in
which drone eggs only were produced, and believing its
legitimate queen to be lost, his servant caught every bee
in the hive, examined them carefully, made them show
their stings, in order to test their gender, as small males
are sometimes found that very nearly resemble workers,
which males have no sting; and he then put them into
a glass cylinder; and s> on, to the very last, and rot a

BEE-KEEFER S MANUAL. OT

bee was found, except workers. Indeed, he experi-
mented on two hives in this way, as he says; and so
tedious was the job, of catching and examining the bees,
that it took thirteen days to perform the operation.

From this experiment, he says, that he was certain
that workers do sometimes produce drone eggs, as be-
fore stated—in short, his servant, Beurnens, actually
took one in the very act of laying.

How far we can credit Huber’s statements in regard
to this transaction, I cannot say. His hives were of the
kind termed leaf hives, which he was enabled to open,
like the folds of a book; and it is possible, that the ope-
ration of catching the bees, may have been performed ;
but I doubt whether it will ever be done again.

FERTILE WORKERS, AND THE POWER OF WORKERS TO PRO-
DUCE QUEENS FROM ORDINARY WORKER EGGS !

The manner and cause of the production of workers
that lay drone eggs, is as follows :—provided that such
do ever exist, though I came within an ace of verifying
the fact myself, as I shall relate.

It is necessary here to inform the reader of the power
of workers in forming, or producing a queen, in order
that he may rightly understand the question.

KINDS OF EGGS LAID BY THE QUEEN.

The queen lays but two kinds of eggs, viz: drone
and worker eggs; and when queens are wanted, ordi-
nary worker eggs are laid by the queen, in cells made
expressly for royal use, termed queen cells. Were is a

28 MINER S AMERICAN

cut of a royal cell, precisely as taken from one of my
nives:

yu iH .:
it

i
et}

Ks

ROYAL CELLS—-HOW CONSTRUCTED.

The queen cell is of the exact natural size and shape
as it here appears; but the worker cells are on rather
too small a scale to give the tout ensemble in its regular
proportions, but that is of little account, since the only
object of the cut is, to illustrate the position and natural
shape of royal cells alone.

It will be perceived, that this cell hangs vertically ;
that is, with the mouth downward. These cells are
generally built upon’ the edges of the combs; and for
this purpose, the bees leave one side of their combs,
without much support along the edges, except an occa-
sional bar, or brace, while the opposite edges are firmly
cemented to the hive, through their whole length. The
distance between the combs that are intended for royal
cells, and the side of the hive, is from a quarter toa
half an inch; giving just room enough for these cells,

)
BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 29

which are about the size of a peanut, and look, in shape
and outward appearance, very much like this nut, with
‘one end cut off, and the nut extracted. The bases of
" these cells, however, are broader than a peanut; and the
shape is somewhat like a sugar loaf, placed upon its small
end. Royal cells are also constructed in the centres of
combs, on the edges of passages through them. They
who have been in the habit of cutting out combs, have -
undoubtedly perceived small orifices, about the size of a
half dollar, through which the bees pass from one comb
to another, and on the edges of these apertures, royal
cells are as frequently built, as on the edges of the combs.
Why such a large, cumbrous cell is necessary for the
raising of queens, that are of less size than a drone, is
very singular! There is more material put into one of
these royal tenements, than would be required to build a
dozen drone cells; and then, they must hang downward !
Here is one of the mysteries pertaining to bees, that
man can never unfold. <A drone cell, lengthened a little,
would be just the thing for these young queens; yet
these stubborn bees will not be taught improvement ;
they seem so attached to the customs of their fore-
fathers.

HOW YOUNG QUEENS ARE PRODUCED—THE NUMBER OF
ROYAL CELLS IN A HIVE, ETC.

When the young queens are wanted, several of these
cells are constructed ; say from five to twenty-five; and
the queen deposits worker eggs therein at intervals, so
as to mature, at about the period that they will be wanted

30 MINERS AMERICAN

to go off with swarms. I have noticed some difference
of opinion in regard to the largest number of royal cells,
ever found in a single hive. Huber is denounced by
Huish, for asserting that he discovered twenty-seven in
a single hive; and he (Huish) contends, that no hive
ever contained at once, more than seven; but I have
myself, the present season, taken twenty-two from one
hive, and seventeen from another, but they were not all
perfect cells. There are always more or less royal cells
that are not completed, in every case; for, as soon as a
certain number are so far advanced, that the young
sovereigns are sure of being perfectly developed, the re-
maining cells are discontinued.

It should be borne in mind, that these royal cells
are not completed, and then made the receptacles of the
egos; but when about half constructed, they receive the
egg; and as the larve* progress, the cells are completed.
These half-constructed cells, resemble an acorn, devoid
of the nut.

DIFFERENT FOOD PROVIDED FOR THE YOUNG QUEENS.

When the royal cells have received the eggs, and
they become hatched out, the workers provide different
food for the larvee from that which is fed to workers
and drones. This food, which has been termed royal

*Larve is the term given to the worms or grubs until the cells
are sealed. From the sealing of the cells, to full development, a
nymph, pupa or crysalis ; yet the term larve is properly applied,
by some naturalists, during the whole period of the embryo state.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 3]

jelly, immediately changes the nature of its recipient,
and the properties of a queen begin to be unfolded. The
size of the cell, and its vertical position, perhaps has
some influence and agency, in producing a royal scion;
but the grand elixer, is the royal jelly, as is universally
supposed, that effects the change.

The only man that ever pretended to have actually
discovered this royal pap, is Huber; for there was no-
thing under heaven that he could not discover, through
his assistant, Beurnens, who used “to upseé the bee hives
on the death of a member of the family!” He not only
saw it, but tasted it, as he states.

Huber gave it the name of royal jelly, and on giving
his discoveries to the world, naturalists promulgated his
theory, and many apiarians have become re-echoers of
it. Some, indeed, do contend, that it takes a queen egg
to produce a queen, but they are behind the age. This
assumption will not stand a moment. I have time and
again, proved that a worker egg will produce a queen!
as I shall relate, at the proper time. And in regard to
the theory of “royal jelly,” it is quite plausible, for, if it
be not a different food, that produces queens, what can
it be? No man, in my opinion, knows anything more
about this royal jelly, or whether it does or does not
exist, than perhaps the reader, who perchance does not
know a queen bee from a worker or drone; yet the great
and wonderful truth stands impregnable, that a different
treatmen* does produce queens. and that positively, there
is no difference in the egg used for this purpose, and
that, from which a worker emerges!

32 MINER'S AMERIGAN

We must, then, come to the conclusion, that it: the
food that makes the change; and we will continue to
affirm, that it is the royal jelly, that effects the change,
not at all fearing, that any one will ever be able to prove
us to be in error, as it is not in the power of man, ever
to go beyond simple conjecture on this point.

THE FORMATION OF A NEW QUEEN IN THE PLACE OF ONE
THAT DIES, OR IS LOST.

The bees having the power to make queens at will,
from worker eggs, it follows as a natural consequence,
that in the case of the death of a queen, or of her loss when
absent from the hive, which does sometimes happen,
they can at once supply her place, provided that she left
any eggs, or larvee less than four days old. Here we find
one of the most wonderful provisions of nature, pertain-
ing to the natural economy of the bee; for, were they
not able to thus replace the loss of a queen, this insect
would soon become extinct.

There are seasons, however, in which the queen may
die and leave no eggs, or larvee behind her under four
days old; and in such cases, the family must perish,
unless supplied with a new queen by their proprietor,
or a piece of comb, containing eggs, or larve of a suit-
able age; and in such a case, the proffered comb, if pro-
perly attached in the hive, in a natural position, answers
every purpose of larve left by the queen. But such
seasons or instances are not frequent with well peopled
hives, for larvee may be found in such hives, to a greater
or less extent, almost every month in the year. Even

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL 30

in the fead of winter, larve have frequently been found
in the centres of very strong stocks* or swarms; and it
appears to be thus ordained by nature, in erder to always
admit of the bees being able to provide against the loss
of their sovereign. In their natural state in the forest
with an abundance of room, perhaps they never expe-
rience the loss of a queen, without being able to replace
her, except in cases of small swarms issuing, in which
case, they would be liable to the same casualties of do-
mestic swarms, until they have existed a season or two,
and have become numerous.

THE SUPPOSED CAUSE OF THE FORMATION OF FERTILE
WORKERS.

The reader now having a little insight into the man-
ner in which queens are made, I will proceed to state
in what manner these semi-fertile workers are supposed
to be produced ; for, I must inform the reader, that all
the insight that has ever yet been obtained on this sub-
ject, is nothing more than simple conjecture and hypo-
thesis. This is, as I have observed, “terra incognita,”
or unknown land, to the apiarian explorer, and may be
set down as one of the unfathomable mysteries of the
nature of the bee.

The royal cells being constructed, or in progress of
construction, and containing the larve to be transformed
into queens, and being fed on the royal jelly, as afore-

* Every family of bees is termed a stock, after the first year of
their existence, and a swarm during the first year or season.

34 MINERS AMERICAN

said, it is supposed that on some occasions, that the
worker larve, situated immediately adjoining the royal
cells, may, either by accident, or otherwise, be fed a
little of the royal pap, which, not being sufficient to pro-
duce queens, and only enough to so far develop their
ovaries, as to enable them to lay drone-eggs only.

It is not probable, even if the above hypothesis be
true, that workers would become sufficiently fertile to
be able to lay both drone and worker-eggs, by being
wholly fed on royal food, since the shape and position
of a royal cell, has its peculiar effect upon its tenant,
otherwise such cells would not be constructed, as bees
do nothing without a good reason.

A CASE OF RETARDED IMPREGNATION IN THE QUEEN, OR OF
FERTILE WORKERS, COMING UNDER THE AUTHOR'S OWN

OBSERVATION.

I will now relate what took place under my own im-
mediate observation, iu regard to the laying of drone-
eggs in one of my hives.

On examining one of my hives early the present sea-
son, (1848) I found a swarm of last year in a very weak
condition, not having above two or three hundred bees
in it. How this diminution in numbers happened, or
what the cause was, I could not imagine; since the
swarm was large, and in good condition apparently, last
fall; having filled the hive with comb, and having laid
in an abundance of honey for winter consumption. I
closely watched this hive, to ascertain whether any of
the few bees 1: contained gathered farina; as that fact

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 35

would throw some light on their condition, since where
the queen is lost, the bees never gather this food of the
larvee, because they have no necessity for it, while in
that condition. I did perceive an occasional! bee enter
with pellets of farina, and I at once took it for granted,
that the queen was among them, and that she would
prove fertile; but owing to the very small number of
bees composing her family, | was aware that it would
be very late in the season, before she would be able to
replenish the hive in numbers, owing to the difficulty in
generating the necessary animal heat. After watching
during the month of May, in vain, for any apparent in-
crease, | concluded that if the hive remamed much
longer in that condition, the moths would take posses-
sion, and give the handful of bees therein “ notice to
quit ;” and if they should manifest any disposition to
refuse to comply with so reasonable a requisition, a
“writ of ejectment” would speedily follow; and not
wishing to have any controversies arise between my
bees and so stubborn a creature as the moth, touching
the right of possession, I immediately commenced cut-
ting out a portion of the combs, in order to give the
bees a better chance to defend themselves, in case of
being intruded upon.

In cutting out these combs, I discovered in one of the
centre combs, near to the top of the hive, a piece of
brood, about two or three inches square, which was en-
tirely drone-brood. I searched in vain for any trace of
worker-brood, nor did I find a solitary worker larva, up
to abcut the 20th of June, when the family was destroy-

36 MINER'S AMERICAN

ed; but I found a small increase of drone-larve, and the
most of what I originally discovered, regularly matured.

On making the discovery of drone-brood, I searched
in vain for the queen, and being able, with the feather
end of a quill, to almost bring every bee in sight, and
after many attempts at her discovery, not seeing any
signs of royalty, save the brood as before stated, I came
to the conclusion, that I had a veritable instance of the
fecundity of workers! Iwas forced to become a dis-
ciple of Huber, on the fertility of workers in certain
eases, and that they lay drone-eggs only, that is, for the
time being, until a new feature was thrown over the
subject. About the 20th of June, I had several swarms
issue on the same day, and urexpectedly finding myselt
without hives, I concluded that I might as well take the
hive in question, and use it; since it was out of the
question, for it to be re-peopled by its present occupants,
and I accordingly took it, and used it in a case where
two swarms had clustered together. I took it just as it
was, with its bees, honey and combs, and having put
about half of the two swarms into another hive, I im-
mediately put the other half into this hive, and placed
the two about a foot apart, so that in case I missed get-
ting a queen in ezther of them, the bees in the hive in
which no queen should chance to be, would find the
other hive easily and enter it. How great was my sur-
prise to find that a war of extermination was immedi-
ately waged against the few bees in the hive containing
the drone-brood, and in half an hour, every bee that

criginally inhabited it, lay dead upon the blanket, upon

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. a7

which the hive was placed, and among the slain was a
queen, perfect in size and form! The question then
arose, where did this dead queen come from? If there
had been a queen with that portion of the two swarms,
that [ had forced into this hive, such queen would then
not have been killed by them. Had there been more
than one queen in this portion of the swarm, then it
would have been very natural for one to have been im-
mediately killed by the other; and in such case the bees
would have remained contented with the remaining
queen ; but in a few hours the whole of the bees left this
hive in which the queen had lost her life, and joined the
other half of the swarms, thus giving conclusive evidence
that both queens of the two swarms were in the first
hive, and consequently, the small family of bees, that I
had considered to be without a queen, did actually pos-
sess one, and it was her majesty that had perished with
her subjects.

In all cases of my experience, I had found that differ-
ent families of bees, or swarms mix peaceably together,
while being hived; hence my surprise at the fight in this
instance; but it must have been the existence of a queen
among them, and the treasure of honey that engendered
so deadly a strife.

When the bees departed from this hive, in which the
battle had taken place, not a drop of honey remained.
It had all been taken in their honey bags, to deposit
wherever a permanent abode should be found.

Huber has stated that queens are never slain by
workers in combat, but here is an instance to the con-

38 MINEL S$ AMERICAN

trary, of such a nature, as not to admit of a question, of
the queen being killed in the general melee, and by the
workers, too.

I recently met with another instance of an attempt
on the life of a queen by workers. During a remarka-
able season of cold, wet and drizzly weather, that lasted
about two weeks, some of my bees commenced robbing
their weaker neighbors, and one day, while standing in
front of one of these invaded hives, watching the de-
structive strife, I beheld a queen on the ground directly
in front of the combatants, struggling with a worker.
The worker embraced her, with curved abdomen, en-
deavoring to find a penetrable point, in which to plant
its deadly sting. I seized the queen; but in my anxiety
to save her from harm, she escaped and flew away. At
evening, | found her in a cluster, near the entrance of
the hive, in front of which I first discovered her.

I mention this fact to show that workers pay no re-
spect to royalty, when engaged in a general warfare.
In this case, it is probable, that the queen was forced
out of the hive, in the conflict that was raging within,
and was passively the opject of one of the robbers’ ven-
geance when discovered. I say passively, for whatever
may be the attack upon a queen by a worker, she never
retaliates. She never lowers her dignity sufficiently to
return a thrust made by a subject, but, as it were, bares
her breast and says, “slay me, if you have a heart to do
it. I choose death rather than defence.” But let queen
be pitted against queen, and how changed the scene!
‘The modest non-resisting queen, that tamely suffers

BEE-KEEPER 8 MANUAL. 39

death frc.n an uifeeling subject, now rises in «er ma-
jesty, and with eager and deadly aim, rushes to the com-
bat—the struggle is short, one of the two soon lies in
the last pangs of death!

To return to our little family, that met so untimely an
end—the dead queen changed the aspect of the case
materially, and I was forced to conclude, that instead of
the drone-brood being the production of fertile workers, .
it must have been the work of a queen; and here comes
up the question of retarded impregnation.

The reader will recollect, that I have stated, that
Huber experimented on retarded impregnation, and
that he states, that when a queen is retarded beyond
the twenty-first day of her age, in her impregnation,
she lays only drone-eggs thereafter, during her whole
life!

In the foregoing case, I examined the premises thor-
oughly, to see what ground I had for taking this latter
assumption of Huber, as being applicable to the case be-
‘fore me, and I found much to strengthen me in the be-
lief, and in fact to render it almost certain, that it was
an instance of retarded impregnation, beyond a reason-
able doubt. In the first place, I found some six or eight
royal cells in this hive, that had been constructed the
season previous; and since a swarm never constructs
any royal cells the first season, unless it be in very rare
instances of large early swarms, that throw off a swarm
the same season, and this swarm not being an early
one, and to my certain knowledge, not being in a con.
dition to throw off a swarm at any time during the sea-

40 MINER S AMERICAN

son, the question arises, why were these royal ce.ls con-
structed 7

The probable solution to this query is, that sometime
in August or September, the queen belonging to this
hive, from some cause, was lost, and the workers avail-
‘ing themselves of their power to replace her, or create
another in her stead, constructed the royal cells as above,
and reared aqueen. ‘This queen coming into existence,
at a period when very few drones exist, if any at all,
must, from that cause, have found great difficulty in
encouxtering them on the wing, and hence, a retarded
impregnation is almost certain to result to every queen
under such circumstances. In large apiaries, say of fif-
teen or twenty hives, there is generally some one or two
hives that allow a portion of the drones to survive much
later than usual, and where such drones do exist, a
young queen may, after many flights, succeed in her
amours.

DIFFICULTY OF EFFECTING THE IMPREGNATION OF QUEENS
AT PARTICULAR SEASONS.

Huber states, that on the occasion of a young queen
coming forth at a season of the year, after the usual
massacre of drones, he witnessed her ineffectual flights
in search of them, for many days; at last she returned
bearing evidence of success. ‘This accords with my own
experience in similar cases, and I must, therefore, come
to the conclusion, that mine was a case of retarded im-
pregnation of the queen, since every fact pertaining to
ihe case, goes strongly to prove it. We account for the

BEE-KEEPEBR S MANUAL. |

great decrease of bees thus:—the fall months of the
season were a perfect blank in the increase of this family ;
hence, when spring came, as a matter of course, we find
but a very few bees alive, for the majority of all bees
existing in the spring of the year, are brought into being
during the fall months previous.

FERTILE WORKERS NEVER EXIST, EXCEPT IN CASES OF A
FAILURE TO PRODUCE A QUEEN.

Another circumstance attending the existence of fe--
tile workers is, that they never do exist, only in cases in
which the bees have been unsuccessful in rearing a
queen.

When a queen comes into existence, her natural aver-
sion, and unrelenting animosity towards any thing like’
rivalry, cause her to rush on all other queens yet in
embryo, and such workers as have had the misfortune
to take a sip of royal jelly, are scented out for immedi-
ate slaughter. But when a failure in raising a queen
takes place, these poor royal pap workers are allowed
to exist so long as no queen is present to immolate them.
Thus it will be seen, that the chances of such fertile
workers coming under the observation of apiarians, is
quite limited.

There is much interesting information concerning
the habits and economy of this class of bees, that can-
not well be embraced in an especial chapter devoted to
workers+ but such matter will be unfolded, through the
various subjects that I shall consider essential to dis-
cuss hereafter, in succeeding chapters. The same

42 MINER'S AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL.

may be said of both queens and drones; yet I have
thought it best to confine as much matter as_ possible,
in separate chapters, devoted to each respective class—
the better to guide the reader in his researches, for
any paiticular information that he may wish to refer
to.

CHAPTER ITI.

DRONES.

Tue drones are the largest class of bees in the family.
Their bodies are thick, short and clumsy, and obtuse at
each extremity. There are two descriptions of males—
one not larger than a worker. This class of drones is
but seldom seen. How they are produced, is a subject
for speculation. It is probable, however, that they only
exist, when the queen has deposited a portion of drone-
eggs in worker-cells; the size of which will not admit
of a full development. The common dronesare as large
as two workers. The head and trunk are covered with
dense hairs—much more dense than on workers, or on
the queen. Their wings are large, and extend to the
full length of the abdomen. Drones have no sting, and
may be handled with perfect impunity. They make a
loud, buzzing noise when on the wing.

NATURAL USES OF DRONES.

The natural uses of drones have hitherto been a sub-
ject on which the greatest contrariety of opinion has
axisted; especially in Europe. In our own country

44 MINERS AMERICAN

those few authors who have written on the bee, have,
as I before stated, servilely copied the endorsement of
Huber’s theory, from foreign works circulated here; that
is, in such treatises as have made any attempt to eluci-
date the natural history of the bee; consequently the
question has net been subject to that dispute here, that
it has been in England and on the continent.

Huber’s theory of the impregnation of the queen, has
met with a very strong opposition in Hurope, even to
ridicule; yet I consider him right—yes, not admitting
of a doubt in the mind of any man, who will look into
the subject, with a mind untrammelled by prejudice.

The drones appear to be a superfluous legion, of no
use at all, but rather a disadvantage. This class of the
honey-bee, derive their name from their general lazy
habits, spending their time in luxury, and feeding upon
the stores gathered by the ever industrious workers.
They collect no honey at all, for the reason, that nature
has not provided them with honey bags, such as the
workers possess, to contain collected sweets; neither
have they any vavities, or baskets upon their legs, as
workers have, to hold pollen or farina. This insect is
the only thing known to exist in the animate creation,
unprovided with the means of supplying itself with food
from the boundless store-house of nature. A drone could
not exist a day, were it deprived of the privilege of feed-
ing on the stores of the hive already gathered. They
are never seen to alight on any flower, or doing any
thing to aid the prosperity of the colony. In one re-
spect they diffei entirely from the workers, having the

——

BEE-KEEPEk S MANUAL. 45

liberty of entering different hives with perfect impunity,
while a worker enters any hive but its own, at the peril
of its life.

Now, the question is, what are these apparently use-
less bees for? Would not our apiaries be generally
benefitted, could we banish these lazy drones from our
hives? This may reasonably seem to be the case, to
one not acquainted with the natural history of the bee; |
but should we banish these bees from our hives, depopu-
lation would speedily follow.

CAUSE OF THE EXISTENCE OF SO MANY DRONES.

However mysterious the ways of animate nature may
appear, nothing is created in vain. Nature, in order to
ensure her legitimate objects of fructification, is ever
profuse, often far exceeding the positive requirements otf
the case, as we may view it; but after all, nature is
right and we are wrong. Look, for instance, to the
fructifying farina of the tassel of maize, that contains a
thousand times the quantity that is necessary to give
birth toe the ears that brace each stalk around. The
captious and precarious winds, that are commissioned
to waft this farina to its destiny, are not to be relied
upon; hence the vast superabundance that nature has
provided to render fertility sure.

Not unlike this is the legion of drones that lazily hang
arouud our hives; and where a thousand exist, nine hun-
dred and ninety-nine are perfectly useless, save upon the
same principle of superabundance, as shown above.

46 MINER S AMERICAN

The only object for which drones are brought inte
existence is the impregnation of the queen, and if a less
number existed, her fecundity would be jeopardized, in
the ratio of the decrease.

IMPREGNATION OPERATIVE FOR LIFE.

Coition is always effected high on the wing, and when
once effected, it is operative for an entire season—even
during the entire life of the queen. The cavillers at
this theory, attempt to cast ridicule on the hypothesis,
of a stngle impregnation being sufficient for the natural
life of the queen; and, say they, “ we admit that if your
theory has any ground to stand upon, it is reasonable to
suppose, that a single impregnation would suffice for one
season, since analogy teaches that; but how do you sup-
pose that an impregnation this spring, eflects the queen
at her next spring laying; since the winter months are
a season of barrenness with her, and certainly no man
in his senses would suppose that the coition of the year
before, could possibly have any influence on her at that
period! You may as well say, that. the dung-hill fowl
has no need of the male after the first impregnation, to
render her eggs productive during her whole life !”

All this is reasonable logic, but it avails nothing in
the case before us, since there is so much in the history
of the bee, that has no analogous bearing with any other
similar matter in animate nature, that we cannot rest
any theory solely upon such a basis.

We must, and do confess, that if any positive proor
can be adduced, showing that impregnation is not ef-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 47

fectual, even during the natural life of the queen, then
the theory of impregnation with the drones on the wing
is untenable. But such proof cannot be adduced—on
the other hand, it is perfectly reasonable, that the queen
should never lose the virtue of a primary coition, be-
cause there is seldom, or never, a total cessation of lay-
ing in the strongest families. I contend that in every
strong and healthy family of bees, brood may be found
every month in the year, and that the ovary of the
queen is never wholly void of the fecundating principle,
after once being fully impregnated. I do not say that
brood may be found in every hive, because half of the
hives in existence at the present time, are not in that
condition that nature intended a family of bees to be in.

There have been so many tinkers at work, of late
years, in forcing bees out of their natural habits, that it
would not be surprising if the whole race of bees should
become extinct, before the beginning of the next cen-
tury. Nature so intended a family of bees, that a suf-
ficient body of them should always be together, to be
able to generate a natural anima! heat even in the dead
of winter ; and such families, having a healthy queen, will
seldom or never be wholly void of brood in their tene-
ments. Ido not suppose or contend, that in the winter
season, the bees are breeding so as to make any mate-
rial accession to their numbers, even in a state of the
greatest prosperity, but a very few larvee may be found
in the coldest weather, in many strong families.

But what are we to do with those families that are
weak, and in which the queens discontinue laying in

48 MINERS AMERICAN

the fall, and do not commence again until the following
- spring? Such queens have no possible opportunity to
have commerce with the drones, and yet they are fer-
tile. Here is undoubtedly a cessation of ovi-positing,
for some four months. Does the impregnation of the
spring previous, operate in this case? It unquestion-
ably does, however strange it may appear. I look upon
the question in this light:—that the germ of the ovary,
after having been fructified, never wholly loses the effi-
cacy of coition, and though there be a cessation of lay-
ing, yet the germinating principle is never lost, but
rather lies dormant, until the genial warmth of apne
arouses it to action.

If the foregoing premises be fallacious, let us have
a proof of its fallacy. They who deny this theory,
do not pretend to adduce any theory at all, but rather
suffer the case to go by default.

VISIONARY ALLEGED USES OF DRONES.

Some apiarians, however, contend that the drones fruc-
tify the eggs as fast as laid, by some means that they can-
not well explain, and this is their sole use; but when
asked how the eggs that are laid in the spring, before
any drones exist, become fructified, they acknowledge
their inability to answer. Thus is this question beset
with difficulties that will probably remain as long as
time lasts. :

The time when drones appear, as well as the time
when they disappear, strongly shows that their use can
be no other than the fructification of queens. If their

BEE-KEEPSRS MANUAL. 49

use were for the various purposes that have been ascribed
to them, such as fructifying the eggs—feeding the lar-
vee—sitting on the eggs—producing the necessary heat
in the hive, for maturing the brood in due season, &e.,
how is it, that the brood is regularly perfected, when not
a solitary drone exists? In the spring and fall, we find
the brood going through the different stages, to perfect
development; but no drones exist at that time; hence
it is time lost to argue this question, with those who ad-
vance so unreasonable positions.

I consider the above uses ascribed to drones perfectly
chimerical; rather exciting a little surprise, that so
palpable errors should be promulgated at this late day,
by men professing a scientific knowledge of the nature
and economy of the bee.

Another gross error is promulgated, and confidently
believed, in many parts of Europe, and especially Poland,
in regard to the uses of drones, which is, that they are
especially and solely the “water carriers” of the family !
I have a Polish work on bees before me, making this as-
sertion, as gravely as if the author were promulgating a
well known truth, that admits of no refutation, or even
question of its accuracy. This, as well as the foregoing
uses of drones, are the visionary fallacies of bee-keepers
of old times—many centuries ago; and which, with
numerous others, as wild and ridiculous as the ignorance
and superstition of the times could engender, still exist
to a great extent, among the bee-keepers of every coun-
try. It were a Herculerian task to eradicate these su-
perstitious traditions—sooner would I attempt to civilize

3

50 MINERS AMERICAN

and educate the Hottentot of Africa, than to attempt to
unlearn the unread bee-keepers of our country, of all
their whims and traditionary notions, respecting the
honey-bee. Their knowledge of this insect is rated by
the length of time that bees have been kept in the family ;
and that man who dates a family possession throusgt.
several generations, would be a dangerous person to ex-
postulate with on the impropriety of his management,
for, it were ten chances to one, that we should receive
a forcible illustration of the strength of his arguments,
in the way of ejectment from his premises.

HUISH ENCOUNTERS A SAVAN BEE-KEEPER.

Huish relates an instance of his being introduced
to a genus of this species, who had kept bees a long
time, and who supposed that he was the veritable
“ Prince of apiarians ;” and on some improvement being
suggested by him, followed and backed by argument, he
was politely shown the way to the street, in so signifi- -
cant a manner, that it would have been rashness to have
delayed the parley.

Nothing will excite the ire of these gentry so much
as to question their knowledge of the true science of
bee-management. In consequence of this fact, I have
ever avoided any controversy with people of this de-
scription; and on a recent tour through the State of
New York, I made it a point to call on every bee-keeper
in my route, that I could visit conveniently. merely to
grat.fy a curiosity that I felt, to see how they generally
managed bees. I elicited their management by simple

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 51

questions, and they generally took great pains to give
me all the information in their power; for I never ven-
tured to play the teacher, but humbly and civilly re-
ceived instruction from them, such as they were able to
impart, being a stereotype of the management that was
in vogue centuries ago, to a great extent.

I had the pleasure of meeting with many aplarians,
who have not despised to read and learn. One gentle- —
man opened the chamber of one of his hives, and to my
surprise, drew forth several volumes on the management
of bees, which he was accustomed to study, under the
balmy shade of the surrounding trees. 1 found, on the
whole, a spirit of inquiry abroad on the subject, and
many had been the willing victims in the purchase of a
variety of patent hives—not one of which answers the
purpose, as recommended !

One gentleman said that he would give a large sum
of money, if his bees were out of a lot of patent hives,
and back in his old-fashioned boxes; and 1 found the
same desire prevalent among almost every one, who had
embarked in patents, to any great extent of time.

~

WHEN DRONES APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR.

Dr. Bevan says, “the drones make their appearance
about the end of April, and are never te be seen after
the middle of August, except under very peculiar cir
cumstances.”

In my experience, ] have found that the drones de:
not appear, to any great extent, until the latter part of
May; and the general massacre takes place in July, and

58 MINERS AMERICAN

is continued through August. 1 have this day (August
23d, 1848) seen many drones about my hives, and still
under no “peculiar circumstances.”

The great slaughter has generally been consummated
among the tenants of my apiary; yet scattering drones
are found here and there that have escaped an unnatu-
ral death. I am fully aware of the “peculiar circum-
stances,” to which Dr. Bevan refers, but I think that
author is in error, when he says, that drones are never
to be seen after the middle of August, unless under pe-
culiar circumstances. He should have put it one month
later.

It will be seen that the appearance of the great body
of the drones is coeval with swarming, and their disap-
pearance as a body, when the swarming season is ter-
minated. Now, admitting that their sole use, is the im-
pregnation of the young queens, that issue with the
swarms,—is it possible for them to appear at a more
appropriate period, or leave at a season that would be
better for the prosperity of the colony? Since they
must live on the stores gathered by the workers, they
should not appear before the time of actual requirement;
and when their services can be dispensed with, they
should not remain a day to consume the food that is
gathered with so much toil and industry. Man, with
all his wisdon, could not better this wonderful operation
of nature! Had I the direction of the production of
drones, I should say, “let them appear in force from the
20th of May to the Ist of June’’—precisely the time
that they de appear. On the first week in July, T should

BEE-KEEPER 8° MANUAL. 53

say ‘ depart”—just the time that the massacre 7s com-
menced. On the 6th of July, I discovered the first at-
tempt to expel the drones, this season. Thus, nature
has ordained this matter; and blind indeed, must he be,
who can resist the almost self-evident truth, of the legi-
timate uses of drones.

“ But,” say the cavillers, “why should a thousand or
more drones be brought into existence, when one is suf-
ficient, according to this theory.”—It is a true adage,
that “none are so blind as those who won’t see.” Thus
it is, in the present case. Now, the queen cannot pos-
sibly become fertile, without meeting a drone on the
wing, in the air. This is her nature, and she may be
confined with thousands, yet it is utterly impossible for
her, to be fructified by their presence. Then, since she
must go forth, and that too, in the regions above, far
out of the sight of man, to effect her object ;.she must
nov go in vain.

The life of a queen is too valuable to be jeopardized
in fruitless sallyings, subject to be caught by the fowls
of the air, or to mistake her domicil, on her return, and
enter another and perish. A young swarm is solely de-
pendent on the safety of their queen ; and if she perish,
ten thousand subjects die with her.

The great Creator of animate nature foresaw all this,
in his infinite wisdom, and wisely created so many
drones, that the queen could not well fail, to come with-
in the circle of their flight, soon after leaving her hive,
and thus render her fertility sure, on her first exit.

54 MINERS AMERICAN

DRONES GO FORTH TO MEET THE QUEEN.

The drones have received a command from the mouth of
Him who created them, to “go forth to meet their royal
mistress ;” and for five thousand years, this mandate has
been implicitly complied with. Time may roll on, yet
these drones, faithful to the Omnipotent hand that gave
them instinct, will continue to take their erial flights,
as regularly as the sun rises and sets.

Perhaps the reader may not have been impressed with
the circumstance of the drones, at a certain hour of
the day, coming forth from their hives, and taking their
flight heavenward! This is a singular truth. Gene-
rally from one to three o’clock, P. M., on every fair day,
aloud buzzing noise may be heard among the bees. A
great commotion ensues, and one is often mistaken, sup-
posing that a swarm is about to issue. This is the gen-
eral egress of the drones. They ascend in horizontal
circles, in an oblique direction ; and after being absent
an hour or more, return to their hives. This flight
takes place daily ; and since the drones have no possible
cause for leaving the apiary, to gather food, does not
their periodical flights, in this manner, show conclusively,
that nature has bidden them to go forth to meet the
queen? Now mark the harmony of the arrangement!
The queens, by the same power of instinct, leave their
hives about the same time that the drones take their
exit; or generally, a short period before, and seldom re-
curn unimpregnated.

Huber says, that at eleven »clock, A. M., he witness-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 55

ed a queen go forth; but I have never yet seen one
sally out at that hour. |

DANGER O THE QUEEN BEING LOST, DURING HER
EXCURSION.

That all these things should be thus made to harmon-
ize, for the well-being of the bee, is apparent. How
easy a thing it would be, for a queen to lose her way,
on her return to her hive, if she had to go forth many’
times.

In her flight, every object that presents itself is new,
save what may have been noticed by her on the day of
swarming. She sees many hives of the same color and
size, and it is only by the most astonishing sagacity, that
she is enabled to escape the vicissitudes of a single flight ;
and were she compelled to go out daily, for any consi-
derable time, not one family in ten would escape de-
struction; for to be without a queen, is certain ruin,
when no eggs or larve exist in the hive.

HUISH S VAGARIES RELATIVE TO THE USE OF DRONES.

Huish is a great advocate of the drones being for the
purpose of fecundating the eggs, instead of the queens.
Hear him:—‘If by any accident or untoward event, a
hive be deficient in drones, the fecundation of the eggs
of the queen does not take place, and consequently, no
swarms are produced.”

lt is strange that Huish should make such a declara-

i as the foregoing, in regard to this subject. Who
das not know, that the eggs are fecundated in Ma ch

en

56 MINER « NERICAN

and April, long before a dr prs exists? It makes no dif
ference at all with swarming, whether drones exist 01
not, as every ordinary bee-keeyer knows.

Huish also says,——“ When a hive swarms, a number
of drones follow the emigrants in the proportion of the
number of working bees.”

In regard to this point, it is «xe, that a portion of the
drones in the hive go out with ths swarm; the numbers
varying, according to the numbr. of drones in it—a
mere matter of chance. They ya with the swarms
from instinct, so as to divide theit ~aintenance more
equally among the colony.

THE CONFLICTING OPINIONS AND TH\D*TES OF OTHER
WRITERS DISREGARDED.

I should only be adding mystery to “ie subject, were
I to fill my pages with the conflicting thee ies and decla-
rations of Huish, Huber, Bevan, Shirach Me Reaumer,
Riems, De Braw, Swammerdam, Hunter, D nbar, But-
ler, Thorley, Wildman, Keys, Bonner, and « score of
other foreign writers on the bee; and I think I study
the interest of the bee-community, for whom’ write, by
thus doing.

Dr. Bevan’s work is almost entirely made 4) of the
conflicting views and theories of different autho.«; and
when one has perused it, he is about as much ‘1 the
dark, on many important points, as before reading 3t.

It is my aim to give a straightforward treatise, vw th-
out vacillating to the right or to the left, to follow i ais
cr that author; but to unfold the truth as it Js, end

BEE-KEEPER 3 MANUAL. ay |

which I have demonstrated, from personal observations.
I cannot, however, suffer the fallacies of some of the
above authors to go without comment, but I shall be as
brief with them as possible.

PARTICULAR INSTANCES OF DRONES BEING ALLOWED TO
LIVE THROUGH THE WINTER.

Huish further says,—“ Huber says, that he has seen _
drones in a hive in January, and Mr. Duncan supposes,
that they were allowed to remain in the hive, on account
of the additional heat which they would generate in
winter, or perhaps, they may be preserved for the pur-
pose of pairing a new queen. Those suppositions, how-
ever, of Mr. Duncan have not a tittle of truth to stand
upon ; not a drone was ever seenin a hive in January.”

In this case, Huber is right, and Huish is greatly
mistaken.

It does not admit of a question, that occasionally a
few drones are allowed to winter over, in some hives.
What these drones are thus allowed to live for, is a
question that will never be answered, so as tocover the
whole ground. It is not for the additional heat that Mr.
Duncan speaks of, because their numbers are so small,
that such a thing is out of the question. A hive is
never seen with a full complement of drones in the win-
ter. A dozen or so, is the most that I ever heard of,
and four is the most that I ever found myself.

Last spring, in the month of March, I saw four drones
issue from one of my hives.—-It is true, | never saw any
in January; but those that I saw in March, were in ex-

58 MINERS AMERICAN

istence in January, and if I had driven out the bees, [
should have seen them, of course.

The reason why drones are sometimes left is, that the
family is without a queen, or that the condition of the
family is such, as to possibly require them to impregnate
a new sovereign. If the queen is not in a healthy and
sound condition, the drones, or a few of them, are al-
ways allowed to exist. This is right—who could order
better ?

In case of the death of the queen, how important are
these drones! In case of the absence of a queen at the
time of the general massacre, and no larve are left to
replace her, the drones are reserved as being needful, in
case of the bees being put in possession of a new queen,
on which they can make no calculation by any natural
means ; yet instinct teaches them to preserve the drones,
and trust in Providence for a queen.

It may be set down as a fact, that when drones are
found long after the general extermination, something
is wrong, and needs the attention of the apiarian; but
in some cases, it defies the knowledge of man, to con-
ceive why they are left. in the case in which I saw
the four drones, mentioned above, the family was in the
most perfect prosperity. The queen was very fertile,
and I cannot say why the drones were permitted to
winter over, unless something was amiss with the queen
in the fall, of which she recovered before spring.

For the purpose of impregnating a new queen, a few
drones would render the gct somewhat precarious, but
I presume that instinct teaches them in every emergen-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 59

cy, to so act that the end will be effected, for which
nature designed them.

THE OLD QUEEN ALWAYS GOES OFF WITH THE FIRST
SWARM.

It is not necessary, that the drones should appear in
force, until the second swarms issue; for the reason,
that the old queen goes off with the first swarm. This
is another point, that has also been disputed; yet it is a
fact, that can never be subverted. ‘This is a circum-
stance, that may well excite our admiration.

Nature is ever careful of the perpetuity of her species
of the animate creation; and in the case of the bee, she
is not lacking in that wonderful chain of circumstances
that produces one harmonious result.

In order to effect this object, viz: the sallying forth
of the old queens with the first swarms, nature implanted
an implacable enmity between all queens, from the mo-
ment of their existence; and even so far, as to force the
mother to destroy her own progeny, before it emerges
from the cells. 4

A young queen, that has not been out of her cell,
more than five minutes, rushes upon her sisters in roy-
alty, and wrests them from their tenements, while yet
in the pupa state, but for the restraint held over her by
the workers, who stand in the defence of their young
sovereigns, and when a queen approaches, with deadly
aim, they seize her, and hold her a prisoner. This nat-
ural instinctive hatred of rivalry in queens, is the basis
upon which the rationale of swarming rests.

60 MINERS AMERICAN

In order to arrive at the point, that I had in view, viz:
to illustrate the fact of the old queen going off with the
first swarm, as briefly as possible, and not run into a
chapter on swarming at this place, I will simply state,
why the old queen does thus leave the hive with a pri-
mary swarm.

As soon as the young queens’ cells are sealed, or a
few days thereafter, say about eight or nine days before
the development of the oldest among them, the natural
hatred of the rivals, that she has produced, or at least,
deposited the eggs in the royal cells for their production,
is so great, that sooner than remain to encounter them,
she quits the hive, and in her exit, takes a portion of the
family with her. If she were to remain in the hive un-
til one or more of the young queens should emerge from
the cells, she would, from her superior strength and com-
mand over the workers, fall upon such queens, in despite
of the efforts of the workers to prevent it, and slay them,
without the least compunction or merey. Nor would
she stop there—-if any queens yet remained in the em-
bryo state, she would, in her rage, tear off the seals of
their cells, and drag them out, as if they were the dead-
liest enemies to her race. Thus would there be no
swarming, since the old queen would not go off, and
leave the family without a sovereign, and she will spare
none, when once her appetite for slaughter has been
whetted. There is much of interest that may be said
on the general circumstances of swarming, which } sna!)
endeavor to lay before my readers hereafter.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 61

DRONES SAID TO DIE IMMEDIATELY AFTER COITION.

A remarkable circumstance is said to occur to drones,
in their amours with the queen; which is, that death
ensues immediately after coition! Since it is impossible
that man should ever witness the act of connection be-
tween the drones and queens, it is a very difficult question
to determine, whether the drone dies immediately or not.
However, we have analogy, it 1s said, in some of the
insect tribes, to corroborate this alleged fact.

THE GENERAL MASSACRE OF DRONES,

The general or usual time that the massacre of the
drones takes place is, as I have already observed, in the
month of July. There may, however, be instances of
their being expelled in June, say the last of the month;
and there may also be instances of their being allowed
to exist until August, before any expulsion takes place.
The time of massacre or expulsion is earlier or later,
according to the latitude of the location of the apiary.
For instance, the expulsion may take place in the lati-
tude of the city of New York, two weeks sooner than
in the latitude of Buffalo or Boston.

Strange as it may appear, the manner in which the
extermination of drones is effected by the workers, is a
matter of contention among the apiarians and naturalists
of Europe. Some assert that the bees use their stings,
while others contend that the drones are simply disabled,
and then cast out of the hives.

Huish says,—*“ It is the opinion of some naturalists,

62 MINERS AMERICAN

that the bee kills the drone by means of its sting, but in
the many hundred times that we have witnessed the
destruction of drones, we never yet observed that the
bee made use of its sting.”

Huber is an advocate of their being stung to death ;
he says:—“On the 4th of July, we saw the workers
actually massacre the males in six swarms, at the same
hour, and with the same peculiarities. The glass table was
covered with bees full of animation, rushing upon the
drones as they came from the bottom of the hive; they
seized them by the antennez, the limbs, and the wings,
and after having dragged them about, or, so to speak,
after quartering them, they killed them by repeated sting-
ings directed between the rings of the belly.”

The truth is, that both the way of Huish and also that
of Huber, is practised by the bees. In some instances,
I have noticed that scarcely any were stung, but the
bees cut the cords of their wings, and then expelled them
from the hives. Drones that have been treated in this
manner, may be seen running to and fro upon the
eround, every now and then making a fruitless attempt
to rise on the wing. On other occasions, when the pa-
tience of the workers has become exhausted, they seize
the drones, and curving their abdomen in close contact
with their bellies, cont.nue to make their deadly thrusts,
between the wings, until successful. In this case, the
drones may be seen running around the hive, upon the
stand, carrying the workers along with them, which never
give up their hold until their object is effected. The
workers do seem to have some mercy at times, for long

BEE-KEE2ER S MANUAL. 63

and enduring is their patience on most occasions, in en-
deavoring to drive the drones away, without doing them
any bodily harm. In such cases, the drones quit their
usual abode and take refuge in other hives, where, in
turn, they meet with the same treatment; finding every
hive too hot for them, they return to their original
homes, when the workers say, if | may be allowed the
term, as the old man did to the boy who was in one of
his trees stealing apples—The old man did not wish to
injure the lad, if he could get him out of the tree by the
use of moderate means, so he threw a few small tufts of
grass at him, and told him that it was wrong to steal
apples, and. desired him to come down, but this, as the
story reads, “only made the young sauce-box laugh.’—
“ Well, well,’ said the cld man, “if neither gentle words
nor tufts of grass will do, I'll try what virtue there is in
stones, &c.” Now the position of these drone-bees is
not wholly dissimilar to the above case. The workers
wish to get rid of them, indeed, must get rid of them.
They at first push or drive them off the floor-board by
gentle means; finding gentle means ineffectual, they say,
“let us try what virtue there is in stings.”

The drones, in rushing for shelter from hive to hive,
find the best accommodation in those hives in which
recent swarms have been placed, and which have not yet
been filled wih combs. In such hives, they can enter at
evening when the bees are clustered above, and congre-
gate on the floor, or bottom-board, huddled together like
a flock of sheep, not daring to venture up into the hive.
In this manner many nights are passed during the heat

64 MINER S AMERICAN

of the conflict, and as soon as day dawns, they are again
driven out to wander about from hive to hive. In cases
of artificial swarms being made, in which the queen is
not developed, the bees in such hives give the drones a
welcome reception; for the reason that they are abso-
lutely necessary to their prosperity. I had a number of
swarms of this kind this season, when the persecution
of the drones took place, and on raising the hives in the
evening, several hundred drones were found on the bot-
tom-board, as before stated; and it is not unfrequent,
that the drones perish from hunger while in this situa-
tion. I found two hundred drones dead one morning,
in one of my hives, in which an artificial swarm had
been placed, all lying precisely as they were the previous
evening, with their heads towards the centre. In other
hives I found many dead drones in the same manner, on
different occasions. It is very singular, that every drone
in this hive should perish at the same time, but such is
the fact; yet not a hair of their bodies had been dis-
turbed by the workers. When I saw this circumstance
at first, I was led to believe that some unnatural agency
had caused their death; but subsequently finding them
dead in the same way in several hives, | attributed the
cause to starvation. It was natural to suppose, that this
was the cause, since the unremitting warfare made on
them generally, gave them no opportunity to partake of
any food; for no sooner did one enter a hive, than he
was instantly ejected; and the hives in which I found
them dead, had not a drop of surplus honey, owing to
the untavorable weather at and before the period ct

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 65

their persecutio.s. Had apart of their number been
dead,—some dying, and others lively, [ should not con-
sider it as a singular case; but every bee was dead, and
in precisely the upright sitting posture, in which they
had arranged themselves at evening!

There is, in the circumstances attending the destruction
of drones, much to excite our curiosity and surprise—much
to reflect on pertaining to the instinctive agency that is
brought into action with the workers, at the period when -
further swarming is known to them not to take place;
and the intuition that produces a concert of action, and
steels their consciences to all feelings of kindred affec-
tion in their merciless ejectment of fellow bees, whose
agency has been no less important to the welfare of the
community, than that of the executioners themselves,—
all of which conspires to elicit the admiration of man,
and causes him to exclaim, “ verily the wisdom of nature
is past finding out !” :

One or two points more, and I have done with drones.
It has been frequently asserted, that drones have been
seen to effect their amours with the queens in the hive,
or in tumblers where they had been placed for the pur-
pose of experimenting with them; but the evidence has
never been adduced, in so strong a shape, as to be en-
titled to credence. One thing is certain, which is, that
no person ever confined a queen from birth, either with
or without drones, that proved fertile. This has often
been tried, but no queen hasever been productive, until
she was at liberty to leave the hive, consequently, I con-
sider that the question ought to be forever set at rest,

65 MINERS AMERICAN

that the ixpregnation of the queens is exteric~ to the
hive, and of course while on the wing.

There are two kinds of d-ones that may sometimes
be seen. I refer to a small black drone that occasion-
ally appears, differing from the ordinary drone, only in
color and size. The difference in color may not, in
every case, be very perceptible; yet they are generally
of a darker hue than the larger drones. This kind of
drone is supposed to be bred in those cells that immedi-
ately connect the full-sized drone with the worker-cells.
On inspection, it will generally be found, that a tier or
two of cells exist between the drone and worker-cells,
of an intermediate size; and the queen would very na-
turally be liable to deposit drone eggs in them; and in
consequence of the size of the cell, the drone has not
room for the natural expansions of his body, and conse-
quently is of less size.

This is undoubtedly the true solution of the question ;
for it is a well-known fact, that a drone-ege may be put
into a worker-cell, by any apiarian, having an observa-
torv hive for experimenta. purposes, and that it will be
nursed by the bees precisely as a worker ts treated, and
a small drone will be the issue. On the other hand, a
worker-egg or larva, being placed in a drone-cell, comes
forth an ordinary worker, not a whit the larger for the
capaciousness of its tenement.

It has been said, that drones caress and treat the
queen of the hive with great attention and fondness;
but those who have made this assertion, are generally
the advocates of the impregnation of the queen by the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 67

drones within the hive, and consequently find it con-
venient to make out as plausible a story as the case will
admit cf; but they state, what is not a fact. If the
thousand or more drones of a hive, each felt a natural
affection for the queen, she would be so harrassed, that
she would not be able to attend to her natural duties.
The drones pay not the least regard to a queen, any
more than to a worker. They remain almost motion-
less in the centre of the hive, until the middle of the day,
when instinct teaches them to depart, as I have already
related.. This is a wise enactment of nature, in order
to preserve harmony within the hive. But no sooner
does the drone ascend in his erial flight, than the in-
stinct of his nature is developed, and he then manifests
a desire to meet his royal mistress.

It is with reluctance that I feel myself compelled to
draw my remarks to a close, on this subject, which I
consider one of the deepest interest in the history of the
bee, to make room for other matter of importance; and
if at any time in the progress of this work, | shall fail
to meet the reader’s wishes, in the description of any
branch of my subject, on the score of general details, I
trust I shall be excused, since the subject, in all its vari-
ou» phases and bearings, is too vast for an ordinary
ve hame like this

CHAPTER 1.

EGGS—LARV#.—TIME TO DEVELOPE ETC.

THE queen commences laying as soon as tne genial
warmth of spring opens. If the weather be very mild,
she may commence as early as February, but generally
in March and April. She does not, however, com-
mence her “great laying,’ as it has been termed, until
about the first of May. At this period, she deposits
from 100 to 200 eggs per day, and as it takes just twenty
days for a worker to emerge from its cell, fully devel-
oped, reckoning the time from the day of laying the egg,
it follows that all eggs laid on the Ist of May, will pro-
duce perfect bees on the 21st of May.

For a period of about ten years, my bees have not
generally swarmed before the first week in June; and
the second swarms have issued about the 12th or 15th
of June; consequently, those bees that went off with
second swarms, must have been produced from eggs de-
posited about the 20th of May, since a bee is able to
leave the hive on the first or second day of its leaving
the cell.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 69

DRONE-EG 3S——-WHEN LAID.

Dr. Bevan says, “the laying of drone-eggs, which is
called the great laying, usually commences at the end
of April, or the beginning of May.”

The great laying of drone-eggs is always after the
laying of worker-eggs, consequently, I think Dr. Bevan
has put the laying of drone-eggs too early, but different —
climates affect the laying in some measure, and perhaps
in England the great laying takes place somewhat ear-
lier than in this country. The bees, of course, have in
most cases of swarming, been in existence several days,
yet in cases of first swarms, not over a week, and less
time in after swarms and some bees go off the day of
their leaving the cells. The appearance of drones takes
place in the latter part of May, and in some instances,
afew appear by the 15th of May; but I have never
found them in large numbers, before about the general
swarming season, viz: the first week in June, and since
it requires twenty-four days for drones to mature from
the egg, the great laying of drone-eggs must take place
about the 10th of May, in the latitude of New York.

I observed that the laying of drone-eggs always takes
place after the laying of worker-eggs, which is a fact ;
yet when the laying of drone-eggs is over, the queen
immediately resumes the laying of worker-eggs, and at
the time of her going off with a first swarm, she is ready
to proceed with the laying of worker-eggs for some days,
when she again commences the laying of drone-eggs
but not so extensively as at first.

70 MINER'S AMERICAN

ROYAL CELLS CONSTRUCTED SIMULTANEOUS VSITH
DRONE-EGG LAYING.

There is a relation existing between the commence-
ment of laying drone-eggs and the construction of royal
cells, worthy of notice.

When the queen has discharged her ovary of its bur-
den of worker-eggs, then she is aware that she will com-
mence the laying of drone-eggs ; for, be it known, that
the two kinds of eggs are germinated in perfectly dis-
tinct and separate bodies, though no organic separation
exists in the formation of the ovary, as has ever yet been
discovered. How she knows the fact, that her worker-
eggs are exhausted, and that for a few days, she can pro-
duce drone-eggs only, is not for me to say ; yet she does
know that fact, and the workers know it also; for no
sooner does this crisis arise, than they at once set them-
selves to constructing drone-cells; provided, that they
be not already constructed, and they build them as fast
as the queen requires them, and stop with her termina-
tion of laying this kind of egg.

The secret relation between the laying of drone-eggs,
and building royal cells is this. The royal cells are al-
ways commenced on the occasion of drone laying, when
they are commenced at all. It seems to be a signal for
the workers to commence this work; yet, if the hive
be large, and only partly filled with combs, not a royal
cell will be fabricated. The reason of this is evident,
because the bees well know, that they will not have a
bee to spare in swarming; for all their increase will be

BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 74

wanted at home to complete the labors of tneir own do-
micile. ‘The bees fully understand their business in al!
its various branches. No hive ever yet threw off a
swarm that was not fwil of bees.

I say, that my bees generally swarm during the first
week in June; yet I have had numerous swarms issue
in May; and on one occasion, a swarm in the early
part of April, which I considered a very remarkable.
circumstance.

My general remarks on the subject of swarming, with
its attendant circumstances, must be reserved for an
especial chapter.

THE OPERATION OF LAYING DESCRIBED.

After impregnation, the queen begins to lay in about
forty-eight hours. Huber says forty-six, but I have
found it*to be full forty-eight in most cases, in which
I have tested the question. There is no use in being so
very particular as to the hour and minute. No man
will care a fig whether it be two hours sooner or later.
A description of the operation of laying is correctly
given by Mr. Duncan, an English apiarian.

Mr. D. says ;—“ In the operation of laying, which we
have a thousand times witnessed, the queen puts her
head into a cell, and remains in that position a second
or two, as if to ascertain whether it is in a fit state to
receive the deposit. She then withdraws her head,
curves her body downwards, inserts her abdomen into
the cell, and turns half round on herselt’; having kept
this position for a few seconds, she withdraws her body,

72 MINER'S AMERICAN

having in the meantime laid an egg, The egg itself,
which is attached to the bottom of the cell, by a gluti-
nous matter, with whicl. it is imbued, is of a slender,
ova. shape, slightly curved, rather more pointed in the
lower end than in the other.”

TIME THAT EGGS REMAIN IN THE CELL.

The egg remains three days before it bursts its integu-
ment, and becomes a worm, or larva; that is, in natural
heat of from 60 to 70 degrees of Fahrenheit, and in
colder circumstances the time may be prolonged, even
to a perfect suspension of vitality for a long period ; and
then, on being subjected to the usual heat, the develop-
ment takes place in the natural way.

LARVZ—HOW LONG FED—WHEN SEALED OVER, ET®.

After the hatching of the eggs, which is effected solely
by the natural heat of the bees in the hive, generated
by the workers, the larve are fed from four to six days,
according to the heat within the hive, and the cells are
then sealed over by the workers, by making numerous
rings of wax, commencing at the outside, and finishing
at the centre. When the larve are sealed over, they
commence weaving around themselves a cocoon, or
shroud, which requires about thirty-six hours, and from
this period until their perfect development, they are called
pupe, nymphs, or chrysalis. 'The covering, or seals of
drone-cells are quite convex, resembling a half pea in
‘rotundity. The convexity of worker-cells is much less,
-—almost flat; and the seals o° honey-cells are concave ;
curving inwardly.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 73

PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT, ETC.

The period of development of the different classes of
bees is as follows, viz :—
Queens from the egg, 16 days.
Wreones 4). 24
Workers orf. Doe
The formation of queen-cells, as I have stated, takes
place on the occasion of the great laying of drone-eggs
in May; the manner of the construction of which is
pretty well defined at page 28. The construction of
these cells takes place about the 20th of May, and con-
sequently the young queens are ready to go off with
swarms in the early part of June.

NUMBER OF BEES IN A HIVE.

Various are the statements in regard to the ordinary
number of bees in a hive, and the number of bees that
a single queen usually produces in a single season. As
regards the number of bees in a hive, it depends much upon
whether it be @ large or small hive, and whether any
swarms have issued from it. Some queens are much
more fertile than others, as is the case with the female
portion of all animated nature. I suppose the following
statement of what an ordinary queen annually produces, »
to be as near the truth, as we can well get at:

Bees in: a‘tirst swarm,” *".” 6500.
Tnvarsecond: Phe TSO:
“ remaining in the parent hive, 8,000.
“ produced in the first swarm, 6,000.

25,000.

74 MINER S AMERICAN

In the foregoing calculation, I have made an allowance
of 2,000 bees, as being in the parent hive, on the opening
of spring; and consequently, 10,000 is the number I
compute, as belonging to the parent hive, after the issue
of the second swarm. The above aggregate of 25,000
bees from one queen in a single season is moderate.
If we take into consideration the number of bees pro-
duced by the queen in the second swarm, and also that
of the queen left in the parent hive, both of which are
the indirect production of the parent queen, through her
own progeny, we should then swell the grand total to
about 40,000 ; allowing the said two queens to produce
15,000!

The above estimate is made on the supposition that
two swarms are sent off, and the old queen goes with
the first, as she ever does.

If the family had been in a large hive in which no
swarming had taken place, the result would have been
the same as in the first case; for the reason, that the
number of bees sent off in both swarms, viz ;—11,000,
and the 6,000 that the queen produces with the first
swarm, would all have been residents of the original
hive, together with the 8,000 produced, and left in the
parent hive, according to the foregoing estimate,
making in all, as before stated, 25,000. If no swarms
are sent off, we lose the 15,000 bees produced by the
two queens in charge of them. A queen possesses the
power of producing a certain number of eggs in a
season; and whether she remain in the parent hive, or
sally out with a swarm, it joes not aflect the aggregate

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 75

of her laying; provided, that she has room in which to
deposit her eggs

R¥LAT-VE PROPORTION OF DRONES.

The relative proportion of drones and workers is
about one to twenty, that is, for a family of workers
amounting to 8,000 the ordinary number of drones is
about 400. Some writers state the number of drones~_
in a hive to be from 1,000 to 2,000; but they are beyond
the mark, as a general rule. There is no law that
governs the production of drones, so as to enable the
aplarian to make any calculation, in regard to their
relative proportion, when compared with the number of
workers, that may be relied on in allcases. Some fami-
lies may have a thousand, while another, equally strong,
may have but 500.

Nature does not, in all cases, operate without a loss,
or waste of the animal functions; for, in the case of the
laying of drone-eggs by the o/d queens, after they have
left the parent hive with a swarm, we find that brood
entirely useless, coming as it does after the swarming
season is past.

The old queens are aware of the uselessness of this
drone-brood, and consequently, the larvee are drawn out
of the cells and cast on the ground. Why queens are
thus compelled by nature, to lay a brood of eggs, that
are worse than useless, some one must answer, more
deeply versed in the nature of the bee than I am.

It may be said, in the case of the drone-brood pro-
duced by queens with swarms, that since a swarm some-

76 MINER S AMERICAN

fumes sends off a swarm, that in such a case, drones are
necessary ; consequently, nature has ordained, that a
thousand queens shall continue to produce drones, and
then cast them out half developed, in order to ensure
safety to one family that throws off a swarm; for, not
more than one swarm in a thousand does cast a swarm
the same season. ~On the whole, this feature of the case
appears reasonable; because it is the same principle of
nature, that is manifested in the production of 500 or
1000 drones, to render the fertility of a queen sure,
when a single drone would be sufficient, if that drone
could be made, through the instinct of his nature, to be
on hand, when occasions should demand his services.

YOUNG QUEENS PRODUCE FEW OR NO DRONE-BROOD,

In the case of a swarm sending off a swarm the same
season, it is always a first issue that contains the old
queen ; and it is she that produces drone-brood; since
drones in such a case, would be absolutely necessary to
impregnate the virgin queen. But with young queens, the -
case is very different, and they produce few or no drones
during the first season of their existence; but after the
first season, they produce the regular number.

POSITION OF EGGS OR LARVZ.

The position of eggs and larve in weak families,
where every degree of heat must be economically hus-
banded, is worthy of remark. In well-peopled hives,
the queen deposits her eggs in such locations as may
be free from honey and pollen, without any regard te

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 77

the louality, since the numbers of bees will always admit
of generating the proper degree of heat; but wien a
few workers exist, comparatively speaking, the case is
widely different. I have often noticed this circum-
stance; but a particular instance of this nature has
very recently come under my observation. In driving
a very small swarm into another hive, for the reason,
that there were not bees enough to winter over safely,
I found in cutting out the combs, a laying in the middle
of the centre comb, about as largeas the top of a tea-
cup, and about as circular. In the centre were the
nymphs or crysalis sealed over; and on the outside of
these, were larve three or four days old; and exterior
to these were larvee just bursting their shrouds from the
egg; and exterior to these were the eggs that had just
been deposited. If a needle had been run through the
cells of the aforesaid nymphs, larvee and eggs, it would
have passed through cells on the opposite side, contain-
ing nymphs, larve and eggs of precisely the same age!
This is only another evidence of the remarkable instinct
of the bee! The nymphs requiring more heat than
larvee three or four days old; and the larvee of this age,
requiring more heat than eggs, how wisely does the bee
arrange her broods to the best advantage! In this hive, in
which the combs were built, there were not bees enough
to allow the least heat to be wasted; and when a cluster
of bees is huddled together on one side of a comb, the
heat produced is much greater, by having a corres-
ponding number of bees clustered directly opposite.
Could human ingenuity devise a better way of econamy,

78 MINER'S AMERICAN

in the expenditure of animal heat, in the development
of the young of this insect ?

GH APO ERY:

DIVISION OF LAROR OF BEES.

Huser’s theory in regard to the division of labor is,
that the workers are divided into wax-workers, or those
that build the combs, nursing bees, and honey-gatherers ;
and he contended, that there is a difference in the or-
ganic structure of these different classes, so as to render
them incapable of doing anything except the particular
labor, that nature designed for them; though such dif-
ference in the organic structure is not visible to the
naked eye. Huber went a little too far in this assump-
tion, since it would puzzle all his adherents to explain,
how such a difference in structure is produced, when
they all come from the same kind of egg, and receive
precisely the same treatment, throughout their whole
development.

But it is true, that labor in a family of bees has its
divisions ;—there are wax-workers, nursing bees, and
gatherers; bu. there is not the slightest difference in

BEE-KEEPERS MANUAL. 79

their organic structure. Man has found, that in exten-
sive laboratories, a division of labor is highly essential :
thus, in the manufacture of the pin, a single pin passes
through many hands before completion.

The builder does not cause his layers of brick to bring
them to the place of use, nor to compound the mortar
in which they are laid. He finds that each branch of
labor, performed by persons for that especial business, best
tends to harmony and to a rapid completion of the edifice.
The bee, in this respect, is not behind man, in its know-
ledge of the most effectual application of labor, since it
receives its wisdom from a source that knows no error.
Man has studied, and found this truth out by experience—
the bee has this instinct implanted in its censorium from
the day of its birth.

When man attempts to properly define the beauty
and harmony of the domestic labors of the bee, and its
wonderful instinctive powers, he is lost in a labyrinth
of amazement !

I have, more than once, been inclined to throw down
my pen, overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task
before me; yet I trudge along slowly, doing but faint
justice to the subject, trusting in the charity of my
readers, for an exoneration of having failed to meet the
case as it merits.

DIVISION OF LABOR PROVED.

When a swarm of bees commence the fabrication of
combs in a new hive, a certain number of bees com-
mence the building of them; and another portion go

80 MINER'S AMERICAN

forth to the fields to gather honey and farina; and as
soon as the young brood require being fed, a certain
number take charge of that duty. This fact, so far as
it relates to wax-workers, and honey-gatherers, may be
proved in this manner. viz ;—remove a hive containing
a swarm vigorously at work making combs, to a short
distance, beyond the reach of its tenants on returning
from the fields, and mark the result. In a few minutes
not a single bee will be seen to leave the hive, after such
discharging bees have left, that were in it at the time of
its removal. Scarcely a bee will be seen to leave the
hive during the first day or two after its removal, for the
wax-workers are patiently awaiting the return of their —
comrades that bring in the materials. When it has be-
come evident to the bees that their comrades are lost,
(they have no idea of the removal of their tenement,)
then a new division of labor takes place, and the gather-
ing is resumed with lessened numbers. I have wit-
nessed the above case often, in the formation of artificial
swarms from a swarm of such magnitude, that half of
its members could be safely spared. The same disor-
ganization of labor is found in the new hive that receives
the honey-gatherers only, as they return from the fields;
and after a day has past, a port’on of the bees that were
gatherers to the original hive, now become waz-workers
to the new hive that is placed in the position of the’ori-
ginal one, thus proving that all workers are alike, and
equally able to lend a hand, at gathering, nursing, or
wax-working. The particulars of making artificial
swarms, will be giver. in a future chapter.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 8]

POLLEN AND PROPOLIS GATHERERS, ETC.

There is also another division of labor in gathering ;
for a certain number of bees gather pollen, or farina,
which is the same thing, for the food of the larve;
while others gather honey to store in the cells, and tobe
used in the fabrication of combs; and, if need be,
others gather propolis, the wax that is used in stopping
up crevices and holes in the hive.

BEES GATHER FROM ONE KIND OF FLOWER ONLY
DURING THE SAME EXCURSION.

Again, a division of labor takes place in gathering
honey from different kinds of flowers. A bee that com-
mences on the blossoms of the cherry-tree, never leaves
that kind of tree for any other, or for any flower, but
continues gathering the same kind of honey. So it is
with the bee that commences her labors on the apple or
pear-tree, é&c. In the fields, also, the same flowers are
adhered to; and the bee that gathers from the white
clover, does not alight on any other flower during that
particular excursion! I have witnessed this singular
fact, when bees gathering from different flowers came
under immediate observation, and almost in contact with
each other ; yet there was no promiscuous gathering by
them.

SENTINELS.

The duty of guarding the hive against the intrusion of
enemies, is another feature in the division of labor.

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Come when you will to examine a family of bees, you
will ever find, at least, one or more sentinels on duty ;
unless it be in cold weather. If the entrance to the
hive be small, but a few bees act as guards; but there
they stand, thrusting out their antenne towards any bee
that is suspicious; and let a stranger approach, and
there is always some bee on the qui vive to arrest its
progress. These sentinels are as regularly relieved as
those of an army on duty.

THE WONDERFUL OPERATIONS OF VENTILATING BEES |

Last, not least, is the duty of those bees, that in close
sultry weather, ventilate the hive, by causing a current
of air to be put in motion, by the vibration of their
wings. It has often been a matter of surprise with some
people how bees can exist in hives densely populated,
and having but a very small entrance, that often appears
to be entirely closed by the numerous bees around it,
when man finds it difficult to find air for free respiration,
during the sultry weather of summer; and such per-
sons have supposed that the bee requires little or no air
to successfully prosecute its labors within the hive. If
such people could witness the indefatigable labors of a
large portion of such families of bees, that night and day
toil without cessation, to renovate and purify the air
within their hives, their minds would soon be changed,
and if they were bee-keepers, measures would at once be
taken, to admit a little of the pure air of heaven, that 1s
so very essential to their welfare. I cannot better illus-
trate this subject than to give my observations, in a sin-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 83

gle case, of the ventilation of a hive by the bees, in my
own apilary.

Having a swarm lodged in a hive that I felt particu-
larly anxious should prosecute their labors speedily, in
consequence of its being an ornamental domicil, and it
being quite late in the season when the swarm was put
therein, (22d June,) contrary to my custom, the
weather being cold, or rather not warm, for the season,
I let the hive down in close contact with the stand, only
allowing a few small holes for the egress and ingress of
the bees, in order to facilitate the internal heat of the
hive. The weather suddenly changing from moderate
to extremely hot, the bees clustered in large numbers on
the outside of the hive, and their labors seemed almost
suspended. On opening the door to the hive, that ad-
mitted a full view of all the inside, through a pane of
glass, the bees having but partially filled it with combs, I
there had a fair and full opportunity to witness the
manner in which the bees renew the air of their hives
py the vibration of their wings. On the bottom-board
of the hive were arrayed files of bees in platoons, as
regularly arranged as an army on parade, all with their
heads the same way, and keeping up a constant motion
of the wings. They were stationed in rows from front
to rear, thus giving the laboring bees, that went forth to
the fields, an opportunity to pass in and out with the
least possible inconvenience ; since the avenues between
the rows of ventilating bees converged to a focus at
the rear of the hive, at which point the bees had built
down their combs near to the bottom; and hung there

84 MINER'S AMERICAN

in a cluster around their works, and resting on the bot-
tom-board ; and at this point, the bees took their depar-
ture, when leaving for the fields, first running along the
lanes, or avenues aforesaid, to the point of egress; and
those entering, pursuing the same pathway. Being
anxious to know what result the letting in of a plenty
of pure air, would have on the bees engaged in venti-
lating, I raised the hive on all sides, three-eighths of an
inch, and supported it by small blocks at each corner.
I then looked into the hive, through the glass door, and
saw after a minute or two, the bees commence leaving
their stations by degrees, until every column of bees,
--engaged in renewing the air, disappeared!

CHAPTER VI.

BLACK BEES.

THERE is a class of bees denominated “black bees,”
that occasionally appear, and which have caused much
speculation among aplarians—some even denying that
such aclass do ever exist. That such black bees do
sometimes appear, is beyond all question; yet many
years may pass with the apiarian, without appearing in

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 85

sufficient numbers to be observed. They are of the
same size as the ordinary workers, differing. in nothing
relative to their organic structure, that can be perceived,
the only difference being the color, which is a jet black.
Huber states that a war of extermination is waged
against them, and that they meet a violent death in the
same manner that drones are expelled and slain; but
this does not coincide with my observations, nor with
the observations of any other apiarian, as far as my
knowledge extends.

These black bees, when they do appear, which is sel-
dom, are only seen in the summer season, and then in
very small numbers. They do not appear to take so
active a part, in the labors of the family, as the ordinary
workers, and sometimes they seem to do little or nothing.
Where they come from, or by what cause they become
black, has never been shown. Huber thought that they
came forth from the cells black, but it is far more rea-
sonable, to suppose them to become black from age.
We know that the very young bee, is of a light grey
color; and a few days exposure to the atmosphere turns
its color to a darker hue, and old age may cause some
bees to become entirely black, at the season of the year
when such bees appear. Man’s locks turn white with
age—some much more than others; and why may we
not suppose that age will also change some bees to a jet
black, since we positively know, that time does gene-
rally give them, in all cases, a darker hue ?

CHAPTER VIE.

POLLEN, OR BEE-BREAD.

Eyvxns ove-keeper knows what bee-bread is; yet every
bee-keeper does not know all in regard to this substance,
that ought to be knewn. SBee-bread is the pollen, farina,
or dust of flowers, that is gathered by the workers in
the baskets, or cavities of their legs—the yellow sub-
stance that is carried into the hives so abundantly, in
the spring of the year. Bee-bread is the food of the
larve, or young brood; and the most abundant gather-
ing of it takes place in the spring, when the breeding
season is at its height. But this commodity is stored
up at all seasons, it being a substance that is not in-
-jured by age. In the morning, when the dew is on the
flowers, the bees are engaged at this labor, because the
dampness of the farina packs better upon the cavities of
of their legs, and also that at this period of the day, no
honey can be gathered. Here is wisdom!—Man plans
his work no better. The bee gathers farina, also when
the honey season is past, and when it is not wanted for
immediate use. The warts of the following season are

BEE-KEEPER'S MANUAL. 87

cared for, even when the gatherers are extinct, for few
live to use the following season, that which is ees
the season preceding.

BEX-BREAD INJURIOUS WHEN STORED IN SURPLUS
QUANTITIES.

The gathering of bee-bread at all seasons, though
showing forth the indefatigable industry of the bee, is .
attended sometimes, with serious consequences to the
general prosperity of the family. It is in this way :—
Bees being ever prone to labor, will sometimes gather
a large surplus of bee-bread, taking up the room of the
hive for years, when there is no possible necessity for its
use. The cells that ought to be used for honey and
brood, being filled with this substance, lessen the gene-
ral prosperity of the bees, as a matter of course; and in
consequence of this superabundance of farina, the bees
require changing from old to new hives, about every
four or five years, even if no other cause existed for a
removal, which is not the case.

COLOR OF BEE-BREAD—DIFFERENT COLORS KEPT DISTINCT.

Bee-bread is generally yellow, but it may often be
seen of a pale reddish hue, and at other times of a slate
color. The colors of this substance, as generally gath-
ered, appear to be about the same throughout the world.
No change takes place in its hue after being gathered,
but it is found of these colors in the nectaries of flowers.
A singular circumstance in the packing of this substance
in the cells, is worthy of notice. Nc two colors are ever

88 MINER'S AMERICAN

found in the same cell! Wow the bees are enabled to
keep each color separate and distinct, is beyond our pale
of knowledge; yet it is but in keeping with their gene-
ral habits, and regulations in labor.

HOW FED TO LARVZE.

* How this farina or bee-bread is fed to the larve is
another mystery—that is, whether it be given dry, and
in its original state, or whether it be compounded with
other substances? No man can ever say of his own
knowledge, from ocular demonstration, that a combina.
tion of different substances does actually take place;
yet collateral evidence does exist, showing plainly that
waier is used in preparing it for use, if nothing more.
Water and honey are the only things that apiarians have
imagined were compounded with it.

CELLS ONLY PARTLY FILLED WITH POLLEN.

Another singular circumstance attends. the packing
of bee-bread ; it is this:—The cells are never filled be-
yond about two-thirds of their depth! The remaining
space is either left unoccupied, or it is filled with honey.
When there is a lack of room to store honey, these bee-
bread cells are filled with that substance. Some apia-
rians have supposed, that the cells are but partially filled
with farina, because a covering of honey is necessary to
protect it and keep it in good condition. This does not
appear to be the case, since a great proportion of the
combs containing farina, are generally found to have no
such covering of honey.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAt. 89

The cause is probably this:—the bees in traversing
the combs, require a foothold convenient, and perhaps
quite necessary. Jn filling the cells two-thirds, or per-
haps, three-quarters full, the bees leave a footing;
whereas, if every cell were filled to its fullest capacity,
of farina and honey—the honey-cells being sealed over,
the bees would undoubtedly find difficulty in passing
over the combs with the requisite facility.

CHAPTER VIII.

“Ym.

WATER AND ITS USES.

Writers on the management of bees have hitherto
given no elucidation of the necessity of bees having
water within their convenient reach, beyond the simple
assertion, that they either should have water placed
daily in pans near the apiary, or that they should be
situated near to some stream, lake or river of fresh wa-
ter. What the effect would be to have no water within
the ordinary range of their flight, has never been shown ;
perhaps for the reason, that an apiary cannot be placed
where the bees cannot find fresh water in some place,
within the range of their flight unless it be in a desert.

90 MINERS AMERICAN

Even the wells of the neighborhood frequently afford all
the water that is required, from the drippings of the
bucket, or from the troughs that often stand beside
them.

I have often seen bees around my own well, in great
numbers, extracting the moisture from the outside of the
bucket, or arranged along the gently-sloping sides of a
trough, that I had placed there expressly for them. Bees
do not like to descend the vertical sides of a bucket, or
of any other vessel to obtain water; because there is
danger of falling in; but a sloping, shallow trough, the
sides of which form an angle of from 30 to 45 degrees
with the horizon, suits them much better.

HOW FURNISHED TO BEES.

Every bee-keeper should either afford his bees a sup-
ply of water at his pump, or well, or place a shallow
vessel near the apiary, filled with small stones about
the size of a pigeon’s egg, in order to give a resting
place for the bees, and the vessel then to be filled with
fresh water every morning, unless there be a stream of
fresh water near, in which case, both modes might be
dispensed with. A tin baking pan, about an inch or
more deep, is very suitable. Should no stones be put
into the pan, many bees would bedrowned. Ihave even
known many to be drowned, in cool spring weather, when
the stones in the pan were so large, as to admit of spaces
or surfaces of water only two inches across! One
would suppose that so small a space as this, would be
overcome by the bees at once ; and when losing a foot-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 9]

hold, and falling into the water, they would paddle across
to the stones, and soon take wing again ; but such is not
the case in cool weather, such as we generally have from
March to June. In very warm weather, fewer bees
under the same circumstances would perish; yet water
is so benumbing to them, at almost any season, that
when once immersed they seldom recover, unless as-
sisted by man, in placing them in some warm, sunny ~

place to dry.

EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE OF THE USE OF WATER.

I will now relate what came under my observa-
tion, at my own apiary last spring, (1848,) relative to
the use and necessity of water in the labors of the
bees.

Early in April I placed a tin-pan, filled with small
stones, on a bench near my hives. This pan held
about a pint and a half of water, when filled with stones.
Every morning I filled it with fresh water—sometimes
with rain water, and at other times with well water, as
it happened to be. I then noted the daily use made of
this water by the bees. I had, at that time, but fifteen
hives ; yet I found that the pan did not hold enough for
them, by once filling every morning. Some days it
would be emptied before evening, and on other occa-
sions, the quantity was sufficient for them.

SINGULAR DISCOVERY IN REGARD TO THE USE OF
WATER ON VERY WINDY AND WET DAYS

I particularly noticed a very singular circumstance

92 MINER'S AMERICAN

in regard to the quantity of water taken on very windy
days, and also on wet, drizzly days, when the bees could
not go to the fields. During such days as the winds
were so high, that the bees could not safely go abroad—
and we had a few such—the bees crowded around, and
into the water pan, in three-fold the number they did in
ordinary mild, pleasant weather. My apiary had recently
been removed toa high and exposed situation, where the
winds had a fair sweep ; and on one or two days during
the month of April, the winds blew so hard, that the
hair on a man’s head, almost, I think I may say, re-
quired to be held on. IJ had erected a board fence on
the most exposed sides of my hives, to be let down,
when the high spring winds had subsided; and the
water-pan being within this enclosure, the bees could
approach that without feeling the effects of the blast that
swept past them without the yard.

It was on the occasion of the prevalence of such high
winds, as before stated, that the bees finding it impossi- —
ble to go forth to the fields, without being in danger of
being dashed to the ground, that they turned their atten-
tion to the use of water, to an extent far beyond what
they were ordinarily accustomed to use.

THE USE THAT BEES MAKE OF WATER.

Here is a question to be solved, viz :—what use did
the bees make of this large quantity of water on those
windy days? One would suppose, that when the gene-
ral labors of the bees were suspended, that no water at
all would be required.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 93

The solution of this question, in my opinion, is this:
Bees are wise insects, with a natural instinct that goes
far ahead of the brains of man, in many cases. I mean
to say, that a large portion of mankind do not possess
the genius to adapt means to ends, so well as the little
puny honey-bee, so far as its ramifications of domestic
economy extend. This being the case, as I presume
will be admitted, by all persons acquainted with their
general labors, it follows, that the bee studies economy
of labor ; and when the fields cannot be explored, such
labor as can be performed, to advance the general pros-
perity of the family, is undoubtedly attended to.

The agriculturist, when driven from the fields by the
storm, says :— come boys, let us see what is to be done
within doors—our potatoes are to be cut, and prepared
for planting; or fodder for the cattle and horses should
be got ready; the straw cut,” &c.

Now, the bee acts on precisely the same principle.
Water is used in compounding the bee-bread, and fitting
it for the young bees. In the spring, when the weather
is cool, a few days’ consumption can safely be made in
advance, and it is thus that I account for the more
abundant use of water on such occasions, as do not ad-
mit of the usual labors of the family being performed.

WATER USED IN WET WEATHER ABUNDANTLY.

Not only in windy weather, but also in rainy weather,
do bees make use of a more abundant supply of water
than usual. Ihave noticed almost the same rush to the
water-pan, on a damp day, when it did not rain enough

94 MINER S AMERICAN

to keep the bees confined to their hives, that took place
on a windy day; even when every plant and leaf was
studded with rain-drops. JI was somewhat surprised,
that the bees should take the water from the pan, when
it could be obtained in a thousand other places with the
same facility. The same reason that caused the greater
use of water in windy weather, led to the use of it more
abundantly in wet weather; and the reason why the
bees preferred the pan to other places, in obtaining it in
wet weather, I presume is, that the liability to get wet
is more when alighting in promiscuous places, when
everything is wet, than when alighting on the stones in
the pan.

DECREASE AND FINAL TERMINATION OF THE USE OF
WATER.

The use of the water from the pan continued through
the months of April, May, and a part of June, when a
great decrease took place in the use of it; and this de-
crease in the use of water was coeval with the decrease
in the production of larve. Finally, in July the bees
frequented the water-pan so little, that I considered it
useless to fill it daily, and omitted to pay any further
attention to it.

That the bees use water in preparing the food, (fa-
rina, or bee-bread,) for their young, is apparent, from
the fact, that when breeding declines, the use of water
diminishes.

Now, from the foregoing remarks, it appears that
water is a much more important article in the economy

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 95

of the bee, than it has hitherto been considered to be;
and how far the bees are benefitted in their general
prosperity, when they have an easy access to it in the
spring, is impossible to truly define; yet there is no
doubt that they are greatly benefitted thereby. The
case that came under my observation, as above stated,
shows that the time was not lost when too windy or too
wet to go forth to the fields; but it would have been
lost, had there been no water placed, especially for the
use of the bees, in close proximity to the apiary.

A CLOSE FENCE AROUND THE APIARY NECESSARY
IN CERTAIN CASES.

It is clearly shown in the foregoing remarks, that
where the apiary is placed in a high situation, where the
winds meet with nothing to break their force, a board
fence around it is indispensable—not too near, but suf-
ficiently so to break the force of the winds. Had I not
had such a protection, the bees could not have come out
for water, on the aforesaid windy days; therefore, let
every bee-keeper, having a large apiary, afford his bees
a pan of water in April, May, and June: and those
having fewer hives should do the same ; unless the bees
can get water in the immeaiate vicinity.

CHAPTER [X.
SALT—HOW TO BE USED.

Various are the benefits ascribed to the use of salt,
by the bee-keepers of our country, who profess to have
no further knowledge of bees, than that which has been
taught them from tradition, or from such experience as
they have had in the management of bees, which
amounts to letting them take care of themselves, and if
they live—well—if they die—it is the same. This is
about all the knowledge, that the majority of the bee-
keepers of the world over possess.

SALT PUT UNDER THE EDGES OF HIVES. -

Salt, say these sapient bee-keepers, should be placed
under the edges, and perhaps under the whole hive, as I
have seen many instances, to prevent the moths enter-
ing! ‘This is a perfect fallacy. No quantity of salt
ever yet kept a moth owt of the hive. The moth is a
winged insect, and enters the hive, without coming
in contact with this salt, even if there were a peck of it
there. The moth alights on the outside of the hive,—
runs in through the entrance, or. the upper side gene-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 97

rally, and turns directly upward, without touching the
bottom-board at all. When the worms are produced
from this winged moth, they creep down the side of
the hive, and search for a hole or crevice in which to
wind up in a cocoon, from which a winged moth is-
sues in a few days, to take its turn at entering the hive,
if itcan. The salt placed under the corners, or edges
of hives, as tradition recommends, from time immemo- -
rial, will keep the worms from winding up in a cocoon,
under the edges ef the hive, where this salt is placed,
but the worms have only to crawl entirely out of the
hive, and in most cases, they will find a convenient crack
or nook to suit their purpose, close at hand. Hence, it
follows, that so long as these worms can find any place
about the hive, to wind up in, the salt placed under the
hives is of little or no use, since a moth leaving its
cocoon a rod from the hive, is just as able to gain ad-
mission, as one emerging from a cocoon directly under
the hive ; for, if the bees are not strong enough in num-
bers, to protect themselves in the one, they are not
in the other case. Even if a place cannot be found to
wind up in above ground, these worms will go below the
surface of the earth for this purpose ; but it is a last resort,
or forlorn hope for them, in such cases, and few winged
insects are produced by them in such instances. ‘The true
policy of bee-keepers is, to keep everything so snug and
close around their hives, as to preclude the possibility ot
the worms finding any winding-up place ; then place
salt under the hives, and a good result will follow. It
is a very difficult thing to place hivesin such a position.

98 MINERS AMERICAN

that no winding-up place shall be afforded to moth-
worms ; yet it can be effected, and I will hereafter show
how it can be done. This chapter is on the use of salt,
and I cannot inform you at this place, but I will do so,
when I come to a subject to which the construction of
bee-stands, &c., legitimately selongs.

SALT NECESSARY FOR BEES.

The question, “ is salt necessary for bees ?” is asked
a thousand times annually, in every State in the
Union. That is, is it of any benefit to place a lump of
salt within their reach?

I answer itis. My reasons are simply these: Every
thing in animate nature, that seems to desire the taste of
salt, it is beneficial to. The cow and the sheep can
hardly do without it, as well as many other animals ;
and it seems to be necessary, in a greater or less degree,
to all animated nature. The dung-hill fowl craves it to
such an extent, as to jeopardize its life by partaking of
too much, when an opportunity occurs. I once lost
about twenty young -owls, in consequence of emptying
into the barn-yard a pork barrel which contained a few
quarts of salt; and I also lost a favorite pet canary
bird, by allowing it to come out of its cage, and peck
the salt standing on the dinner-table. But bees will not
hurt themselves by the use of salt. A lump placed near
the hives, under cover, will do no harm, and since the
bees will occasionally partake of it, we should judge,
that it is best to give it to them.

Ido not consider it of much consequence, whether

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 99

salt is given to bees or not. I have stated my own
views on the subject, and leave the matter to the option
of the reader, or bee-keeper, to use it, if he pleases.

CHAPTER X.

ww

PROPOLIS.

Here again, we broach a disputed subject, viz ;—
whether propolis is a natural or a manufactured sub-
stance? It makes no difference to us, in the prosperity
of our bees, to know whether it is the one or the other ;
yet we all have an inkling of Yankee inquisitiveness to
know more than is absolutely necessary of every sub-
ject in which we feel an interest; and methinks I hear
some curious “Jonathan” exclain—“I wish I knew
what it’s made of!” Well, perhaps you can guess. If
you can, you can do what has never yet been done.

But it may be well to inform the reader, what sub-
stance is meant by the term propolis. Propolis is the
glutinous substance, that is used by bees to fill all cracks
and crevices about the hive. It is. much darker than
wax, the substance that the combs are constructed of,
and itis of a more adhesive, tenacious nature. The
quantity that a family of bees sometimes produce 1s
astonishing.

100 MINERS «MERICAN

I have some singular and interesting remarks to make,
on the use of this substance in particular cases, that
came under my own observation, which will come in
under the head of the “instinct” or “sagacity” of bees.

HUBER 'S OPINION ON PROPOLIS.

Huber considered propolis to be a positive genuine
production of nature, and not manufactured, but col-
lected by the bees from the leaves and branches of cer-
tain shrubs and trees, the principal one of which, some
aplarians consider to be the tacamabac.

Huber’s opinion on this subject does not, by any
means, set the question at rest. Neither he nor any
other person, it is probable, ever saw the bees in the act
of gathering this substance ; nor even when gathered by
them, on their return to the hives to deposit their bur-
dens. The first appearance of this substance is at the
places where it is used, and since we never see the sub-
stance gathered, and know of no shrub, plant or tree,
that exudes any precisely such adhesive material, we
have no positive proof that it is a natural substance;
still, it seems that it ought to be gathered from shrubs
or trees, since so many trees do send out an exudation
of analogous features; but if obtained from trees, why
do we not witness the bees returning loaded with it, as
they do with pollen? The fact that we do not see the
bees thus returning loaded with it, almost sets the ques-
tion at rest, on the score of its being a natural sub-
stance.

According to Huber, the*bees have been observed to

BEE-KKUPER'S MANUAL. 101

draw out long threads of this viscous substance f om the
exudations of trees, and to lodge them in the cavities of
their legs, and as suon as one bee had completed its load,
another bee was very conveniently at hand to continue
the same process, until a sufficient quantity had been
obtained. They then began to knead and work it like
an Irish laborer compounding a heap of mortar, and
when in a proper state of attenuation, they proceeded
to line and solder their cells. By the way—lining and
soldering cells with propolis, is not a branch of labor be-
longing to the architecture of the bee at all. Cells are
made perfect with wax alone, and Huber has here made
an assertion that proves him not to be entitled to what
has been awarded to him, viz: the reputation of being
an accurate apiarian.

PROPOLIS AN ELABORATED SUBSTANCE.

It is probable, however, that propolis is an elaborated
substance—to say that it is positively so, would be pre-
sumption; for it is barely a possible thing, to discover
the bees in the act of producing it, even admitting that
they do make it; so impenetrable to the eyes of man is
much of their labors, when clustered in darkness.

Some apiarians consider it an elaborated substance,
of the same nature as wax—even wax itself, but a little
more colored; yet this hypothesis cannot be correct,
since wax and propolis are so different in tenacity and
color, that they cannot be one and the same thing.
If it be elaborated, and of a separate and distinct
nature, then arise difficulties as to the modus ope-

102 MINERS AMERICAN

randi by which it is produced; and here the ques-
tion must forever rest. The bees produce it when it is
required, but where they obtain it, or how they make it,
must be a secret not for man to unfold, Huber’s asser-
tion to the contrary, notwithstanding.

It has been asserted by apiarians of considerable dis
tinction, that propolis is used in laying the foundation
of combs; but this assertion is at variance with my ex-
perience. The jfirst rudiments of new-made combs
have come under my observation so many times—even
the very first beginning of constructing combs, up to
every stage of their prosecution, that what my own eyes
have so often beheld, cannot be controverted by the
statements of all the apiarians of Europe, should they
declare that propolis is used to lay the foundation of
cells. Ihave ever found the first rudiments of cells, to
be composed of waz, the same substance that the entire
combs and cells are composed of—not the slightest dif-
ference in construction and color, could I ever discover.

=

CHAPTER XI.

m

WAX.

Wax is the substance of which the bees construct
their combs. This is not an elementary or natural sub-
stance; but it 1s produced by elaboration. The most
universally-acknowledged theory of the production of
wax is, that it is an exudation from the abdomen of the
bee, through the openings of the scaly rings which com-
pose that portion of the honey-bee, and that honey is
the only original substance from which it emanates.
This is truly a wonderful theory, and without a perfect
knowledge of the economy of the bee, relative to comb-
making in particular, one might be justified in casting
ridicule upon it; but when we take into consideration
all the circumstances attending their labors, in this de-
partment of their duties, we find abundant evidence that
honey is the original substance from which wax is pro-
duced, and that its elaboration takes place within the
bee, coming forth in strings of pearly whiteness.

HONEY AND POLLEN THE ONLY SUBSTANCE THAT BEES
GATHER.

The only material that bees are known to gather is

104 } MINER'S AMERICAN

honey and pollen. No other substance was ever seen
to be brought in by them; and the consequence is, that
waz is either made of one or the other of these two sub-
stances. There is no mistake on this point. Now, let
us consider what ground we have for supposing that
wax is formed from pollen or bee-bread. Firstly: pol-
len is only known to be placed in the cavities of bees
legs—not taken into the stomach of the bee, in its ori-
ginal state at all. Secondly: pollen is known to be the
food of the larvee, and the manner of gathering this arti-
cle shows conclusively to most apiarians, that this is
its sole use.

APIARIANS CONTEND THAT WAX IS MADE OF POLLEN.

There are a few apiarians who contend that wax ig
elaborated from pollen; yet after a careful perusal of
their arguments, I do not consider that the evidence
adduced by them is of such a character as to substanti-
ate their theory, by any means.

Pollen is gathered in the months of April, May and
June, in the largest quantities. At this season breeding
is at its height, and consequently more of this substance
is required. In some hives, during these months, comb-
making is carried on extensively; for instance, when
the bees commence labors in the supers or chambers of
their hives, or in cases in which the whole interior of
their permanent domicil is not yet filled with combs; but
in no instance did I ever know of a family of bees gath-
ering a particle more pollen or. account of such comb-

BEE-KEEPER'S MANUAL. 105

building, or working in wax being carried on, and I
’ have given the subject my most faithful attention.

I now affirm, that a hive well filled with combs and
bees, having no extra room for wax-working, may be
placed along side of a hive, having the same number of
bees, but the hive only half filled with combs, and the
pollen gathered by the bees of the hive that is filled with
combs, shall even exceed the quantity that is gathered by
the bees of the other hive, which shall be vigorously
working in wax in filling their domicil with the usual
combs. Now, if pollen were the constituent principle
of wax, the case would be reversed, and more pollen
would be gathered in the hive but partially filled with
combs, than in the full one.

POLLEN ADMITTED TO BE A COMPONENT PART OF ORDINARY
BEES"“WAX.

Again, pollen being a dryer substance than wax, and
containing but few adhesive properties as it is brought
into the hive; and the color of wax always being white,
while pollen is of various hues, seems to put the question
at rest, proving that wax must be made from some
other substance. It is true, however, that pollen forms
a part of wax *.vhen the combs are immersed in boiling
water for the purpose of extracting it, the pollen then
gives it its yellow hue; but ordinary bees-waz is quite
a different substance from that which is used to build
combs, and the difference arises from the fact that pol-
len composes a large proportion of this Jatter substance,
when prepared for market; whereas, the original sub-

106 MINER'S AMERICAN

stance used in comb building, is wax in its purity; and
this original wax is much superior to ordinary bees-wax,
for the purposes for which this latter substance is used.
Combs, when first built, will melt down to pure wax,
“without any waste from impure substances, and it is
much whiter and better in every respect, than ordinary
wax sold in the market.

BEES, WHEN SWARMING, GO LADEN WITH HONEY.

When a swarm of bees issue from a hive, it is a well-
known fact, that they carry with them as much honey
as their honey vesicles or bags will contain. I have
often known the boxes in the chambers of my hives to
be emptied of their contents, during the night previous
to the issuing of swarms from the same hives. When
this circumstance is noticed in the morning, viz: the
emptying of the cells of the supers or boxes in the cham-
bers suddenly, it is a sure sign that a swarm will go off
on that day, if the weather continues favorable; yet it
is not an easy matter to make such a discovery, since
the bees remain closely packed in the chambers, up to
the very moment of sallying forth.

The object of the bees in thus going forth laden with
honey is, to have wherewith to sustain life for several
days, and thus be prepared to withstand any unfavorable
change of weather that might intervene before a supply
of provisions could be secured. Like the traveller who
starts on a journey across some desert waste, not only
taking provisions for the journey, but also taking a sup-
ply to provide against any reasonable contingency that

BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 107

may retard his progress to the land of plenty whither he
is bound.

A FEW BEES JOIN THE SWARM WITH PELLETS OF FARINA,

When the swarms thus issuing from their tenements
are hived, perhaps a dozen or more bees may be among
each emigrating family that carry with them from the
old hives, pellets of farina. That there are any bees
among them with such pellets, is a matter of chance
merely ; for it often does happen, that not a solitary bee
thus laden goes off with the swarm.

NO POLLEN GATHERED THE FIRST DAY OR TWO AFTER
SWARMING.

Now, the bees, in most cases, commence comb-build-
ing within an hour after being settled in their new home,
and during the first day, at least, no pollen is brought
in; still, if the bees be dislodged after twenty-four hours,
large sheets of new combs will be found constructed.
The question then is, what do the bees make these new
combs of ? It cannot be pollen, for the quantity of that
substance carried along with the issue of the swarm,
would not construct a half-dozen cells at most, and
more likely not a single cell. Nothing except honey is
brought into the hive during the first day or two; still,
the comb-making goes on the most rapidly from the be-
ginning. It follows, of course, that honey is the elemen-

tary principle of wax.

CHEMICAL CHANGE OF HONEY TO WAX.

The chemical change that honey undergoes in the

108 MINERS AMERICAN

stomach of the bee produces it in its proper state for
working. I say chemical change, for the reason that the
honey being probably combined with some other fluid
natural to the body of the bee, and both substances ex-
posed to a gentle heat, produce virtually and truly a
chemical change. Nor is it in the power of the bee to
stop this chemical change, if the honey remain in the
vesicle over a certain length of time, say over four or
six hours. No person, to my knowledge, has ever be-
fore ventured to make this declaration; yet, if we look
properly into this subject, we are forced to this conclusion.
How often have bees commenced the construction of
combs upon the branch of the tree where they clustered
on swarming, on occasions when they have been neg-
lected by their owner, or have not been discovered by
him! The bees certainly must know that they could
not exist in such situations long, and it would be con-
trary to their well-known habits in the economy of labor,
and their wonderful instinctive wisdom, to build combs
where they could be of no use, if they could avoid so
doing.

I do not say that the bees cannot possibly avoid build-
ing combs under such circumstances; yet I say this ;
that if the honey-bee fills its honey-bag with honey, and
finds no place in which to store it within a certain time,
under twelve hours at most, the honey thus placed in the
vesicle of the bee, undergoes a chemical change, over
which the bee has no control;—that the new chemical
substance, which is wax, exudes through the scales of
the abdomen, that lap over each other like the scales of

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 109

a fish, and is taken therefrom by the bee, in threads or
strings, and at once made into combs, or it is cast away.
That such exudation is ever cast away by the bees, we
have no evidence; yet they can cast it away if they
please, consequently, I cannot say that the bees cannot
avoid making combs when their honey-vesicles have
been filled. There are instances in which bees are
known to remain twenty-four hours in a new hive, with-
out working at all in wax; but in such cases, it is pro-
bable that they were not provided with any more honey
than just enough to sustain life.

EXPERIMENT SHOWING FURTHER PROOF THAT WAX IS
PRODUCED FROM HONEY.

In order to show more conclusively that wax-working
is carried on, without the use of pollen, or of any sub-
stance except honey. I will narrate an experiment that
took place last October.

I had a couple of weak swarms that. had gathered no
honey beyond their daily supply, and had built but a
few short combs. Their numbers were so small that I
had no hopes of their being able to survive through the
winter. On going to the apiary on a pleasant day,
about the 20th of October, I was surprised to see a
swarm of bees in the air. They soon clustered and
formed a bunch about the size of a quart measure. I
found this to be one of the weak swarms before men-
tioned, that had left its original tenement for some un-
certain destiny.

I took a new clean hive, and having, with the aid of

10 MINER'S AMERICAN

melted bees-wax, fastened a few pieces of clean, new
combs in the hive, and saturated them with honey, I then
hived the bees, and set the hive in a new location, and
fed them plentifully with pure honey. The next day,
another swarm deserted, of the same character ; leaving
a little brood and no honey. I hived them also, pre-
cisely in the same way, and fed both swarms with as
much pure honey as they could consume, or carry
away. I found that both swarms began to build combs
rapidly, it being very warm weather for the season; but
not a solitary pellet of farina was brought into the hives,
as I could discover ; and none being in the combs that
I fastened in myself, how can it be possible that wax is
formed from any other substance than honey? I think
my own experiments have settled the question, in con-
nection with the general economy of the bee in wax-
working, that has come under my own observation—
that is, so far as my own opinion on the subject is con-
cerned, but lest some of my readers should still require
further proof, I will now give the experiments of the
“ Prince of apiarians” on this subject, as a quietus.

THE EXPERIMENTS OF HUBER, SHOWING THAT BEES WORK
IN WAX WHEN CONFINED, AND FED ON HONEY OR
SUGAR ONLY.

He says: “ The existence of the organs before de-
scribed, and the scales seen under different gradations,
induce us to believe them appropriated for the secretion
of wax. But in common with other animal and vege-

BEE-KEEFER’S MANUAL. 111

table secretions, the means by which this is accom-
plished appears to be carefully veiled in nature.

Our researches, by simple observation, thus being ob-
structed, we felt it essential to adopt other methods for
ascertaining whether wax actually is a secretion, or
collection of a particular substance.

Providing it were the former, we had first to verify
the opinion of Reaumer, who conjectured that it came
from an elaboration of pollen in the stomach, though we
did not coincide with him in the opinion that bees then
disgorged it by the mouth. Neither were we disposed
to adopt his sentiments regarding its origin ; for, like
Hunter, it had struck us that swarms, newly settled in
empty hives, do not bring home pollen, notwithstanding
they construct combs, while the bees of old hives,
having no combs to build, gather it abundantly.

We had, therefore, to learn whether bees, deprived of
pollen for a series of time would make wax, and all that
is required 1s confinement.

On the 24th of May, we lodged a swarm which had
just left the parent stock, in a straw hive, with as much
honey and water as necessary for the consumption of the
bees, and closed the entrance so as to prevent all possi-
bility of escape, leaving access for renewal of the air.

At first, the bees were greatly agitated ; but we suc-
ceeded in calming them by carrying the hive to a coal-
dark place, where their captivity lasted five days. They
were then allowed to take flight in an apartment, the
windows of which were carefully shut, and where the
hive could be examined conveniently. The bees had

112 MINER'S AMERICAN

consumed their whole provision of honey; but thei:
dwelling, which did not contain an atom of wax when
we established them in it, had now acquired five combs of
the most beautiful wax suspended from its arch, of a
pure white, and very brittle.

We did not expect so speedy a solution of the pro-
blem ; but before concluding that the bees had derived
the faculty of producing wax from honey on which they
fed, a second experiment, susceptible of no other expla-
nation, was necessary.

The workers, though in captivity, had been able to
collect farina; while they were at liberty, they might
have obtained provisions on the eve, or on the day
itself of their imprisonment, and enough might have
been in the stomach or on the limbs to enable them to
extract the wax from it that we found in the hive. But
if it actually came from the farina previously collected,
this source was not inexhaustible; and the bees being
unable to obtain more, would cease to construct combs,
and would fall into absolute inaction.

Before proceeding to the second experiment, which
was to consist in prolonging their captivity, we took
care to remove all the combs they had formed in that
preceeding. Buernens made them return to their hive,
and confined them again with a new portion of honey.

The experiment was not tedious. From the evening
of the subsequent day we observed them working in
wax anew; and on examining the hive on the third day,
we actually found five combs, as regular as those they

had made during their first imprisonment.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 118

The combs were removed five times successively, but
always under the precaution of the escape of the bees
from the apartment being prevented; and during this
long interval, the same insects were "preserved and fed
with honey exclusively. Undoubtedly, the experiment,
had we deemed it necessary, might have been prolonged
with equal success. On each occasion that we supplied
them with honey, they produced new combs, which puts
it beyond doubt that this substance effected the secre-
tion of wax in their bodies, without the aid of pollen.
As the reverse of the preceding experiment would prove
whether the pollen itself had the same property, instead
of supplying our bees with honey, we fed them on no-
thing except fruit and farina. They were kept eight
days in captivity, under a glass bell witha comb, having
only farina in the cells ; yet they neither made wax, nor
were scales seen under the rings. Could any doubt
exist as to the real origin of wax? We entertained
none.” i

Huber also tried the result of feeding on sugar, in-
stead of honey, while the bees were confined. The
bees produced wax sooner, and in greater abundance,
than when fed on honey.

A pound of refined sugar, reduced to a syrup;and
clarified with eggs, produced 10 drams, 52 grains of
wax, darker than that extracted by the bees from honey.
An equal weight of dark brown sugar produced 22
drams of very white wax—the like came from maple
sugar; that is, two ounces and three-quarters was the

114 BHE-KEEPER S MANUAL.

greatest quantity of wax obtained from a pound of
sugar.

Having now given the reader a brief view of the pre-
liminary features of my subject, I think he is enabled
to advance to the more interesting part of the work, and
to fully understand the merits of the case. I say “to
advance to the. more interesting part, &c.—I mean to
the practical apiarian, whose sole object is not amuse-
ment.

Panel SUCOUND.

CHAPTER XII.

REMARKS.

A CONSIDERABLE portion of this work will now be de-
voted to the practical management of bees; since it is
this branch of my subject, that will most interest the
bee-keepers of this country, at least.

I cannot say, that the rules that I shall adduce will
divest the management of bees of all the difficulties per-
taining to their successful culture, but such as I shall
offer, will have the merit of being the result of my own
experience, and not the result of other men’s brains.

That a thorough practical treatise on this branch of
rural economy is much needed by the American apia-
rian, | believe every one who is fully acquainted with
the subject will admit; but do not understand me, as
arrogating to myself the honor of having in this treatise
furnished exactly the work that is so loudly called for.
I have made an attempt at furnishing something better
than the American works extant on this subject—how

116 MINER'S AMERICAN

much better, or how much worse, than my predecessors,
I leave the public to judge.

The American treatises on the honey-bee, up to the
present period, are quite brief, and very meagre in prac-
tical details, as I have before observed, hardly giving
the subject even a tolerable discussion in its various
branches, and leaving out entirely very many things of
the greatest practical importance. I[ do not thus speak
of these works in a spirit of disparagement, in order to
build up my own reputation on the wreck of other
writers; but I speak as a faithful historian, seeking no
advantage save what truth will honorably award me.

The various foreign treatises on this subject that have
had a limited circulation in this country, are not, in my
estimation, suited to the wants of American bee-keepers.
Many of them are works of great merit, yet I think the
most of them neglect the practical, and devote too much
space to the theoretical portions of their works. Again,
they are too expensive for us. Dr. Bevan’s work, how-
ever, is an exception. His treatise was reprinted some
years ago in this country, and sold at a very moderate
price, but I believe it is now entirely out of the market.

The art of managing bees in this country is probably
—as little understood as any other branch of rural econo-
my; that is, so far as profit, nealth and productiveness
are concerned.

It is generally supposed, that bees require little or no
care, and if they prove unproductive, or are destr oyed
from the ravages of the bee-moth, it is a mere matter of
chance, wholly beyond the control of the owner.

This is a gross error. The same care and expense
that a farmer bestows on his pigs or his poultry, would

=

BEE-KEEPER § MANUAL. EL

produce much larger profits if bestowed on the culture
of his bees. But bees are not to be looked after or
cared for. When their owner passes the hives, he barely
condescends to look at them, as if they were crying out,
“noli me tangere!’—Stand off!—Keep your distance,
sir!’ This is not right. Every bee-keeper should cul-
tivate a better familiarity with his bees, and know at all
times their condition and their wants. The time neces-
sary for doing this is comparatively trifling.

Indeed, the cultivation of bees may not only be made
a source of moderate profit in all cases, but when pro-
perly attended to, a fortune might be accumulated from
the labors of this insect alone }

?

CHAPTER XIII.

HIVES.

Durine the last twenty years, many new and useless
bee-hives have been palmed off on the ignorant and too
confiding bee-keepers of our country. Men who have
had sufficient brains to devise some new plan and style
of hive that did not before exist—who never understood
a single principle of the management of bees correctly,
have, by dint of unblushing falsehood and impudence,

118 MINER S AMERICAN

bled the bee-keeping community pretty freely. Let it
be here understood, that whatever I may say in the fol-
lowing pages in regard to different hives in use in this
country or in Europe, I shall be actuated by no other
motive than simply to relate the truth, as I view the case.
Every person acquainted with the subject, will bear me
out in the assertion, that there has never yet been intro-
duced or invented, a hive that, after a patient and fair
trial, ever answered the purpose as originally recom-
mended. The reason is, that inventors promise too much
—more than it is possible for the bee to accomplish. It
is true, that I shall introduce a hive of my own in this
work, and many persons may suppose, that the pungency
of my remarks upon other hives, is to open the way to
my own; but in this they are greatly mistaken, for the
whole tenor of this book is against a// hives promising
great and unprecedented results in the gathering of
honey, é&c., and had it not been for the fact, that some
one is now selling a hive asa patent of his own invention,
got up by me some years ago, and gratuitously tendered
to the public through the Am. Agriculturist, I should not
have brought forward the hive referred to, except as free.
Hlad I wished to make the greatest possible amount of
money out of the sale of my hive, without any conscien-
tious scruples reining me within the pale of truth in my
declarations of its merits, I should have written a very
difierent book from this; and the reader will at once
see, on perusing this treatise, that my general remarks
on hives are anything but such as will aid the sale of
my own.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 119

SIZE OF HIVES.

The first desideratum with the apiarian is, the proper
dimensions of hives. As the builder in rearing his edi-
fice, sees that its foundation is firmly laid, that the super-
structure may not be impaired; so does the apiarian
look to the correct size of his bee-hives, that his subse-
quent labors may not prove in vain, in the management
and culture of his bees.

Notwithstanding the enquiry has been abroad through-
out all christendom during centuries, in regard to the
true shape and size of bee-hives; yet we stand in the
same position that we did a hundred years ago, relative
to this important question. Every bee-keeper has his
size and shape, and no one is able to set the question at
rest. We find hives from the little box of six inches
square, made expressly for very small swarms, up to
almost any dimensions, even to the size of a barrel
There seems to be a perfect chaos existing in the minds
of men on this subject, or rather, that every man’s views
on this subject, are so vague and undefined, that a cha-
otic confusion is the general state of public sentiment
on this very important branch of bee-culture.

Now, can any one reasonably suppose that there is
no solution to this query ? Does any one presume, that
a small hive or a large hive ; a short hive or a long hive,
is all the same ; making no difference at all in the gene-
ral prosperity of the apiary ? No one can thus think, for
it iscontrary to the general principles of common sense ;
yet bee-keepers, to a great extent, act on this principle,

120 MINER'S AMERICAN

and fill their bee-gardens with every manner of hive,
throwing all system to the winds.

As I look upon this subject, there must bea right
size, and a wrong size—a right shape, and a wrong
shape. But the grand question is, what is the right size
and shape? There’s the rub! Who can answer? In
my opinion, every bee-hive in the United States should
be of a certain size and shape.

ff

SPACE NECESSARY FOR SWARMS.

The queen is able to produce a certain number of
larvee, or brood, in a season. She requires a certain
area of space in which to deposit her eggs, and more
than enough is worse than useless. Like the coat upon
one’s back, a close fit is required; beyond, or short of
this, is either ruinous, or highly disadvantageous.

It is true, that some queens are more fertile than others
—even the same queens produce more larve some sea-
sons than in others. This is quite natural, since a bee
is liable to be affected by various vicissitudes of life, as
well as any other animate being. But admitting this,
we then wish to know what space is necessary to af-
ford an average area for a queen’s use, giving, as a
general rule, as much room as can be used, and at the
same time leave no waste space ?

NUMBER OF WORKERS ADVANTAGEOUSLY EMPLOYED.

Again, how many workers can -be employed in the
same hive to advantage? There is an answer to this
—a definite answer; yet I never beheld the subject

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. ii

mooted, as well as many other important questions,
touching the management of bees, in any work pub-
lished in either Europe or America.

The case lies simply here :—you may put a queen
into a hive suited to her requirements, and you may then
give her just as many workers as she ought to have ;
that is, the number that will readily construct the re-
quired complement of combs, and have the various-
branches of labor pertaining to the family all progress-
ing harmoniously, without any branch being retarded, to
the detriment of other branches. You may then add to
this specific number of bees that constitute just enough,
a few more thousand, and you derange all their labors,
by an excess of laborers. Ei:very one knows, that when
a body of mechanics are at work on any kind of employ-
ment, and as many are thus employed, as can conveni-
ently find room to labor in, that if another body of men
be thrust in to aid them, that instead of beng an aid to
them, they would actually retard the work. So it is
with a family of bees. When once a family have
enough laborers, more are worse than useless, and they
retard the labors of the family, by crowding among the
combs, and also farther injury is done, in consuming the
stores in a greater ratio to their increase, than when the
proper number of bees only occupy the hive.

A LACK OF WORKERS DISASTROUS TO THE FAMILY.

The same, or rather equally disastrous effects follow
the lack of a sufficient number of bees to perform the
necessary labors of the family. The queen requires

132 MINER S AMERICAN

some five or six combs, about twelve inches square, in
which to deposit her eggs; and on taking possession of
a new hive, on swarming, she requires these combs as
soon as they can be constructed. If the swarm be
small, these combs are not built until the season is so far
past that they are of little use, and the chances are, that
they are not built at all. ‘Some four or five segments of
combs, of about half the usual size, are all that are built
generally. In these combs the queen finds but a small
portion of the space, that she would use, as.a receptacle
of her eggs, if she had the necessary room; and even
what space she has, under such circumstances, cannot
be devoted to the young brood, since the sparseness of
the laborers of her family calls for so many to be con-
stantly abroad, that but a very few remain at home;
consequently, the necessary heat to develope the brood
cannot be generated, and the queen knowing this, will
only deposit a few eggs in the centres of such few combs
as she has, and do the best she can. In such cases, the
queen may confine her laying to two or three places,
where the most warmth can be generated, of about the
size of a tea-cup, when, if she had a hive full of combs,
and workers enough, she would cover some five or six,
or more com)s, twelve inches square ; and produce more
bees in one month in this way, than in a year, as before
stated.

The only way for such families, short in numbers, to
make up their complement, is to await another season,
when, taking time by the forelock, they will have the
usual numbers by midsummer,

BER-KEEPER S MANUAL. 123

In the foregoing case of a superfluous number of bees,
it is not advisable to give more room, for the reason, that
when we determine what is the exact size of a bee-hive,
we should adhere to that size in all cases.

EFFECTS OF TOO SMALL AND TOO LARGE HIVES.

Various are the reasons for making all hives of the
same size. If we make them too small, the bees are -
more liable to perish from the effects of an unfavorable
winter, and from the ravages of the bee-moth, in conse-
quence of the weak condition of the family. The queen,
in such cases, as before stated, is curtailed of her neces-
sary room, and not as many bees will be produced; and
and whatever operates as a check to the production of
larve, is a fatal error in the management of bees.

If we construct our hives too large, the bees will re
quire two years to fill them; and the natural increase
by swarming is much lessened, and, in some cases, en-
tirely prevented for a series of years. Hives of this
character are those made about fourteen inches in diam-
eter, by about fifteen or eighteen inches in Jength. Such
a size I consider to be entirely at variance with the na-
tural requirements of the bee.

On the other hand, hives made about a foot in diame-
ter, by six or eight inches deep, or eight or ten inches in
diameter, by a foot in length, I consider equally fatal
to the prosperity of the bees. Such hives do not afford
the area of combs that a queen requires; and hence,
she is debarred the opportunity of giving that increase,
that she otherwise would. Suck small families do not

(24 MINER'S AMERICAN

winter as well; as it has been thoroughly tested, that
strong stocks winter better, and consume /ess honey
than weaker ones! This may appear strange to those
who are unacquainted with this subject; yet it is true,
for the reason, that the bees are less exposed in
strong stocks, to the various winter changes of weather,
to which our climate is subject.

A few warm days in winter will put the whole of a
small stock in motion ; whereas, a strong one is much
less affected ; and when a family of bees is once aroused
from their lethargy, they consume double the quantity of
honey that they do when in a state of quietude. But
setting this matter entirely out of the question, there are
yet good reasons for having larger hives. When bees
are placed in hives adapted to their natural wants,
giving no excess of room, nor curtailing the use of such
space, as they actually require, they then cast off their
first swarms of such numbers as nature teaches them
are best adapted to prove prosperous; and it matters not
how large your hive may be, if a swarm be cast, which
is seldom with families in large hives, it will not be in
proportion to the size of the hive, but in accordance
with the laws of nature, governing the bee.

Now, to come to the point, with as few words as pos-
sible, and do justice to my subject, I will say, that I have
found, from many years of close application te the na-
ture, economy, and general management of bees, that
hives about one foot square in the clear ; that is, in the
inside, conform more to the natural habits and acquire-
ments of bees, than any other size.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 125

THE INSTINCT AND NATURE OF THE BEE UNCHANGEABLE.

There is not a solitary feature pertaining to the do-
mestic honey-bee of the United States, that is not found
just as fully developed in Siberia, Russia, China, Africa,
Greenland, or in any other part of the world. Kingdoms
may perish, and the giant oak may thrive amid the ruins
of cities now teeming with life and gaiety, but the in--
stinet and wisdom, and natural habits of the little bee,
implanted in her censorium from the beginning of the
world, will stand as immutable as the great Creator of
all. Not all the art and genius of man can teach the
bee one jot or tittle of knowledge beyond what Gop has
given the impress of! Nor does she need man’s wis-
dom. Perfect in every work, she stands forth an exam-
ple for man, at least in her habits of industry. In her
architecture, no man can imitate her. From her un-
changeable course, that has marked her career since the
creation of the world, no power on earth can cause her
to deviate. The folly of man is now busy in prescribing
limits, in forcing her to act contrary to her wonted na-
ture, or rather surrounding her with useless contri-
vances, to force from her what nature has not bestowed
upon her, in great and extraordinary labors and products
of the mellifluous juices ; but it is all time spent in vain.
The honey-bee is capable of doing just so much, when
she has wherewithal to do with; and it requires no
stimulus from man to bring her to her task. All that
man can do, is to give her a tenement suited to her
wants. and if the fields afford honey, she will gather it.

126 MINERS AMERICAN

There is no such thing as laziness with .he tee Far
more depends upon the bee-pasturage and season than
upon anything that man can do; yet we have our part
to do also, and it is only by a proper attention to our
duties, that the bee is protected in her labors, that result
in her own prosperity, and to our own advantage.

RESULT OF THE AUTHOR'S EXPERIENCE IN LARGE HIVES.

In 1842 I had a few hives made 12 by 18 inches in
the clear ; that is, 12 inches wide, and 18 inches long.
In speaking of the size of hives, I refer to the body of
the hive for the dwelling of the bees, without any regard
to what are termed supers* for storifying. I found that
it took the bees two seasons to fill my large hives; and
when filled, they did not swarm at all some seasons ; for
the reason, that however great the quantity of bees may
be in a hive, in the summer and fall, they dwindle away
before spring, to a certain quantity ; and thus leave a
vacant space at the bottom of the hive, of some six
inches or more, to be filled up with the increase of
spring; while smaller hives are full, and are throwing
off swarms in profusion. Here lies the philosophy of
adapting the hive to the natural wants of the bee. I
will illustrate this point by a supposable case.

An apiarian places a swarm of bees in a hive, say 14
inches in diameter, by two feet in length; the bees might
possibly fill the hive with combs, the second year, but

* Supers are such hives, or boxes, as are piaced above the regu-
lar hive, and receive the surplus gatherings of the bees, and may
be removed at pleasure.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 127

swarming is entirely out of the question with a family of
bees in such a hive. The increase of every succeed-
ing year would dsappear before the following spring, or
rather numbers equaling the increase; since all the
bees existing in hives in the spring of the year, save the
queen, were the young of the preceding summer and fall.
Now, ten years have past, and this hive is in precisely
the same condition that it was in nine years ago. Not.
a solitary swarm hasever issued therefrom. Ten gene-
rations of bees have existed, nine of which are past
away.

We now pass to what would have been the result, if
said swarm had originally been put into a hive about 12
inches square. ,

The second year, aswarm would have issued, without
doubt, and perhaps two; but we’ll say one, in order to
be on the safe side, as t is not my intention to give an
over-wrought picture in anything I that may discuss. We
will now take the very reasonable, and low estimate, of
one swarm from every stock, every season, and count
up how many would be the result at the end of ten years.
The second year, 2, in all; the third year, 4; the fourth
year, 8; the fifth year, 16; the sixth year, 32; and so
on—the tenth year showing FIVE HUNDRED AND TWELVE
families from a single swarm!!! Jn this calculation, we
allow no drawbacks to the prosperity of the bees, such
as destruction by the bee-moth, &c.; yet the usual cas-
ualities attending the culture of bees, | contend, can be
almost, if not wholly prevented by proper management.
So confident am I, that 512 families of bees can, in ten

128 MINERS AMERICAN

years be produced from a single swarm, that I should not
hesitate to enter into heavy bonds, (the uncertainty ot
life considered,) to produce that number, or forfeit the
whole actually produced.

512 stocks of bees are worth, at least, five dollars per
stock, amounting to the enormous sum of $2,560, while
the same swarm, from which so vast a profit arises, if
placed in too large a hive, at the end of ten years, is
worth but the paltry sum of $5, with no increase! I
leave the reader to his own reflections, on the wretched
management of bees, as too generally practiced in every
part of the country.

HIVES DIMINISHED IN LENGTH.

In regard to my large hives, I saw the fallacy of such
dimensions, and concluded to try the experiment of
cutting them off, nearly filled with bees as they were,
which I performed with a common hand-saw; the man-
ner of doing which, was as follows :—

It was in the month of April, that I performed the
operation. I ought to have done it in February or
March, but the idea did not occur to me, until those
months had past. On a cool morning, | examined my
hives, and found a vacant space of about six inches at
the bottom of each hive, unoccupied by bees. I then
set them, one at a time, on a table with the bottom-
board up, in close contact with the hive, giving the bees
no opportunity toescape. Heving my saw put in prime
order, and having secured the table against a sup-
port, to render it firm, I was then ready to operate.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 129

Here allow me to say, that a man’s success in almost
any undertaking, depends upon his calmly surveying the
whole ground, and foreseeing this or that result before
he gets through; and being fully prepared and commen-
cing aright. Had I taken a dull saw, and commenced
this operation without securing my table firmly, I should
have probably failed in my attempt; besides, by some
mishap, perhaps I might have been mortally stung.
These are small matters, it is true, yet in all of our ope-
rations with bees, it requires a nicety of calculation and
philosophic view of the case; that we may coolly per-
form our task, and know what effect every move we
make will have upon that insect, so tenacious of her
rights.

Having marked off the part of the hive to be cut
asunder, and having made niches on the corners of the
same in order to set in the saw the more easily, I cut
gently on one side, until I felt the saw perforate the combs.
I then placed small wedges in the seam at the corners,
and commenced on another side; when this side was
also sawed through, [ inserted wedges as before, and so
on until | had completely cut the hives in two. The
bees did not seem to te molested much, if any. I then
took a small wire, about a yard long, and having wound
the ends around sticks, to serve as handles, | then drew
it gently and carefully across the cumbs, through the
aperture made by the saw, taking especial care to
have the wire sever them across the edges, rather than
the sides; since that course would displace the position
of them less, and much less disturb the bees. Having

130 MINERS AMERICAN

cut the combs entirely off, nothing remained to be done
but to place the hive in its proper position in the apiary.
I allowed it to remain fifteen minutes, to quiet the
bees, and then went out and placed it in its position ;
and not a bee seemed to know that a change had taken
place in the size of the hive, so tranquil and peaceable
were they.

The time had now arrived for the bees to sally out,
and I deferred the operation of another hive until the
following morning. I thus continued cutting one off
every morning, until all were finished.

Thus, it will be seen, that if any of my readers should
have hives of a size that a portion of their length would
be desirable to cut off, the manner of accomplishing it
IS easy.

After cutting off my large hives, I found that they
contained no more bees than hives one foot square, that
I possessed; and those of that size actually swarmed
first, and had also swarmed the preceding season, while
my large hives had not cast a swarm for a period of two
or three years!

This result re:.ders it conclusive to my mind, that it
is folly for the apiarian to pay no regard to the proper
size of hives, or rather suppose that the size has but a
secondary bearing upon the prosperity of his bees. The
size, sir, is everything; and until you learn this fact,
and act upon it, your time is spent in vain.

SMALL HIVES NOT APPROPRIATE FOR SMALL SWARMS.

Some apiarians consider that the hive shou!d conform

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 131

to the size of the swarm; rather than place small swarms
in ordinary hives, and allow the bees to remain therein
until they are filled by the natural increase of the family.

This is a great error; but, say they who defend this
principle :—*“ A large family requires a large house, and
a small family, a small house.” ‘This is true of people,
but it has no bearing at all on the room suitable for a
swarm of bees, if future prosperity and gain are to be
taken into the account.

Let us take a rational view of this question. So far
as the mere comfort and convenience of the swarm is
concernéd, during the first season, I admit that hives
of such size as the bees ean just fill with combs, during
the first summer of their existence are best; but we
must look beyond the first year, if we expect the greatest
prosperity that is attainable.

In the first place, we must entirely discard the idea,
that if a swarm be very large or very small, at the time
of issuing from the hive, its existence and prosperity in
succeeding years is thereby effected. I say its existence
in succeeding years; but I mean the existence of suc-
ceeding generations of the same original family; because,
no swarm of bees ever lived through two seasons.

In order to more fully illustrate this point, we will
suppose that A has a very large swarm issue from
one of his hives, say about double the usual numbers;
and B has a very small swarm also issue, about half the
usual size. <A obtains a hive of double the usual size,
for his swarm, and B looks about for a very small hive
for his swarm, to suit the bulk of it.

132 MINERS AMERICAN

The bees are hived and they go to work free y. At
the end of the season, A finds that he has a fine hive of
bees, with a good supply of honey for winter use, and
on raising his hive, he finds that it is about three-quarters
filled with combs. (If you give a large swarm double
the usual room, it is not generally all occupied the first
year.) B examines his little family and finds his little
hive full of combs, but from the weight of it, he con-
cludes that he’ll have to feed the bees, in order to carry
them through the winter, and he begins to wish that he
had not been to the trouble of hiving them at all, and
almost wishes that he had found them all dead: since
the prospect before him, of feeding his little family, so
as to enable it to safely pass the winter looks cheerless
and forbidding. Well, the winter is past, and the genial
warmth of the sunny month of May, arouses the bees
to great activity. The medium-sized hives are throw-
ing off swarms in profusion, and A wonders why his
family in the large hive does not swarm! “I'll geta
rouser out of that hive when it does come,” said A, one
day to a neighbor. He might well say, “when it does
come ;” for, if he had known anything about the science
of bee-management, he might have known that a swarm
would never be thrown off from a hive of such unnatu-
ral dimensions. 2

A watched in vain for a swarm :—none came off, and
on turning up the hive on the 10th of June, lo! he dis-
covered that the bees had not added any new combs
to those built the season before, and there was yet a
large space of spare room unfilled by them. The

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 133

second, third and fourth seasons passed away, and A’s
“rouser’ had not made its appearance, and not a bee
more could be discovered in the hive, at the end of that
period, than he had at the commencement.

Now for B and his family, B expected one or two
good swarms from his little 5 by 7 box, but he found the
young bees produced in this hive were few, compara-
tively, in numbers, and when every other family on his-
premises had thrown off very large swarms, and some
ten days beyond this period had past, a little weak,
sickly-looking swarm did issue from this small hive, and
B was sent for in great haste. After he had surveyed
it for a moment, said he; “ You can go. I’m not going
to fuss with another goose-egg swarm, and feed it, to
get it through the winter.” He sufiered the bees to
perish on the branch where they clustered.

Year after year past, and B derived no manner of
advantage from his little hive. It seldom swarmed, and
when it did throw one off, it was very late in the season,
and the swarms were so small, that they were seldom
hived.

The result of the feregoing imaginary cases, is pre-
cisely what would be the consequences, of such a course
of actual management. The swarm in A’s hive could
not, with all its natural increase, so fill the hive in the
spring, as to be able to spare a single bee, since it 1s an
invariable principle of the bee, to never suffer emigra-
tion, while an inch of their domicil remains unfilled with
combs, and unfilled with bees. Let this remark be
deeply impressed on your minds, ye who know it not,

134 MINER S AMERICAN

and much time and anxiety in regard to the swarming
of your bees may be averted.

Had I been present when the aforesaid two swarms
of A and B issued, I should have advised them as fol-
lows :—

Gentlemen, by all means, put your bees into the regu-
lar-sized hives. Yours, Mr. A, is now large, and perhaps
you may, during this very warm weather, think that a
common hive cannot possibly afford room for them; but
you may depend upon it, that they will all find acccomo-
dation therein. ‘They appear to be more numerous than
they really are, in consequence of the heat of the weather |
causing them to extend in clustering, in order to allow
a current of air to pass through them. When hived, it
you find a large portion to cluster outside the hive, do
not be alarmed; the first few cool days we have, will
drive every bee in, and next September you will ac-
knowledge that what I say is right.

And you, Mr. B, do throw that 5 by 7 box into the
fire, lentreat you. It always gives me a fit of the ague,
to see the management of bees thus butchered, if I may
be allowed the use of that term. Do get one of your
foot-square boxes, and let them fill such a portion of it
as they can. They will not more than quarter fill it
this season, but, sir, next year, you will have as good a
stock of bees as any in your apiary. You may have to
feed this swarm a little in the fall; for, small swarms
never do lay up much honey, but when the time comes
for feeding, ! willinform you how you can, for twenty-five
cents, feed them enough in one day, to carry them safely

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 135

through the winter, and then you will have a stock that
will be worth something.

CHANGE FROM LARGE TO SMALL HIVES——DECEPTIVE
APPEARANCES OF SWARMS, ETC.

When a bee-keeper is accustomed to use very large
hives, or the hollow trunks of trees, called gums in some
parts of the country, and in Virginia, in particular, the-
swarms are sometimes somewhat larger than those issu-
ing from the proper-sized hives; but, as I before stated,
if they pass certain dimensions in their hives, they sel-
dom get any swarms at all; and when such large
swarms do issue, if the weather be very warm, the bees
extend so much, in order to allow the air to circulate
among them, when in a cluster, that it is thought impos-
sible to hive them in boxes 12 inches square. I have
been written toon this subject, from various parts of the
country, by those who have made use of hives that I
have recommended, and the complaint was, that their
swarms were so large that hives of my size could not
afford the bees room; and in some instances, the bees
deserted them. To persons thus circumstanced, |
answer, that appearances are very deceptive sometimes
inhiving a swarm of bees. A moderate-sized swarm,
in a very warm day, appears much larger than it would
on a cool day ; and when a swarm enters a hive during
very warm weather the bees find the atmosphere within
insupportable, and a large portion of them are compelled
to cluster on the outside of the hive, until the combs are
so far advanced as to rrotect the interior of the hive to

136 MINER'S AMERICAN

some extent. On such occasions, should the hive be
raised, it might appear to be filled with a solid mass of
bees, when, in reality, not half of an ordinary swarm
are there. The deception is produced by the bees
clustering on each side, within the hive, and then throw-
ing a sheet of bees across the bottom, connected with
festoons of bees from the top of the hive. In such
cases, almost the whole of the interior of the hive is an
open, unoccupied space. I have often witnessed this
delusion, and in nine cases out of ten, bee-keepers would
suppose that the hive was filled to a perfect gam. This
case often occurs when a large body of bees cluster
outside; and one would say that it was utterly im-
possible that the hive could afford sufficient room for the
whole family ; but let the weather change—let the wind
veer around to the north, and Jet the sun be shut out by
cold, damp clouds, and presto! what a change! Why,
a person not in the secret, would say positively, that
half of his bees had deserted their tenement! Instead
of a hive full to overflowing, a snug, compact, moderate-
sized swarm, is closely formed in the top of the hive,
through which the white tips of a row of beautiful
pearly combs appear.

Bee-keepers should, in very warm weather, be particu-
lar in shading the hives of new swarms fully and effec-
tually, and in case of having swarms that appear to be
hard pressed for room, an abundance of fresh air should
be admitted at the bottom: of the hive—even raise
it on blocks, at each corner, one inch high. This
proceeding will prevent the bees from clustering on the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 137

outside of the hive, and when the bees nave been at
work about a week, the blocks at the corners may be
removed, and the hive lowered down to its proper po-
sition.

I cannot, however, say that cases may not happen
in which all of my prescribed rules will avail nothing.
I refer to cases where two, and even three different
swarms issue at the same time, and cluster together on
the same branch. In such cases, if the apiarian be not
present when the bees swarm, he very reasonably con-
cludes, that the whole mass is but one large swarm.
Hives 12 inches square are of no use in such cases;
that is, for the whole of them together, neither is any
hive suitable for the whole of them. They should be
divided, and the way to do that will be developed, when
I come to a chapter on “swarming.”

DR, BEVAN'S OPINION ON THE SIZE OF HIVES.

_ That no portion of my readers may think that I am
decidedly wrong in recommending hives so small as one
foot square, in the clear, I here quote a few remarks
of Dr. Bevan, an English writer on the honey-bee, whose
work was re-published in this country some years ago,
and circulated to a considerable extent.

He says: “In a former edition of this work, a prefer-
ence was given to those of Keys, but subsequent infor-
mation and experience induce me to recommend their
diameter to be three-eighths of an inch less than his,
viz: eleven and five-eighths’ inches genes: by nine
inches deep in the clear.”

138 MINER'S AMERICAN

Here we have hives recommended mare than one-
quarter less in size than those that I recommend.

I have had several of Dr. Bevan’s hives, or such as
appear in his work, engraved, and I shall lay them be-
fore the reader; not that | approve of them at all, but
being the nearest approximation to hives in use in the
United States, and, perhaps, identical with many in use
in this country, I think it expedient to comment on their
qualities, in order to cover the whole area of my subject,
or so much of it as is practicable.

i
i | le

ue De
il

BEVAN S CROSS-BAR HIVE.

The above engraving represents what is termed a
cross-bar hive. The object of this kind of hive is to
guide the bees in their comb-building; that combs may
be more regularly constructed, thus affording more
brood-combs than are generally built, when the bees are
left to themselves, and less irregularities in their archi-
tecture. It is intended, that the bees shall construct
their combs on the bars. The centre bars are placed
suitably for brood-comb, and the outside bars are wider
apart, and adapted to store-combs. This is all very
well, provided the bees will follow these bars; but they
will not. They must have one or two gutde-combs

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 139

attached, before they will follow the bars at all; and
with this trouble on the part of the bee-keeper, not half
of the time, will the bees pay the least regard to the

ars, but will build combs directly across or transversely,
and every other way that can be imagined.

This kind of hive is entirely too complicated for gene-
ral use in this country, as well as scores of other kinds
that I shall not condescend to notice. It is entirely
useless to attempt to introduce into general use,
any kind of hive, but such as is easily and cheaply
made, and that does not require an engineer to put in
order and oversee, as many of the gim-cracks of the
present day do. The bee requires the simplest tene-
ment, and many of the screws, valves, &c., now in use,
are but hindrances to her natural prosperity. Let it
not be understood that I would cast any imputation on
Dr. Bevan, by the above remarks. The foregoing hive
is not of his invention, although it was copied from his
book.

I will let Dr. Bevan tell his own story relative to ad-
justing the bars, &c., of his hive.

He says: “ The sides of the boxes should be an inch
thick, and have the upper edges of the fronts and backs
rabbeted out half their thickness, and ha‘f an inch deep,
to receive a set of loose bars upon their tops, which
should be half an inch thick, one and one-eighth of an
inch wide, and seven in number. If the distances of the
bars from each other be nicely adjusted, there will be
inter-spaces between them of about half an inch. The
precise width of the bars should be particularly attended

140 MINER 3 AMERICAN

to, and also their distances from each other; as any de.
viations in this respect, would throw the combs wrong, :
particularly if that deviation gave an excess of room.
It would be better, therefore, for them to be somewhat
within the rule, than to exceed it by ever so little, for
whenever the bees evince a disposition to depart from
the prescribed dimensions, its tendency is generally to
make the combs approximate. This has induced me to
have my boxes surmounted by bars varying a little in
their relative distance, thus: the three centre bars are
placed at the distance of only seven-sixteenths of an
inch from each other, while the rest gradually recede
from that distance, so that the two last inter-spaces on
either side of the box, are nine-sixteenths of an inch in
width. The same precision must be observed in the
length of the bars, as it is of great importance to have
them indiscriminately applicable to every box; and in
case the joiner should exceed the specified dimensions
of a box, the extra space must be thrown to its sides.”

After these bars are adjusted, a cover is placed on the
hive, of the usual thickness, and screwed down, so as to
admit of being taken off at any time. Through this
cover, a hole may be made some three inches square, and
a super placed thereon, as in other cases.

He claims this advantage in this hive over ordinary
ones ; that at any time a leaf of comb may be withdrawn,
and in this manner the surplus honey is obtained, or
from the supers as may be desirable. Let those try this
hive who choose, it is not very expensive; but I must
say, that I can see nothing valuable about it.

ae.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 14]

In regard to causing the bees to build their combs
wth regularity, it is truly important to devise some
method to produce such a result, and the only effectual
method that can be practiced without trouble, will be
given when I come to speak of my own hives, or such
as were planned by me.

I condemn Dr. Bevan’s hive, on account of its bars,
and also on account of its size. Put three inches more
on its depth and take out the bars, and *t would then
answer the purpose very well.

SUBTENDED HIVE.

Here is a cut of a kind of hive that is in use to some
extent in thiscountry. This is also from Bevan’s work ;
and the size of each box is presumed to be the same as
the bar-hive, viz: eleven and five-eighths inches deep,
by nine inches wide. Through the two lower boxes,
holes about four inches square are cut, with a slide to

142 MINERS AMERICAN

shut off the opening when the supers are not placed in
position. The doors in front open to admit the apia-
rian to observe, through a pane of glass, the operations
of the bees. These glass windows may be dispensed
with, if one choose to do so. The opening or entrance
for the bees, as seen in front, was not in the original
drawing of this hive, in Bevan’s work, but I have placed
it there as essential, as the reader wil! hereafter observe.
The glass windows may be in front or in the rear of the
hives, according to the desire of the apiarian. If the
hives be placed against a fence or wall, they should be
in front; but should there be a passage-way between
the hives and such fence or wall, then the doors should
be on the backs of the hives, in order to observe the
labors of the bees, without the least disturbance of them.

There is a hive on this principle now in use in some
part of New Jersey, and perhaps in other States also,
with which some savan is deluding the good people, by
causing them to believe that it is original, and the very
best hive in existence, of course.

HOBBY OF A PORTION OF THE ITINERANT BEL-HIVE
VENDERS.

The hobby of a portion of the itinerant bee-hive ven
ders of the United States is, “an easy method of renew
ing the combs every third year.” 'Yhe idea has struck a
few of those geniuses, that in consequence of the difficulty
to the inexperienced bee-keeper attending the transfer
or change of families of bees, from old to new hives,
when the combs have become blackened and vitiated

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 148

from several years’ use, that if anything could be “got
up” that would obviate the necessity of such a change,
even if it ruined every other principle of correct man-
agement, money could be made by the operation, before
the bauble would burst. This, of course, is a gratuitous
assertion; yet | may, perhaps, be able to “look as far
into a mill-stone,” as any man.

TWO KINDS OF SUBTENDED HIVES.

There are two kinds of these “subtended” humbugs
now offered to bee-keepers in the vicinity of New York,
and to what extent they are used, | cannot say.
One kind is on the principle of the foregoing cut, as I
before stated, and the other only varies from the first,
in substituting drawers, that slide in and out in a frame.
The size of these drawers is somewhat smaller, I think,
than the boxes that are placed over each other; yet the
principle is the same.

RULES FOR MANAGEMENT IN SUBTENDED HIVES.

The rules for management in the foregoing hives, as
I have it from those bee-keepers who have purchased
them is, that the bees are hived in the lower box, and
when this is filled, add a second, and if that be also
filled, then add a third box. If all be filled with
combs and honey, then at the proper season, the two
upper boxes may be removed, and the bees expelled
therefrom to return to the lower one, where the whole
family should pass the winter. © This is all very well in
theory, and even in practice, the first and second years ;

144 MINER S AMERICAN

but we shall meet with this damper to our fond hopes,—
an ordinary swarm will not in one case in ten, go be-
yond the first box, during the first season, if they mea-
sure about nine inches oy twelve. If they be smaller
than this, they will ascend to upper ones; but there is
ruin in hives under the above-named size, in the sequel,
as I think I shall fully show.

In speaking of swarms entering supers or boxes above
the one in which they are hived during the first season,
and working therein, I would observe, that in different
parts of the country, the labors of bees vary accord-
ing to the bee-pasturage about them. In a location
where the white clover (Trifolium repens) abounds pro-
fusely, as in Herkimer county, State of New York, and
some other great grazing counties, a swarm will produce
much more honey and wax, than on Long Island, where
the honey harvest is not so abundant.

We now return to our “subtended” hive; and we
will suppose that three years have past, and we now
wish to change our stock or family, into a new tene-
ment, the old combs having existed long enough; an-
other year, however, would not affect the prosperity of
the bees, according to my experience.

Well, how is this change or transfer to be made? In
the first place, you remove the box containing the bees
far enough to admit of an empty one to occupy its posi-
tion. You then remove the slide of the empty one, and
set the full one over it. We will suppose that this ope-
ration is performed sometime during the month of April.
The bees soon begin to increase rapidly, and when the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 145

original box becomes crowded, they descend and com-
mence their labors in the lower one, having from the
beginning, to pass through the lower box, to and from
the hive. During the season, the lower one is filled
with combs and bees, and if the hives be quite small,
perhaps a third may also be filled, which may be
placed on the top, or the top one may be raised, when
iwo boxes only are in use, and the third placed in the
centre.

October arrives, and the two upper hives may be
removed, and the bees driven out, which will return to
the bottom box, where they are to winter as before
stated. The honey in the two supers removed, is the
owners gain. These supers may be removed before
October, even as early as the first of August, at which
time, the combs will be much whiter, and the honey
better. An empty box may then be placed on the first,
provided that the bees are crowded, and if any farther
harvest may beexpected. In the vicinity of New York,
the honey-harvest is entirely past at this period, save
what little the bees may gather for their daily supply.

Now we come to the grand “hobby,’—the great dis-
covery! The bees are now in a hive with new combs !—
just what is desired, and no trouble at all! Nosmoking
out! No driving or whipping out! The bee-keeper is
in extacies! Presently comes along the great inventor
himself.—* Mr. Genius, why, how do you do? Let me
put your horse in the stable, and you come in and stay
with me, to-night. You must come.—John, put Mr

7

146 MINERS AMERICAN

Genius’ horse in the stable—brush him down— vater
and feed him.

Mr. Genius passes the night with our extatic friend,
talks over the astonishing merits of his invention, and
when they part in the morning, Mr. Bee-keeper bids
him farewell, adding, “you're a lucky man, your for-
tune’s made !”

A few days subsequent to this occurrence, a gentle-
man passing that way, called at Mr. Bee-keeper’s door
to ask the favor of a glass of cool water. Mr. Bee-
keeper was standing at his well, and had just raised a
bucket of water. “Certainly,” replied he, “water is as
free as air.”

“You have a fine apiary, sir,—some patent hives, I
presume.”

“ Yes, sir, and they can’t be beat.”

“Pray, sir allow me to examine them; I have spent
much time in studying the history and economy of the
bee, and there is nothing that attracts my attention so
quickly as a bee-garden.”

“ With pleasure, come in, und Pll show you my ‘ sub-
tended’ hive;—one «f the greatest inventions of the
age |”

«[ think I have seen the same kind before. If I mis-
take not, every third year you can change your bees
from old to new combs.”

“Fixactly so, sir; and here’s a hive changed in that
manner. Last spring the oid combs of this hive were
as black as your hat, and now see, (turning up the hive,)
what beautiful white combs they have !”’

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 147

“Just so, sir, but pardon my familiarity—there are
some things connected with this change, that will sooner
or later ruin your bees!”

“Ah! (looking serious,) indeed! Ruin the bees, do
you say ?”

“Yes, ruin them—destroy them—annihilate them !”’

“Mercy on me! are you sure.”

“ Aye! positive.”

“Pray, sir, what is it ?”

“Look here! (turning up the hive,) do you see these
thick, irregular combs.”

fladous

“You are aware that such combs are unfit for breed-
ing ?”

“For breeding ?—why, yes—no, don’t know as lam.”

“Well, sir, not a solitary bee will ever be produced
in these combs. There are one, two, three, yes, three,
and perhaps four combs in this hive, that the eggs of the
queen may be deposited in. They are these thin, regu-
lar combs that you perceive in the centre of the hive,
which are called brood-combs. The others are store-
combs, and are only made for the reception of honey.
Next spring, the queen will do what she can to increase
her family; but she must be restricted to three or four
combs, or parts of combs, for none of them appear to be
of a regular shape, as they should be; and her increase
will not equal one half the number that she would pro-
duce, if she had a hive filled with the proper combs.
Where is the hive that they were in last season ?”

“ Here it is, with the combs undisturbed.”

148 MINER'S AMERICAN

“ Now, do you perceive how regular each comb is
constructed,—just so far apart, and every comb about
one inch thick. Every comb here would be used by
the queen, and three times as many bees would be
brought into existence in this hive asin that. Here are
the drone-combs on one side, a little thicker than the
worker-combs. Let us examine the other hive.—Not
a single drone-comb !”

“Well, now, I will give up. I! thought that I had got
a kind of hive that would be just the thing. Ah! well,
it’s of no use to try any of the new inventions, now-
a-days. I see, sir, what you say must be so—I see—l
see.” :

“Well, that is not all, sir, Pll lay a wager there is no
queen in this hive.”

“No queen ?”

“ Aye! no queen.”

“What next!—John! ial ull (calling at the top of
his lungs,) if you see old ‘Genius’ go past to day, tell
him I want to see him. Doa’t let him go past, anyhow.
Now, sir, be so good as to tell me—what was it? Oh!
the—the queen, that’s it—the queen—Vo queen, did you
say 2?”

“Exactly so. You see that these bees are not at
work bringing in pellets of farina, or what you call bee-
bread. That hive is not so. See how busy they are!
There come half a dozen with farina at once: but
you see nothing of that here. The fact is, sir, that
when you took off the two upper boxes, the queen was
in one of them, and on being driven out of the box with

BEE-KEEPERS MANUAL. 149

the rest of the bees, she was lost, not being accustomed
to going out like workers, she did not know the position
of the hive where she ought to have entered. Queens
are liable to be lost in this way, since they go out but
once during life-time, and then they mark carefully the
appearance and position of their hive. She probably
entered the wrong hive and was killed by the queen be-
longing to it.”

“ Astonishing ! What a fool I am! Are the queens
always in the upper boxes ?”

“Not by any means. The queen passes from one
box to another, and always makes it her home where
the greatest portion of brood-combs exist ; consequently,
she draws the most of the bees after her, if there be
room for them. The hive that you just showed me
filled with brood-combs, she was in undoubtedly.”

“But they say, that if a queen is lost, it makes no ~
difference ; that the bees will make another queen.”

“That is true, if the bees have anything in the hive to
make a queen from. ‘They want eggs or larve under
four days old. There were both eggs and larve in the
hive where she made her residence, without doubt ; but
it is very doubtful whether any were in either of the
other boxes, so late as October, when you drove out the
bees, and there would be no positive safety in perform-
ing that operation, even in August or September, for
the reason, that there would ever be the uncertainty of
having eggs or larve as before stated; and if they
should happen to be left in the lower box, and a queen
should be made, then she is to be impregnated by the

150 MINERS AMERICAN

drones, and if no drones exist, how is that to be ef-
fected.”

“Tsee! 1 see! You talk like a book. Ive been
humbugged, and no mistake !”

The reader will excuse the foregoing digression from the
recular train of my remarks on “subtended” hives, since
an illustration of this kind is often more forcible than
can be given in any other manner.

The “subtended” hive that I was speaking of, having
drawers, operates in all its ramifications like the hive
just described. ‘

CASE IN WHICH TWO OR MORE BOXES MAY BE USED.

I have no objections to the use of two or three boxes
together, provided that the lower one be about one foot
square in the clear ; in which case, as many boxes above
as you please may be used; but oze is as many as will
be filled generally, and not even that in many parts of
the country, if it contain over twenty or twenty-five
pounds of honey. I hear of two hives, or boxes, each
one foot square, being used in the western part of the
state of New York, near Buffalo, with success. The
family winters in one, and in the spring it is supered by
the empty one which is generally filled full during the
season, affording from forty to sixty pounds of honey.

I disapprove of transferring the family by a change of
boxes, in order to place the stock in hives with new
combs, as before illustrated. “This course, I contend, is
absolutely ruinous to the prosperity of the bees, in
placing them in hives filled with combs, not at all

BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 151

adapted to breeding ; and where the natura. increase of
the bees is prevented, the prosperity of the family is at
an end. My method of effecting this change is by
driving out, and it is attended by no difficulty whatever,
and I consider it the only way that it can be done safely.

REMARKS ON SUPER AND NADIR™ HIVING.

The reason why the combs built in a box placed un
der or above the main hive, are not fit for a permanent
residence of the bees, is, that the bees in ascending into
a super, look upon such space in the light of a store-
room, and the combs built in such places are almost
always thick, and especially adapted to the storage of
honey ; being constructed in all manner of thickness and
shapes. The same may be said of hives placed under
the family to acertain extent. There is not so great a
deviation from regular brood-combs, in hives placed wn-
der, as in those placed over the family; yet the devia-
tion is enough to render such hives unfit for a permanent
abode. The bees, when originally hived, are actuated
by certain fixed principles in the construction of their
combs,—the production of brood-combs always being the
most prominent, since their prosperity les wholly in the
certainty of a rapid and extensive increase. But when
bees are driven from their usual habitation into hives
immediately connected therewith, or rather, when such
extra room is afforded them, they take possession of it,
and if there be a surplus population in the main hive, a
portion of the bees will commence comb-building @n

* A hive placed under the stock.

152 MINERS 1MERICAN

such extra space tendered them ; and, as I before stated, ‘
they will regard such room as a space for laying up their
winter stores; paying but little regard to the form and
thickness of their combs, and disregarding the building
of brood-combs, in some instances entirely. This is
perfectly natural, and proper that they should do so;
since the idea that their home, or main tenement, is to
be taken away, and they driven out, never enters their
craniums. Having already constructed all the brood-
combs that the queen can use, what necessity have they
for more? The regular drone-cells, so important to the
welfare of every family, or of its descendants, in supers
and nadirs are disregarded. It is true that their store-
combs are built in cells of the ordinary size of drone-
cells; but they are not suited to the raising of drones,
by any means. Some of said combs measuring three
inches in diameter, while a regular drone-comb is not far
from one inch thick. There may be instances in which
the combs in a nadir may be built with considerable re-
sularity ; yet to trust to such for the purpose of giving
bees a change of combs, once in three or four years, is a
_ mistaken fallacy. |
Again, we are subjected to the loss of the queen, as I
have already shown ; and I was recently informed by a
gentleman, who had practiced this method of change, on
his being made acquainted with my objections to the
plan, that he had no doubt that he had destroyed the
queens to his hives, in the aforesaid manner, several
times; but that he should never have known what the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 153

‘difficulty was with them, had not my remarks opened
his eyes to the true state of the case.

BOX-HIVE AND SUPER.

Above I give a cut of a hive well suited for general
use ; and especially for the use of those bee-keepers who
have not the means to construct hives, that do not come
within the most economical prices. This hive is made
of pine boards, one inch thick. The lower section is
entirely separate from the upper one. Its dimensions
are twelve inches square, in the clear. The top board,
or cover, projects a little to render it easier to carry,
when filled. A couple of sticks, about a half an inch
thick, are crossed in the hive, running from the corners
to each opposite corner, and put in the centre of the
hive, or as near it as may be. The same may ke said
of every other hive here described.

Nothing remains to be done now but to make the ap-

mt

154 MINER S AMERICAN

pertures in the top for the bees to pass through into the
box above, when the upper box is on. I use an inch
and a quarter bit, and make five holes; one in the cen-
tre, and one about half way from the centre to each
corner, always being sure that all the holes will come
within the diameter of the super, and have some space
to spare. These holes I stop with plugs made to nicely
fit, and leave the ends out far enough to take hold of,
and with a slight tap of the hammer, be able to remove
them at pleasure. I allow them to reach through the
thickness of the cover, or top of the hive, but no farther.
They should be made to fit so close, that water will not
pass into the hive, through the holes when plugged.

The super, or upper box, I construct of the same di-
ameter as the lower one, but only ezght inches deep, in-
stead of twelve, the depth of the lower box. I allow the
top board of this also to project a little, say an inch.
The looks of the hive is much improved by this projec-
tion, and the boxes are removed from place to place,
when necessary, much more easily. When I put a
swarm into the lower box, I generally leave off the upper
one during the first season, because here on Long Island,
the bees generally have as much as they can do the first
season to fill the lower one; but in many places, both
boxes would be easily filled. The spring following, I
unstop the holes and put on the super. As the bees in-
crease they enter it, and by swarming time [| generally
find it half filled with combs, and sometimes quite filled,
and the sees densely packed within it. When a swarm
goes off, the super is emptied of its bees, and sometimes

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 155

of its honey, as I alluded to previously. I do not find
these supers to prevent swarming, unless it be second
and third swarms. I generally get one good swarm,
and sometimes two. I consider that one good swarm is
enough, and better than more. _

The foregoing hive, it will be seen, stands on a stool
about 18 inches from the ground. This stool will be
fully described when I speak of “ bee-stands,” in an es-
pecial chapter on that subject.

The reader may observe, that this hive rests on small
pins or legs at the corners; giving the bees an oppor-
tunity of entering, and sallying forth on every side of
the hive. This is one of the fundamental principles of
my management, which I discussed in the American
Agriculturist, during the years 1846, 47 and 48; to-
gether with much other matter, as some of my readers
may recollect. The way in which these hives may
be raised is, by driving pieces of stout wire as thick
as a pipe-stem, into the corners of the hives, so as to
leave just three-eighths of an inch of the pin projecting
from the wood. Theends of the pins should be filed off
smooth, or nearly so, that the weight of the hive may
bear alike on all corners, and not sink any one part into
the wood beyoud another. These pins will support ten
times the weight of the hive, without sinking into the
bottom-bouard, if the ends be flattened.

The reason why such iron pins are recommended
is, that the smaller the pin, the less liability there is
of the moth worm, that leaves the combs in the spring
of the year, to find a convenient place to wind

156 MINERS AMERICAN

up in a cocoon, or return back to the combs, when
once precipitated upon the floor-board. If wooden
blocks should be used at the corners, these worms would
be more apt to run up into the hive again, by the way
of these blocks, than by the way of the iron pins; and
I have often found the moth-worm wound up in its co-
coon, in the corners made by such small blocks of wood,
say half an inch long and three-eighths of an inch thick,
being inserted under hives; yet such blocks may be
used when it is not convenient to get the pins. Even
nails or screws would do; yet | can recommend nothing
that makes an imperfect job.

The reader perceives a small orifice about two inches
long, and half an inch wide, in the centre of the bottom
of the lower section of the hive. This opening is ex-
pressly for use in cold weather, and in the spring and.
summer, when the hive stands on its iron pins, or
wooden blocks, this opening is closed with a tin or zine
slide, perforated with holes to admit the air into the hive,
at certain seasons during the winter, when the bees are
to be shut in. This opening has a greater bearing on
the prosperity of the bees, than any one would imagine.
I would not do without it, or a substitute, for any con-
sideration; since, from a misapplication of the uses of
this orifice, all other measures might: fail to produce a
prosperous state of our apiaries. The value of this open-
ing will appear in the “winter management’ of bees.

The reader may beat a loss to conceive how the bees
are to be shut in, with an opening all around the hive,
besides the aforesaid orifice. It is done as follows: four

y)
BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 157

small holes are made in the floor-board to sui. the size
of the pins at the corners, in such positions that the
whole four pins can at any time be lowered therein.
When this is done, the only place of ingress and egress
for the bees, is the small door-way, as seen in the cut,
and run the slide over this, through the wire staples
placed to receive it, and you have the bees imprisoned.
It is important to have an opening, with a slide per-
forated with holes, on both sides, that is, in the front
and in the rear of the hive; to admit a free circulation
of air under the bees in the winter. This is another
important principle of my management; but | must not
digress too far; you shall hear the whole in due time.

When small blocks are used instead of pins, the bee-
keeper has only to pull them out, let down his hive, close
the opening in front and rear, and the bees are shut in
as before.

We now come to the upper structure or super, and it
will be perceived, that a glass window is placed on one
side. ‘This is placed in that position to save expense.
It would, perhaps, be a little better to place it in the
centre ; yet the joiner who made hives for me, informed
me, that a considerable time could be saved in placing the
windows in this position, with a sliding door torun ina
groove. The sliding door may be seen in the cut drawn
out. ‘They who have but a few hives to make, would
not save much in. this way; and I should recommend
the door to be placed in the centre, and hung with very
small butts. Indeed, this door may be altogether dis-
pensed with, by those who may so choose; yet these

158 MINER S AMERICAN

windows are important for other purposes besides look-
ing in to see the operations of the bees.

The foregoing remarks on the pins or supports of the
hive, as well as those on the glass-windows, are appli-
cable to every hive that I shall illustrate, except such as
are suspended, and which do not rest upon floor-boards.

p
zi -

TATA EATNTATTTT INTUTE ] TTT

CHAMBER-HIVE.

I here give a cut of a chamber-hive adapted to the
natural requirements of bees. The design and principle
are not new; but I have improved on the shape and di-
mensions. The main body is one foot square, in the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 159

clear; the same size as the preceding box-hive. The
chamber is e¢ght inches deep, with a door hung on butts,
and shutting with a small hook and staple. A glass
window is shown in front, which may be omitted, if you
please, as before stated. Two boxes are made of very
thin boards, each with a pane of glass covering the
whole front, and let into a groove in the sides cut for
that purpose. There should be no bottoms to these
boxes, but they should rest on the floor of the chamber,
through which three inch and a quarter holes should be
made under each box. When filled with honey, a long
slender knife run under them, will easily detach such
portions of the combs, as may be built down in close
contact with the chamber floor or division board; and
when the boxes are taken out, the bees are much easier
driven out of them, than they could be, if they were
enclosed on every side. If the apiarian does not sel!
any of his honey, it 1s preferable to have but one box to
fill the whole space, because bees will work better in a
single box, and lay up more honey, as a general rule
than in two small ones.

The door to the chamber, and the glass window ap-
pear in this cut to be in front, yet you can have either
side to be the front, that you please. Both sides are
adapted to be the front, or the back of the hive.

This hive is made twenty-two inches high, and four-
teen inches broad. ‘These dimensions allow one inch
for the top, one inch for the division-board or chamber-
floor, and two inches for the thickness of two sides—
that is, one inch for each. The two sides of ful! length

160 MINER'S AMERICAN

on either side of the chamber, are rakbeted out half an
inch, so as to admit the door of the chamber to shut
against the rabbet, making a better job.

The top of the hive should project all round, about
an inch or more.

This hive is made to be suspended, or to set down
upon astand. There area couple of bars, about an inch
thick, placed on each side of the hive, near where the
division-board separates the lower from the upper sec-
tion, as may be seen in the engraving. These bars
should be screwed on ; yet, for a common hive, nailing
may do very well. The use of these bars is to support
the hive, when the apiarian wishes to suspend it, rather
than rest it on a floor-board, as the preceding cut repre-
sents.

This, as well as every other kind of hive that I shall
illustrate, when resting on a floor-board, should rest on
pins in the summer season; and in the winter season,
the bees should enter the small openings, in the front
and rear only, as directed in the case of the box-hive, in
the preceding cut; and be subject to the same manage-
ment in every particular,

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 161

SUSPENDED CHAMBER HIVES.

The above engraving represents a couple of chamber-
hives, suspended on arms nailed across joists, (timber, 3
by 4in.) This mode of suspending hives is original ;
no one but myself ever adopting it, that I know of. I
have also shown in the next engraving, another mode of
suspending hives, of my own invention ; that, for some
reasons, 1s superior to this method.

The manrer of suspending, on the above plan, is as

162 MINER S AMERICAN °

lows :—Take any timber, about thee or four inches
thick, say 3 by 3. 3 by 4, or 4 by 4, and cut off pieces
six feet long ; such timber generally being about twelve
feet long, one strip makes two pieces. Then sink one
end in the ground, at least two feet, leaving the other
end four feet above the ground. Then nail astrip of an
inch board across the top of the post, as seen in the cut,
on the side of the post towards the hives, and even with
the top of it. Said cross-bar should be as_ small
as it can be, and be strong enough to support one-half
of a loaded hive, with a roof above, as will be shown.
It should be broader in the centre, and taper towards the
ends, as represented in the cut, in order to give greater
strength. The length of this cross-bar should be about
four inches longer than the width of two hives and the
post ; in order to allow the hives to stand off some two
inches from the post. When a post is thus set, and the
cross-bar adjusted, taking care to have the bar rest hori-
zontally, and also to have it face the exact direction that
the hive should front; then you have only to set a cor-
responding post directly in the rear of the front one,
supposing that to be the one first set into the ground,
and place your cross-bar thereon, as before directed, and
your stand is complete. You have, however this calcu-
lation to make, viz; the exact distance that the posts
should be set from each other, so that in sliding in the
hives, a close fit may be secured. Let us suppose that
our hives measure fourteen inches wide, then allowing
two inches for the two bars, it follows that the posts
should be sixteen inches apart. As the foregoing cut

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 163

a
only shows the front view of the stand, only one post
appears ; the other must be imagined to stand directly
behind it.

ROOF FOR SUSPENDED HIVES.

This cut represents a convenient roof for hives sus-
pended on the foregoing plan. That every bee-stand
should have protection from the scorching rays of the
sun, is evident to every apiarian. I will not discuss this
subject here ; but will simply show how to construct a
roof on the above plan, which I consider all that is ne-
cessary ; or rather that this answers the purpose, with a
little more attention on the part of the bee-keeper, of
more costly roofing. My object is to show how these
things may be done economically, as well as expensively.

According to the above cut, we take pine boards, one
inch thick, and fifteen or eighteen inches wide, cut them
in lengths of four feet, then strap two of them together,
as seen in the cut; first, securing them from warping,
by cleats nailed across them, on the under side, with
wrought nails, and clinched. The ends of such cleats
may be seen in the cut. Thestrapsthat hold the boards
together at the top, may be stout leather, or butts, as the
apiarian may choose. When the roof is finished, some
blocks of wood may be placed on the top of each hive,
in order to give a slight inclination to the sides of the
roof; otherwise the two boards would rest horizontally

164 MINER'S AMERICAN

on the hives. If the hives front the south, this roof
should be drawn forward past the centre of them,
and thus shade the side that needs protection, while the
north side requires no shading. In the spring, when
all the heat that the sun produces is beneficial, the roof
may be moved back, so as to allow the sun to strike the
hives, with the full force of his rays.

This kind of roof will, perhaps, require some fasten-
ing as security against very high winds, when fences and
trees are prostrated. A strap, or strong cord secured to
each side, directly over the posts, and then brought down
and secured to the posts would be effectual. I would
recommend, that an auger-hole be made both through
the posts and the roof, when constructed for that pur-
pose.

I recommend the roof to be in portions of four feet,
for the reason, that such lengths are just sufficient for a
single stand of two hives; and such are removed with
more facility than longer portions. If there are only
two hives suspended, then, no longer roof can be conve-
niently used, nor is a longer one necessary ; but in case
that a half dozen stands are existing, then longer roofs
might be used, but not to advantage.

On this plan, a single hive cannot be suspended, since
it requires two to effect an equilibrium. When more
than one stand is erected, the adjoining ones should be
placed at such distance, that the hives can be easily put
in, and taken out, without coming in contact with the
hives in the neighboring stands. I, for instance, our hives
are fourteen inches wide, we should allow about sixteer

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 165

inches space between the ends of the cross-bars of the
different stands ; thus affording facility for placing a hive
in position, or removing it to another location, at pleasure.

The timber used in the postsshould be equal in dura-
bility to chestnut, and chestnut joisis 3 by 4, are the very
best that can be used. It is necessary to have body to
the timber below the ground ; but above it is not neces-
sary to be so strong. There is a way to economize, and
at the same time beautify these posts, as follows, viz:—
take a piece of 3 by 4 joist, eight feet long, and at a dis-
tance of two feet from the end, setin your saw obliquely
till you come to the centre of the stick; then running
the saw along through the centre four feet, you stop, and
on the opposite side to that, on which you commenced
sawing, you cut off the stick, thus giving two posts, six
feet long, each with a shoulder two feet in length of full
size, to be set into the ground, while the diminished por-
tions, four feet long, above the ground, are quite strong
enough, and much improved in beauty by the operation.
The end of one piece will have to be squared at the top,
in consequence of the necessity of cutting obliquely, to
get the saw into the centre of the stick. If the joists are
just twelve feet long, and by this operation the extra
four feet become useless, nothing is gained on the score
of economy ; yet something is gained in the looks of the
posts when erected. If joists can be obtained sixteen
feet long, then a saving may be made, or if the apiarian
chooses to lessen the height of his hives, perhaps three
feet above, and eighteen ‘nches below the ground, would
answer; and in such a case posts only four feet six

166 MINERS AMERICAN

inches, are required, and an ordinary joist, thirteen feet
long, would suffice for four posts.

It must not be supposed that this kind of bee-stand
is the most beautiful that can be devised. I am now
talking to the man of moderate views, who wishes a
snug, plain bee-stand, at a moderate cost; yet as good
as the best in practical utility.

When I come to the gentleman of leisure, with a
purse ready to burst for the want of an ezit-valve, |
shall then unfold a magnificent diorama to his view;
but here, among the plain every-day hives, I must stifle
the utterance of these sublime views, which are re-
served for those who enjoy their otiwm cum dignitate.

It may be thought by some apiarians, that stands or
posts, on the foregoing plan, bring the hives too close
This is not the case. ‘The distance will be about eight
inches for the two hives occupying the same stand; and
the hives of the adjoining stands will be much farther off.

It is true, that bees do not thrive so well when placed in
hives on a stand close together, resting on a floor-board,
for the reason, that they are apt to run to and fro to
each other’s hives; but when the hives are suspended,
this difficulty is avoided, and a bee is no more likely to
enter the adjoining hive in this case, than if it were ten
feet off.

There is a feature pertaining to hives suspended, not
belonging to those resting on flcor-boards, it is this: the
alighting-boards for the bees to rest on, as they enter the
hives, are in the position of an inclined plane.

Here is a side view of a suspended h ve, with the

BEE-KEEPERS MANUAL. 167

floor.board suspended under the hive by little wire
hooks and staples. See the bees entering at the side.
They enter at every side, but much more in front than
elsewhere, because that part of the floor-board projects
wo inches beyond the hive.

It is not absolutely necessary that the bottom-board
should have an inclination from back to front in this
manner; yet it is better than to have it hanging hori-
zontally, for various reasons; one is, that it allows the
water that may beat in under the hives, in storms, to
easily run off; also any moisture from the interior of the
hive that may drip down, readily finds its way to the
ground. Again, any substances or insects that the bees
have to thrust from the hive, ean be expelled with much
greater facility, since any one knows, that a great stone

168 MINERS AMERICAN

may be rolled down hill, that cannot be moved on level
ground. The moth-worm, in the spring of the year, is
dragged out of the hive much easier, with flcor-boards
on this plan. This inclination may be about an inch;
that is, take half an inch from the back of the hive, and
add it to the front. It is not best to have any projec-
tion except in front, as the suspension would thereby be
attended with more trouble. The sides and back of the
floor-board coming even or flush with the outer surface
of the hive, the wire hooks secure it in its proper posi-
tion much better than if it projected an inch or two all
round.

The winter management of such hives is precisely the
same, as I stated for hives resting on stationary floor-
boards; so far as closing up the entrance on all sides,
and compelling the bees to enter the ‘narrow apperture
in front is coneerned. The method of closing the whole
general entrance around the hive must be different, of
course; yet the same narrow passage-way for use in
cold weather, is “eserved in hives suspended, as well as —
those not suspended. The manner of raising up the
bottom-boards in the fall, when cold windy weather sets
in, say in November, is by having two sets of staples,
one for lowering down and the other for raising up the
floor-board; or a projection of the floor-board in the
rear, may be left, so that by sliding it forward, it will
close itself; when a wooden button piaced at the back
of the hive, near the centre of the bottom, may be turn-
ed on its pivot and hold the floor-board firm in its closed

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 169

position. The distance that a floor-board is hung from
the hive is three-eighths of an inch, in all cases.

It will be observed, that in the foregoing cut of the sus-
pended hives, no door or window appears in front. In
this case, the door of the chamber is supposed to be on
the back of the hive, and that of the glass window below,
on the same side. If there be a passage-way back of
suspended hives, it is best to have these things in the
rear. For the use of the thorough, practical apiarian,
the glass windows in the body, or lower section of the
hive, are of little value; but for the amateur apiarian,
let them be inserted, if he is willing to pay for the extra
expense that it will incur, of about fifty cents each, or
perhaps less. |

Every hive, whether suspended or otherwise, would
be benefitted by having a floor-board on the inclined-
plane principle; yet it is attended with some trouble
to have such, when the hives rest on a bench or stool.
I have, however, obviated that difficulty, in a new hive
that I have recently constructed, denominated the
“Equilateral Bee-Hive,” the engraving of which ap-
pears in this work. It is effected by beveling off the
floor-board on every side, forming a slight cone in the
centre, with the inclined sides diverging therefrom.

170 ' MINER'S AMERICAN

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SECOND PLAN OF SUSPENDED HIVES.

I now introduce a second method of suspending hives,
which I consider preferable to the first, on some ac-
counts. On this plan, only three posts are used for sus-
pending two hives; whereas, on the other plan, four
are necessary. In this case, the bars that are attached
to the hives to support them, are placed on the sides,
instead of on the fronts and backs. Then correspond-
ing bars are nailed across the ends of the posts, even
with the tops of them, and of the same length and size
of the bars on the hives. The ends of these bars are
seen in the cut, as they appear when correctly adjusted.
The posts, on this plan, stand opposite the centres of the
hives; and the cross-bars on the posts being so placed that
an equal length projects on each side. The weight of
the hive, bears on the bars where they are nailed to the
posts; or rather, the weight is equal on each side of the

BEE-KEEPER 'S MANUAL. 171

fulcrum or centre, and the bars are able to sustain a
very great weight.

The remarks relative to posts, the hanging of the bot-
tom-boards on an inclined plane, the construction of a
roof, &c., are all applicable to these hives, as well as those
hung on the first-mentioned plan.

The door to the chamber, and the glass window in
the iower section of the hive, here appear in front.
They can, as I before observed, be on either side; yet
I think hives have a better appearance to have them in
front.

It is desirable in erecting a bee-stand, to have as little
shelter for insects as possible, and here lies the advan-
tage of this stand, to some little extent, over the one first
named. SHverything fits very closely in the above
method, affording less crevices for moth-millers, spiders,
&c., than the other mode. The difficulty in the first
case, merely lies in the necessity of the cross-bars being
much wider than those of the second case; and as the
posts will gradually work out of position, in a small de-
gree, openings between the said bars and the hives will
appear; and unless the apiarian uses a brush to clean
out these crevices quite often, they become filled with
spiders’ webs, and various insects that do no good to
the apiary ; yet with care on the part of the attentive
bee-keeper, there is nothing to fear. If a channel ap-
pears between the bars and the hives on the above plan
a brush-broom will clear out any insects that may get a
lodgment there very easily; but in the first case, there

i7Z MINERS AMERICAN

is more difficulty in effecting a dislodgment in conse-
quence of the greater depth of the opening.

There is another method of suspending hives, quite
common. It consists in setting two parallel tiers of
posts in the ground, three in number, of such height as
may be desired; and then nailing long strips of boards,
three or four inches wide, and in length, say twelve feet,
if such length is desired. The posts are so arranged,
that when the boards are attached, the hives may be
slid in at the ends, and rest on the bars, as in the two
cases that I have adduced. The difficulty in this case
is, that when half a dozen hives are thus suspended, and
it becomes necessary to remove any but the two occu-
pying the ends of the stand, it cannot be easily done,
unless the bottom-boards are taken off, and the hives
raised up perpendicularly, which is not convenient.
Some persons may suppose that hives need not be re-
moved at all, at any time; yet such is not the case.
Hives should never be removed in the spring or sum-
mer season, unless an artificial swarm is to be made, or
some operation performed that is necessary ; and every
thorough, practical bee-keeper will often see the neces-
sity of removing his hives for such purposes occasion-

ally.
TOWNLY'S HIVE.

- Mr. Edward Townly, of the city of New York, has,
during the last ten years, disposed of many hundreds of
lis “ patent premium hives,’ as I have been informed.
] have not thought it expedient te furnish an engraving

BEE-KEEPER § MANUAL. 173

of his hive, since there are so many other styles that I
consider preferable, and I shall be compelled to confine
my remarks to as small a space as possible, and do jus-
tice to my subject. I understand that Mr. Townley has
recently removed to the west. Whether this exchange
of location is in consequence of a decline in his busi-
ness | cannot say, but I infer that it is.

The business of patent-hive making has been carried
to a considerable extent in this country, and by men, in
a great many instances, who have had but a little prac-
tical experience in managing bees; consequently, they
are not the proper persons to construct hives of the
best utility, as it is out of the question, for any man_to
invent a bee-hive, that that shall excel all others in the
long run, unless he be a thorough, practical apiarian.
It is necessary to know the true reasons, why hives
should be thus and so. A hive made at random that
shall differ from all others, and appear to the world, who
are not capable judges, to possess great merit, may not
be worth a straw. Most any kind of hive, if not too
large, will show a much better result the first year than
subsequently ; and it is in subsequént years only that
their true value is demonstrated.

As to the intrinsic value and estimation in which I
hold Mr. Townley’s hives, it would not, perhaps, become
me to declare; but I must say, that from the evidence
around me of the decay of families of bees in his hives,
should I speak my true sentiments, I might be accused
of discourtesy. Perhaps the reader may expect to hear
my objections to his hives. I will state them briefly.

174 MINER'S AMERICAN

The dimensions of Townly’s hive are, for the lower
section, where the bees have their permanent abode, about
ten by fourteen inches ; and since I discussed the size of
hives in the Am. Agrt., in 1846-7, I learn that he has
constructed some of his hives nearer my size, about one
foot square. The chamber, or super, projects over the
main body of the hive, on every side, some three inches,
being raised to admit the boxes. It turns on hinges
placed on one side. ‘The communication from the body
of the hive to the boxes in the super is by holes some-
what similar to my own method. At the botttom of the
hive is a screen made of wire, which is represented as
affording fresh air, and at the same time, protecting the
hive against the bee-moth. About an inch from the
bottom of the hive a tube is inserted, about six inches
long, with a bore about an inch and a half in diameter,
through which the bees enter and depart. Near the
top of the hive, in front, another similar tube is placed,
for the ingress and egress of the family.

Now, in the first place, if he still makes his hives 10
by 14 inches, as at first, 1 consider that size as entirely
too small. The solid contents of such a hive is much
less than a hive 12 by 12in., because the fourteen inches
is the depth, not the breadth of the hive. In the next
place, I condemn his wire screen as ruinous, rather than
beneficial, to the bees; at least, doing no good at all.
The only way to ventilate hives is by giving ingress and
egress on every side of the hive, as I have shown in the
suspended hives, before illustrated.

Again, the upper tube is downright ruin to any

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 175

family of bees. On this principle, a current of air is
constantly passing up through the brood-combs, where
the bees are doing all that lies in their power to get up
a high degree of heat, in order to develop the larve.
If a person were to try his best to invent something
that would prove the most destructive to bees, perhaps
he could not hit upon a better process than that of in-
serting tubes in the hives near the upper part of them.
I could state many things pertaining to Mr. Townly’s
hive that I disapprove of; but it may be supposed that
a spirit of rivalry actuates me in my remarks, and |
will let it pass. What I say, is the candid conviction
of my mind, without regard to my own private position
in the least. I might, perhaps, better say nothing about
other hives; yet my readers would not be satisfied with
such a course. |

WEEKS VERMONT HIVES.

Mr. Weeks, of Vermont, has invented several hives in
his day, and he has also published a small work on the
honey-bee, and so, indeed, has Townly. Both of these
little works are of sterling merit, so far as they go; but
they are but introductions to the subject, and I am as-
tonished, that gentlemen having the means of unfolding
the interesting habits, economy, and management of
bees, should have stopped on the very threshhold of their
subject ; but so it is, and they stand not alone. Others
have done the same, and perhaps I am following them ;
but I think the reader will, on wading through these

176 MINERS AMERICAN

pages, when he comes to “jinis,’ exclaim, “enough-—
enough—I want no more.”

Mr. Weeks’ hive, properly denominated the “ Ver-
mont Hive,” is on the same principle of my suspended
hives, as illustrated at page 167. The size and shape
of his hive is different, however, from mine. His bot-
tom-board is suspended by wire hooks and staples in the
same manner as I have described. He also has a cham-
ber to his hive, in which two boxes are placed with
glass fronts, on my plan ; but in order to obtain a greater
surface for these supers, or boxes, and not destroy the
symmetry of the hive, he has (as I presume) given an in-
clination to the back of it. Here is a side view of one
of them.

Now, this shape is not necessary at all; but if a man
expects to have his hives “ take” with the public, there
must be a mystery about them,—a grand secret, and a
novelty pertaining to them. Thus reason men of the
present day, in a great measure ;. yet, after all, “honesty
is the best policy.”

Mr. Weeks gives as a reason for having the back of

BEE-KEEPER'S MANUAL. 177

his hive incline in the above manner, that it is
expressly to hold the combs up, and also to carry off the
sweatings, or drippings from the interior of the hive,
which sometimes occur. ‘This inclination is of about
the same relative value as a fifth wheel to a wagon,—of
no use whatever. If Mr. Weeks’ hive has merits, it is
independent of this inclination; yet anything for nov-
elity! I disapprove of the shape of Mr. Weeks’ hive,
and think the size of the lower section too large; beyond
these objections, it 1s very near what a hive ought to
be ; and it is far preferable to Townly’s hive; indeed, if
no worse hives than Weeks’ “ Vermont Hive,” is palmed
off on the public, we ought to think ourselves well off.

Mr. Weeks has also constructed another hive termed
the “ Non-Swarmer,” which is entirely too unwieldly,
and too costly for general use. We cannot afford to
employ engineers to work our hives; and I do hope, that
hive inventors will hereafter bear this in mind. Let us
have something plain, simple, original, CORAC and
economical, and then you'll go it.

The principle on which Mr. Weeks’ “ Non-Swarmer”’
is based, is upon the principle of collateral hiving, or in
other words, the placing of boxes at the sides of the
main hive, instead of under, or on the top of it. He
also supers this hive, at the same time, and thus prevents
swarming.

! shall discuss the relative merits, of collateral hiving,
nadiring, and supering, in a chapter devoted to that sub-
ject.

It is hardly worth my while to comment on the merits

178 MINERS AMERICAN

of every hive that has had its brief existence, since I
know of none, that is of any particular value.

COLTON ’S HIVE.

A Mr. Colton has invented a hive, that I saw repre-
sented in the Albany Cultivator. How far this hive has
been introduced, I am unable to say; but it cannot be
of any real, practical utility. The principle on which it
is constructed is something like this :—

The main body of the hive is of a triangular form ;
with one of its sides horizontal with the ground. On
each side of the angle, are placed three boxes, in posi-
tions somewhat like the steps of stairs, each with its com-
munication with the main hive. These boxes, which must,
of course, be small, constitute the supers of the hive,
and if the bees would fill all of them annually, it would
be a very profitable hive; but this they will not do. I
speak from a knowledge of what a family of bees ordi-
narily can perform, and if I should be shown a hive with
double the room in the chamber, that a stock of bees can
generally fill, I should condemn it as impracticable, how-
ever much to the contrary the inventor might assert.

GAYLORD AND sUCKER’S HIVE.

This is a hive invented by a gentleman residing at
Poughkeepsie, or somewhere up the North River, if I
mistake not. It is on the “subtended” principle, of
placing boxes over each other.. I have only to remark,
in regard to this, as well as all other hives on this prin-
ciple, that if it be intended to transfer the bees from old

BEE-KEEPER'S MANUAL. _ 179

to new combs, in the manner as shown at page 142, then
they will prove a failure, if the most of them have not
“blown up” already.

There is another style of hive in use, to a considera-
ble extent, that has no principle that is particularly at
variance with my chamber-hive, represented at page 158,
except the floor-board has a double inclination. It is
done thus: the bottom of the hive is level ; that is, hav-
ing no inclination from back to front.

‘Lhe bottom-board, or boards, are then placed with an
inclination from the centre of the hive, about two or
three inches from the bottom, towards each side; so
that when the hive is viewed with the floor-boards in
their places, two of them appear; one projecting in
front some two inches, and slanting up into the hive to
near its centre, from front to rear, and as I before
stated, about three inches from the bottom of the hive ;
then, another projecting in the rear, or on the back of
the hive, having the same inclination upward as the
other. This description is given from a hasty exami-
nation, and I may possibly not be correct, as regard dis-
tances ; but the general features of the alighting-board,
] think, are as above represented. This hive is termed
a “patent hive,’ in the section of country where I saw
itin use. I infer, that some one, desirous of “ raising
the wind,” by introducing a hive with some new “ gim-
erack” about it, that would look mysterious and novel,
has taken the common chamber-hive, that is public pro-
perty, and open for any man’s use, and attached this

180 MINERS AMERICAN

humbug of a bottom-board, to make it “taxe” vith the
public !

STRAW HIVES.

Straw hives are not much used in this country ; and
they never would have been made in any country, but
for their cheapness. The peasantry of Europe, who are
not able to furnish their apiaries with wooden hives, still
continue in the use of those made of straw. I consider
this kind of hive as wholly unfit for the use of pgople
who live in a land of plenty, and who are able to make
wooden ones at a rate but a little dearer than those made
of straw. Straw hives. are only worthy of a state of
abject poverty, and I hope that I shall never see one in
use in this land of milk and honey, where every man
can sit down to his “roast beef and plum pudding,’ and
go to bed with his pockets jingling with “ mint drops.”

LOG HIVES.

Every one, I presume, has seen hives made from hol-
low trees, by cutting off the log of a suitable length, and
then nailing a board on the opening at the top. This is
a much better hive than those made of straw. These
log-hives are called “gums,” in some parts of the coun-
try. I recommend this kind of hive to those who wish
to keep bees without any expense whaiever. There is no
principle of the habits and economy of the bee, that
conflicts with log-hives ; yet when boards are as cheap
as they are, in those sections of the country that abound

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 181

in logs, [ think that boards should be used, even by the
poor man, who studies economy in all his labors.

The log-hive is preferable to many patent hives now
in use; and I can name several of them that I would

not as soon use as the hollow log, if I were compelled
to use either. |

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MINERS EQUILATERAL HIVE.

The above cut represents a hive that I have con-
structed, with the view to combine beauty with utility.

During many years of experimenting on the correct

182 MINERS AMERICAN

size of hives, I have demonstrated certain requisites, that
every hive should possess. |

Firstly, hives should be of such a size as nature will
admit the bees to keep full, and yet have room enough
to perform every ramification of their labors to the best
advantage.

Secondly, facility to be afforded the bees in ascending
to the supers. If we have long and narrow hives, the
bees find much more difficulty in forcing their way
loaded, through a long space crowded with bees, than
they would through a less space. This is so reasonable,
that the mere avowal of itis convincing ; consequently,
we must give a more compact form to our hives, and
shorten the distance to the supers as much possible, and
not interfere with any other principle of management.

Thirdly, the supers should be so arranged, that the
honey stored therein, may be taken with the greatest
possible facility. very apiarian is aware, that most of
the hives now in use, do not offer the facility of perform-
ing this operation, that is desirable. It is true, that with
a bee-dress, the renioval of the boxes is not attended
with any particular trouble, unless it be in the chamber-
hives, where the boxes are a tight fit, and are hard to
loosen from their positions ; but everything should be so
arranged, that the bees will receive !ittle or no disturb-
ance. It is not the mere operation of removing supers,
at the time that it is being performed, that we should look
to. ly we irritate the bees, they will not forget it for
several days; and when we do not expect it, one may
plant its sting in our face; saying, as it were, “there

BEE-KEEPER 'S MANUAL. 18

take that, for the way you jammed and knocked us about
the other day.”

In my EQUILATERAL HIVE, I have effected all that I
think can be done, in the way of improvement in respect
to the foregoing considerations. ‘The easy manner in
which the boxes in the upper section may be removed,
when filled with bees, and the communication shut off
with the family below, by a simple and beautiful contri-
vance, are very prominent features of its merits. I
offer no novelty!—no grand discovery !—no weonder-
ful invention, that allows the bees to preduce great and ~
unprecedented harvests of surplus honey! But I claim
to have simplified, and divested the management of bees
of its complexity, and rendered the business easy to the
inexperienced apiarian.

Connected with the foregoing important results, [have
beautified the general appearance of my hive, so as to
render it an ornament, at the same time that its utzlity
is admitted, and not increase the expense of making it
to any amount worth taking into consideration.

The foregoing cut gives a tolerably correct view of
one style of ornamenting; but I have another hive that
I think surpasses this in beauty; that is, the ornamental
portion, but the size and shape are the same as that re-
presented by the cut. On either of these two hives, a
handsome wooden urn may be placed, if desired, which
will greatly improve their appearance.

This kind of hive may be made without any glass
windows, and thereby lessen the expense somewhat, but
gentlemen wishing but a few hives, should not stand for

184 MINERS AMERICAN

the extra trifle that it will cost to have the windows
made.

The cost of making my ornamental hives is no more
than the common chamber hive; and the difference in
appearance is very great. Nothing could exceed the
beauty of a row of these hives handsomely arranged
on a well-made platform, or on stools suitably con-
structed, and with a tasty roof to protect them from the
heat of the sun at noonday, which is all that hives re-
quire. 1 am strongly opposed to close bee-houses, as
the reader will learn by my remarks on that point here-
aiter.

My equilateral hive is intended to rest on a floor-
board, beveled on its sides as before alluded to, and pro-
jecting two or three inches all. round the hive. The
small entrance for the bees seen in front, is for use in
winter, and during cold spring weather. In the sum-
mer, the hive rests on four small pinions or legs, three-
eighths of an inch high, as represented in describing the
box-hive at page 153. When it is necessary to lower.
down the hive, the fegs are let into small holes in the
floor-board made expressly to receive them, and very
near to the position of them, when the hive is raised up
as it stands during the summer.

The full particulars of every part of this hive cannot
be given here, and do justice to myself. It is a true
saying, that “the laborer is worthy of his hire.” The
production of this hive has caused me much mental
labor, and I think that Iam justly entitled to reap the

BEE-KEEEERS MANUA%. 185

benefit, to a trifling extent, that will result to the public
from its adoption. }

I intend to offer this hive for sale at a very moderate
rate: and also to furnish full and complete drawings of
every part thereof, to gentlemen residing at a distance,
or otherwise, accompanied by a neat pamphlet, giving
the most ample details in regard to every thing con-
nected with it, or pertaining to its construction ; as well .
as the proper management of bees in this kind of hive—
all for the reasonable sum of two dollars, which will
entitle the applicant to make as many hives as he may
require for his own use. As this book will exist, when
the author has past to “that bourne whence no traveller
returns,” the above remarks apply no longer than it may
olease God to spare his life. An advertisement will
probably accompany each edition of this work, rela-
tive to furnishing the before-named hive, or the engra-
vings, &c., which may be found at the sequel of the
treatise.

COLLATERAL HIVING, ETC.

Besides superitig and nadiring, there is yet another
method of obtaining the surplus honey gathered, termed
collateral hiving. Thissystem consists in placing boxes
at the sides of the hives, instead of over or under them.
The following cut represents a couple of boxes on this
plan.

186 MIN 2R’S AMERICAN

THA

Weasea\\I\I

In one of the above boxes the family of bees is sup-
posed to be permanent residents; and if success is te
crown the efforts of the owner, as I view the subject,
the box where the bees pass the winter, should be a
foot square, or near it. Some apiarians think, that a
certain number of inches in width will cause the bees
to construct a certain number of combs; that is, a box
twelve and a half inches square will admit of nine combs
being made, whereas, one twelve inches square will only
afford room for eight leaves. According to the width
of brood-combs, and the interstices between, there is an
abundance of space in a box one foot square, to con-
struct nine combs; but the bees will only make eight,
because the outside leaves are generally store-combs,
and thicker than those built expressly to rear the larvee
in. No more than eight combs, as a general rule, would
be built if the other half inch were added. I havea
remedy for this difficulty, which will appear hereafter.

The English method of collateral hiving on the above
plan, is to have two boxes about ten inches square, and
to be put together with hinges on one side; and when
closed, secure ‘hem by a hook and staple. The com-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 187

munication from one box to the other, is by two or three
such horizontal openings as appear in the cut, besides
that at the bottom. The sides of the hives that come in
contact, are but half an inch thick, instead of one inch,
the thickness of the other portions of them. The covers
or tops, are screwed on, and the loose bars are used as
represented in the cross-bar hive at page 1388. When
the honey is taken from the collateral box, the lid is -
taken off, and the leaves of combs extracted, when the
bees return to the original box.
Vv
RELATIVE MERITS OF SUPERING, ETC

The foregoing plan of obtaining the surplus honey
bears no comparison to supering or placing the box over
that occupied by the family. There is not a solitary
feature pertaining to it, that recommends its adoption.
The hives take up double the usual room; and the
quality of the honey is inferior to that stored in supers,
being subject to much more bee-bread and larve, and
besides this, the bees will not produce as much honey
and wax on this plan, as when supered or nadired.

There is no plan equal to supering, when we take
everything into consideration. ‘The queen seldom as-
cends ; but she will go into collateral hives, and into
those placed under her domicil, and absolutely destroy
the honey with her brood, so far as a ready sale or the
beauty of its appearance is concerned.

There are instances in which the bees seem to dis-
relish ascending into supers, even when there is no lack
of numbers; and the same is the case with collateral

188 MINER'S AMERICAN

boxes and hives placed under the family; but there is
generally a good reason for their not entering and work-
ing in wax. that our eyes are closed to. In all cases of
supering, one or two guide-combs should be secured to
the top of the boxes, at the sides, and in the natural po-
sition. By this course, the bees are attracted to the
boxes sooner than if no guide-combs were inserted. I
do not wish to be understood, that guide-combs are ab-
solutely necessary ; because the bees will work in the
supers, whether there be any such combs or not; pro-
vided there be a supernumerary portion of workers
existing ; yet they are inclined to commence their labors
as I before observed, somewhat earlier with them.

COLLATERAL HIVES JOINED.

When the two boxes are closed, they present the
above appearance, with the exception, that no hook in
front is here shown to hold them together.

If any of my readers shculd feel inclined to try this sys-
tem, since there is nothing like learning by experience,
* would recommend ihat the boxes be secured together
wholly by hooks and staples; say, one on top, and one
on each side, at the centre. Have nothing to do with

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 189

cross-bars; but when you take away the honey, separate
the boxes a few inches, during 24 hours, and the most of
the bees will return to the old combs; unless there be a
large quantity of larvee among the new ones.

If it be found that the bees do not desert the new
combs at all, perhaps the queen may be among them, in
which case, she would draw a portion, if not all of the
bees in the other box after her, as soon as they might
become aware of their isolation. A very good way is
to cause a commotion among the tenants of both boxes,
by shaking or beating the hives, when the separation
takes place ; and the bees will at once, from instinct,
endeavor to ascertain whether the queen be safe, and
among them, and the box that does not contain her will
be certain to be evacuated in a great degree; and
wholly, if there be no larve therein.

BEES REMAINING IN COLLATERAL BOXES—HOW GOT
RID OF, ETC.

When a few hundred bees remain among the combs
of a collateral box, they may be so frightened, as to be
rendered perfectly harmless. All you have to do, is to
beat the box well with a rod; and every comb may be
cut out with the greatest facility ; and as each comb is
withdrawn, brush off the bees with some soft brusk
which should be kept for the use of the apiary. An or
dinary window brush, with a handle a foot or eighteer
inches long, is what is wanted.

190 MINERS AMERICAN

CASE IN WHICH A TRANSFER FROM OLD TO NEW COMBS
MAY BE EFFECTED.

If it should happen, that the new combs in a collateral
box, or even in any other, whether placed above or be-
low, should be regularly constructed ; that is, such as are
used for brood-combs only, and devoid of those ill-
shapen, thick store-combs, that generally occupy all
extra room afforded the bees, in such a case, it would be
safe to effect a transfer from old to new combs, on the
“subtended” plan, which I so emphatically condemn.
There is no general rule without its exceptions; and
cases may occur in which a transfer may be safely made,
if it be done in a manner that will not endanger the
safety of the queen. The regular drone-cells would be
Jacking, but the bees would change, or cut down a por-
tion of the store-cells, for the production of drones in the
following spring. Ido not wish to be understood as fa-
voring this system at all, except in cases where we know
that no injurious consequences can arise, which are not
likely to occur.

ONLY ONE SUPER TO BE PUT ON AT A TIME.

In placing hives over each other, it is best to place
but one super at a time, and when that is filled, place
another box in its position, and raise the first one over
it. The bees, in this case, having filled the upper one,
and that box probably containing some larve, they will
still adhere to it to some extent; and the spare room,
being afforded betweer. two bodies of bees is sooner oc-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 19]

cupied than when placed over all, or when the first box
is removed away, and the second occupying its position,
with nothing above it.

BOXES IN CHAMBERS NOT LIKELY TO BE FILLED TWICE.

I would also observe, that in placing boxes in the
chambers of hives of a small size, it is not advisable to
place any dependence on having them filled twice or
three times the same season, as some apiarians assert ;
because the bees manifest a dislike to commence labors
anew, when they are robbed of their treasure. The
safest way is to give them all the* space that they can
probably fill at first, and not disturb them at all, until the
season of general deprivation. Bees will, however
often fill two sets of small boxes in a good season; but
it is bad policy to trust to their doing so.

TIME TO TAKE AWAY SUPERS.

The question may here arise, at what time should the
supers be taken off? It depends, to some extent, upon
the nature of the bee-pasturage in the vicinity of the
apiary ; that is, the main reliance of the bees for their
gatherings. If it be white clover mainly, the first of
August is the proper time; or perhaps at any time du-
ring that month. Ifthe supers be left until September
or October, the combs are apt to become blackened, in
consequence of the bees constantly passing over them.
There are instances often, when the boxes in chambers
may be removed in June; and where the boxes are
found perfectly fillel, and the cells sealed over, it

19g : MINER'S AMERICAN

is as well to remove them at once, and substitute
others with a guide-comb, and if you get another har.
vest, very well; if not, no harm is done.

The honey, if left in boxes, should be covered with
paper, or cloths, perfectly tight, in order to keep cut in-
sects. If the boxes be intended for market, bottoms
should be made for them, and laid aside, and put on
when the supers are withdrawn from the chambers, afte~
driving out the bees.

HOW TO DRIVE BEES FROM THE BOXES, ETC.

You would, perhaps, like to know how to get the bees
out of the boxes with the least trouble. In order to dis-
turb the family as little as possible, carry your boxes to
any dark place, where the bees can find their way out
by a little light being admitted near them, and in tf.
course of the day the most of the bees will have depart-
ed, and returned home. Care must be taken not to
leave the boxes where other bees will scent them out,
and be attracted to them; unless you wish to divide ©
pretty freely with them. You can, if you please, drive
out the bees at once, with a rod which should be applied
pretty freely to the sides of the boxes, with the open bot-
toms upwards. . This way requires a person to be well
protected by a bee-dress; but it makes the bees more
irritable than the other method. In taking out the
boxes, the greatest care should be observed to not crush
many bees, as this arouses their anger to its greatest
height.

BEE-KEEPER 8S MANUAL. 193

OBSERVATORY HIVE.

Every apiarian who has leisure to study the habits
and economy of the bee, should have one observatory
hive; that is, a hive with only a single comb, of sufii-
cient magnitude to afford space for the entire operations
of a moderate-sized family. This hive, of course, must
be very narrow, merely affording the necessary room to-
build one comb, and that must be brood-comb; and
allow space on each side for the bees to labor, but not
to cluster thickly.

The ordinary width of a brood-comb is about an inch,
and the bees require at least three-eighths of an inch
space on each side; consequently, the distance between
the glass sides should be, say, one inch and three quar-
ters. One and five-eighths inch wide will do very well,
and perhaps just as well as to add the other eighth of an
inch; yet I think the safest way would be, to make the
width as I first stated; because, if the bees should be
pressed into too close quarters, it would, perhaps, affect
their regular labors materially.

The area of the sides of such a hive should be, at
least, two feet long, and eighteen inches high; but a
single comb of such large dimensions, would require a
support in the centre of the hive. Here is a cut show-
ing the form of such a hive, with cross-bars through the
centre both ways, as a support to the combs.

194 MINER'S AMERICAN

) M oe ne Us uth UT ut OTT)
QOS x SOON

_ These ars should be about one inch wide ana _ half
an inch thick, supporting each other in the middle, at
the junction. This size would simply occupy the same
space in width that the combs will; consequently, the
bees will have perfect freedom in passing over any part
of the interior of the hive.

The above cut represents the comb in progress of
construction in each division of the hive. The bees
will often do this in this manner, when unable to work
to advantage at a single point. They will even work
upwards, when no other means affords Jabor to the
whole of the family. Here isa cut showing the manner

in which they oe upwards and downwards at the same
time.

TRE a DAI PAD TTT
H NET EITON ao wet
I > ®

The cross-bars in these two cases afford them an op-
portunity of working upwards and downwards; when,
if no bars were inserted, the bees would be compelled
to work from the top only, since the distance from the
roof to the floor, woula deter therm: from commencing at

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 4395

the bottom. So perfect is the skill and architecture of
this insect, that the parts of combs are united at the
apex of each, with such astonishing workmanship, that
it is impossible to perceive where the union takes place,
or any difference from a comb worked down entirely in’
the usual way.

In fitting in the cross-bars, care should be taken to
have, at least, three-eighths of an inch space between
the edges of them and the glass sides of the hive; since:
a less space than that would, not give the bees a pas-
sage-way of sufficient diameter.

From this kind of hive, pieces of brood-comb may be
easily taken, when larve are wanted to form artificial
swarms, or for the purpose of replacing a lost queen.
In order to obtain easy access to the combs, the glass
sides should be hung on hinges, so as to be opened at
any time, and admit the apiarian to perform any opera-
tion within, that he may choose. The glass sides or
windows should be divided in the centre, and open each
way, or right and left. Here is an engraving of one side
of the hive, with the two glass doors closed.

The doors should be hung with small butt-hinges on
each side, being secured in their places when closed, by

196 MINER'S AMERICAN

a wooden or brass button in the centre of the upright
standard, against which, in a rabbet made for that pur-
pose, they close. The glass doors will each contain a
pane of glass about one foot wide and 18 inches long,
allowing that the inside of the hive measures two feet
by 18 inches, as it should measure. The frames for the
doors may sink into a rabbet, planed out of the main
frame of the hive, and thus admit of glass being used in
“them, of such size as to cover almost the entire surface
of the hive. The frames for these doors should be as
light as possible, and be durable and firm.

Outside of the glass doors, are to be a couple of close
shutters; since the bees will not carry on their labors
when exposed to the light, for any considerable length
of time. The outer doors are to be hung with butts,
also, and they should sink into a rabbet in the frame,
exterior to that made for the inner doors. The frame
for the body of the hive should be made of inch anda
quarter plank, pine if you please; and every joiner can
make his own calculation, relative to the proper width
and thickness, to render the whole substantial, when
finished. The diameter between the two glass doors, is
to be one inch and three-quarters. This is a “fixed
fact,’ we will suppose. The frames for said doors need
not be over half an inci thick, and the glass can be
secured in the frame, and be flush, or even with the in-
side thereof. The outside doors need not be over half
an inch thick also, with clamps nailed acioss the ends,
to keep them from warping. Now we have one and
three-quarters inches to begin with, for the diameter of

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 197

the inside, half an inch for each door, and being two on
each side, make three and three-quarters inches, as the
whole diameter of the frame, allowing that all the doors
are sunk into rabbets equal to their several thicknesses.
A joiner must be dull indeed, who cannot now make the
frame-work of an observatory hive, from the foregoing
illustrations.

The outside doors, when closed, may be secured in
their places by a button at the top, on the frame of the
hive.

In the foregoing cut, the outside doors are shown as
being thrown open.

After this observatory hive is made as already de-
fined, the question arises, how is it to be supported in
its upright position? This is very easy to perform.
Take a board, say two and a half feet long and eighteen
inches wide; plane and smooth it nicely; nail, if you
please clamps across each end, to prevent its warping;
then attach it to the under side of the frame of the hive
with screws, having the frame in the centre of the board,
lengthwise. The board may be narrower or wider than
the before-named diameter; but it should be of such
width as to prevent the hive from falling over. This
kind of hive should be placed entirely under cover, be-
yond the reach of rains and the rays of the sun, during
the heat of the day.

There is yet another important consideration before
we finish with this hive. We have it finished except
the entrance for the bees, and that is quite necessary.
The places of ingress and egress may be made by cut-

198 MINERS AMERICAN

ting out an apperture from the lower section of tne
frame, under the two doors. This passage may be six
inches long and half an inch deep, on each side of the
hive; thus affording the bees the facility of passing out
in two directions.

The object of a hive of this character is, to witness
the operations of the different classes of bees,—to see
how the workers discharge their burdens—how the lar.
vee are fed, if you can—how the queen is treated by
drones and workers—how she deposits her eggs—her
treatment of young princesses, when sacrificed by her—
her power to excite the bees to swarm, and many other
interesting developments of deep interest to the scien-
tific apiarian.

HUBER S OBSERVATORY HIVE.

Huber constructed an observatory hive, consisting of
eight frames, hung on butt-hinges, and secured by hooks
and eyes when closed. There were glass windows in
the outside frames only. When he wished to witness
the labors of the bees in the interior of the hive, he
opened the leaves as we would those of a book. The
bees having become accustomed to have their hive
opened in this manner, were not annoyed by the opera-
tion. In opening the leaves of such a hive, the opera-
tor must be very steady in all his movements, as sudden
jars tend more to arouse a family of bees, than any other
interference with them. A hive tull of bees to its great-
est capacity, may, at any time, be turned over carefully
and set d-wn on its top, without any protection to the

soEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 199

operator ; provided, that the hive receives no jar in the
operation. The setting down of the hive on its top,
must be done in so careful a manner, that the bees will
not feel the force of it. Let but a slight mishap occur
from inattention on the part of the apiarian, and a hun-
dred bees will dart at his face and show him no mercy.
The success of all operations with bees rests on the use
of asteady hand. Not the least attention should be
paid to their attacks upon you, when you are perfectly
protected; and you should never attempt to do any act
pertaining to them, involving the least liability of being
stung, without full protection to every exposed part of
your person. Running and dodging to get out of the
way of bees, is but an mecentive to still further attacks
from them.

I have not considered it expedient to give a cut of
Hubev’s leaf hive, for the reason, that I do not believe
that any of my readers would ever attempt to construct
one of the kind. It is expensive, cumbrous and useless ;
since all that we desire to see may be witnessed by the
use of the single leaf hive, that I have described.

In the use of my leaf hive as before described, there
may be some difficulty in getting a swarm to enter, pro-
vided the bee-keeper has had no experience in this busi-
ness. A large swarm should never be selected for a
leaf hive. The opening for the bees to enter on each
side, should be much larger than those that I have dis-
eribed for other hives, to be used in winter, in order to
afford the greater facility to the swarm in entering the
hive. These openings may be cut on a bevel, roping

200 MINER S AMERICAN

down to the board upon which the frame stands. If the
apiarian choose, he may make any openings for the
swarm to enter, that his own judgment may suggest ;
for instance, holes may be bored an inch in diameter in
the end pieces of the frame, and near the floor of the
hive, and when the bees are hived, they can be plugged
up or left open. Ishould leave them open in very warm
weather. If it be found that the bees will not readily
enter, one door may be opened a few inches, and a cloth
thrown over the hive, to extend down to within an inch
or two of the bottom; then the bees will enter, and at
evening when they are fully clustered within, the door
may be closed. Perhaps the door may have to be closed
by degrees, say partly at evening and fully in the morn-
ing, in consequence of a portion of the bees clustering
along the rabbet, into which the door closes.

There are many things pertaining to the management
of bees, that must ever be treated according to the best
of the apiarian’s judgment. Every case that may come
within the scope of his experience, cannot be anticipated |
in any work on this subject; therefore, if any one
should, at any time, find himself in a dilemma in his
management of this insect, and find no especial rule in
this Manuat for his guidance, let him use the best of
his judgment, according to the general principles here
laid down. I do not think that anything of a serious
nature will ever occur to any one engaged in the cul-
ture of the bee, from which I snall be accused of with-
holding information, that I ought to have given to the
public. That I shall omit some things that would be

BEE-KEEPER S MAXUAL. 201

well to insert, I nave nodoubt. Indeed, to write a work
of this character, and not do so, would be beyond the
power of man.

Here is something in point. JI came very near for-
getting to inform you, that before you place a swarm in
your observatory hive, you should attach two or three
pieces of guide-comb to the roof of the hive. Take the
tips or edges of any new comb that you can obtain;
say pieces two or three inches long, by an inch or more.
wide; cut them off evenly and smoothly, with a sharp
carving-knife; and then, with the aid of a little melted
- bees-wax, attach them in the centre of the upper section
of the frame or roof of the hive. Perhaps I may as well
inform you at this place, how to melt the bees-wax in
the best manner, and how to attach the comb.

In the first place, you want a little tin pan about six
inches long, and three or four inches wide, and one inch
deep. Place your bees-wax into this pan and melt it;
then take a small brush, about as large around as a pipe-
bowl and lay some of the melted wax, as quickly as pos-
sible, upon the place where your piece of comb is to be
attached ; and before the wax thus laid on has time
to cool, you should dip that edge of the piece of cOmb
to be secured in position, into the pan as quickly as
possible, taking it out quickly to prevent its melting, and
as soon as a coating of wax is obtained, then join it to
that laid on the roof of the hive, taking particular care
not to move the comb in the least, after its first adjust-
ment. This whole operation must be done with a dex-
trous hand, while the wax is yet pliable, on the roof, as

SE MINERS AMERICAN

well .s on the comb to be attached. The first trial will
prove a failure with the amateur apiarian, I have no
doubt. With old combs, the difficulty of attaching is
not so great as with new combs, that are tender and
brittle. New combs will melt, when put into the hot
wax, very easily; and it requires considerable skill to
perform the operation successfully. When the piece of
comb is attached in its position, which must be in pre-
cisely the same place that the bees require it, always
giving about half an inch space on either side for the
bees to pass over, then it may be necessary to give it
further security, since the weight of the cluster of bees
will often disconnect it, when we think it perfectly firm
in its attachment. The further security may be given
by dipping the brush into the melted wax, and rubbing
a little on at the ends of the combs, which being pressed
firmly by the thumb in connection with a few of the
end cells, the whole, when cooled, will afford perfect
security.

The brush that I use, is a small paint-brush, but any
one can make a brush with bristles or hair, to answer
the purpose. When no brush is at hand, a swab made
by tying a rag on the end of a stick will do in the place
of something better ; but here I am doing wrong to ini-
tiate the apiarian into habits of carelessness, in not hay-
ing sucl thiigs at hand, as he should have, in order to
operate with facility and success. JI condemn half-way
work ; and a man that feels interest enough in bees te
purchase a swarm, should feel interest enough in thei
proper management, to have such things as are neces:

: o#

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 2038

sary, to carry that management into successful cpera-
tion, when the cost and trouble of obtaining them is not
of the least account

EUROPEAN HIVES.

The majority of bee-keepers of the old world still use
the common straw hive, in consequence of its cheap-
ness, or from preiudice. I say the majority—this in-
cludes the cottagers, who compose a majority of those
who keep bees in the old world. The hives used by
the many scientific apiarians of England, France and
Germany, are mostly of wood, and of every shape and
size that can be imagined. The box-hives, as repre-.
sented at page 141, are in use to a considerable exent—
that is, the same principle ; but no two bee-keepers unite
on the same dimensions! Huish adheres to straw hives
still, with a cover on top to be raised, and having cross-
bars to his hives, as represented at page 138; he cuts
out one or two leaves or combs when the bees can spare
them, and in this manner takes all the surplus honey
that the bees can afford. I consider this method unwor-
thy of notice, except to show the folly of men at this late
day, in thus adhering to a custom that is founded in
ignorance and prejudice.

Of all the various styles of hives used in England, and
on the continent, [ find none that I can recommend to
the bee-keeping community. There is the same de-
sire for experiment and novelty exhibited there, that
is manifested here. Occasionally a hive is brought
forth as doing wonders; but a few years’ experience

204 MINER'S AMERICAN

consigns it to oblivion. Thesame spirit is extant there,
that in our own country cries “vive le bagatelle;” and
inventors are never at a loss to find a public to fleece of
their loose cash, in exchange for hives, not worth the
nails that hold them together.

POLISH HIVES.

As a matter of curiosity, I will give a brief descrip-
tion of the kind of hive used in Russia, Poland, and
other adjacent countries. It is made of staves like a
churn, being largest at the base. Its length is about two
feet, and its breadth at the base about 15 inches. The
staves are thick and clumsy, and the dimensions inside
are not much over ordinary box-hiveg. The upper half
of the hive is wound closely with rope; in order to pro-
tect it from the heat of the sun and from dampness. A
board closes the opening at the top. In the fall of the
year, the cutting out of a portion of combs takes place,
according to the productiveness of the season. A stave
is removed which does not extend beyond the lower
coil of rope, and the cottager, with knife in hand, and
smoke apparatus convenient, commences operations.
When the bees come out rather furiously, a whiff of
smoke drives them in again, and in this manner he takes
away as much honey as he thinks can be safely spared,
and have enough for winter use; and this method is
considered the acme of perfection.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING HIVES.

Good, sound inch, pine boards, thoroughly seasoned,

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 205

are suitable for bee-hives. ‘Some recommend inch and
a quarter plank ; but such are not necessary. In south-
ern latitudes, the hives will require being better securea
from the heat of the sun, than at the north; but no dif-
ference in the material for their manufacture is required.
It is true, that plank will make a better hive than boards;
yet, as a general rule, boards must be used, since plank
do not come of a proper width in ail cases ; and, besides
that objection, they are dearer than boards. Plank
makes a heavy, clumsy hive, and they are objectionable
on that point. Nothing less than boards full one inch
thick, will answer; or rather, boards of a less thickness
should never be used, because the different changes of
heat and cold would affect the bees much more in hives
made of thiner ones.

There has been some controversy in regard to the
best material for the construction of hives. Some apia-
rians have recommended one kind and some another
kind of boards for their manufacture; but after all, the
grand secret of success in bee-culture lies not in the
wood of which the hives are made. Dr. Smith, of Bos-
ton, an apiarian of considerable celebrity, strongly
recommends ved cedar for the especial purpose of keep-
ing out the bee-moth. I have no doubt of red cedar
being an excellent material to make hives of; and were
it as pfenty and as cheap as white pine lumber, I should
say, use it by all means. In regard to its keeping out
the moths, J do not believe any such thing. I believe,
that if any wood possess an odor so offensive as to pre-

206 MINER'S AMERICAN

vent a bee-moth from entering a hive, the same odor
will drive away every bee also.

DIRECTIONS TO THE JOINER.

The joiner, in constructing the hives, should be very
particular to have close joints; as every open joint will
be filled by the bees with propolis, at a great expense of
their valuable time. The nailing of the hives should be
particularly attendec to, as they are liable to spring open
after being exposed .o the weather a few months. No-
thing less than ltenpenny nails will answer the purpose ;
and then, some of them should be driven obliquely, or
what the joiner calls toed, which will prevent the joints
opening. ‘The safest way, however, is to halve out, o1
rabbet the edges of the boards, so that when put together,
they may be nailed both ways.

The doors to the windows should be beveled on every
side, except where they are hung; and the door-way of
the hive should have a corresponding bevel. This pre-
vents open joints, and the doors not closing in damp —
weather. Iivery door should be clamped at each end,
to prevent warping, and so should the floor-boards also.

Where hives are exposed to the sun a portion of the
day, it requires the greatest care io keep many parts of
them from warping out of their proper shape.

A thin strip may be run around the inside of the
window, with a rabbet, to receive the glass. Let this
strip be as thin as possible. When the glass is in its
place, a brad driven in against it will keep it in its posi-
tion. Don’t forget the cross sticks to be placed in the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 207

hives, to run fiom corner to corner diagonally, and in
the centre. A brad in each end will hold them fast.
These sticks should be half an inch square, or more.

In making the box-hive, as shown at page 153, the
super or upper section will require dowelling; that is, a
couple of wooden pins at two of the corners, to sink into
holes made in the roof of the lower section, in order to
hold the super in its proper position. The pins should-
not be sunk into the roof over half an inch, and they
should be placed at the diagonal corners.

The boxes for the chambers of hives represented at
page 158, should be made of the thinest materials that
can be obtained. Whitewood will do very well, but
any material of the thickness of segar boxes is much
better. A groove is plowed out near the front end, to
receive the glass. No bottoms are required for these
boxes, as I have already explained, in the description of
chamber-hives. There is a difficulty arising, when the
boxes are withdrawn from the chambers filled with
honey, in the manner of cutting out the combs with fa-
cility. What we then wish is, to be able to sever the
combs from the top of the box. It is quite easy to cut
the ends and sides, but unless we have a knife made with
a right angle, we cannot separate the attachments on
the upper side, without taking an end or a side off.
Now, it is necessary that every apiarian should have
such a knife, with an angle, as I shall give a cut of here-
after ; but not one in ten will probably ever provide one ;
consequently, I must give such directions in making

208 MINERS AMERICAN

these boxes, as to obviate, in a measure, the necessity of
such an instrument. |

The way to construct the boxes, is simply as follows,
viz: let the back ends of them be covered by the end
pieces over the ends of sides and bottoms; that is, in
such a manner that they can be taken off with the great-
est facility. If no directions be given on this point, the
joiner will slide the ends down between the sides; but
this is wrong; they should be on the outside of all, so
that they can be removed easily. Every part of the
boxes, except the ends, should be fastened with inch
brads, but the ends should be secured with the smallest
prads that will hold them in their place, and as few to
be used as possible. When the honey is to be taken
out of a box thus arranged, a knife is to be run down at
the end and sever the combs; then take off the end, and
run the knife along the top of the box horizontally, and
the work is done at once: then replace the end of the
box, and it is ready for use again.

PAINTING HIVES.

When your hives are made, you will wish to know
what color they should be painted. Some apiarians
recommend white as the proper color, since that color
does not draw the rays of the sun; but others object to
white, because it attracts the moth-miller in the night,
more than darker colors. I do not think it makes a
whit of difference, whether your hives are white, red,
black or grey so far as the general prosperity of the bees
is concerned We should have a durable color; one

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 209

that will stand the weather well. I have ased a choco-
late color with good results. I make 1 thus :—take
white lead and raw oil, with which mix Venitian red
and lamp-black, to produce the color desired. The rela-
tive quantities of each can be ascertained by any per-
son, when the same is mixed. The white lead and od
should be mixed first, then add the lamp-black to pro-
duce a lead color; then the Venitian red, and you have
the shade desired. Raw oil stands exposure to the
weather much better than boiled oil; yet if you wish to
have your hives dry speedily, and if the weather be not
very favorable for such a result, you can use a little
litharge, or, if you please, a ittle boiled with the raw oil.

CHAPTER XlLV.

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BEE-HOUSES.

Te above engraving represents an ornamental bee-
house, from an original design, executed expressly for
this work. It is not intended for general use, but as an
ornament to gentlemen’s grounds or flower gardens.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. A ist |

This is the first design of this nature, that has been laid
before the public, to the best of my knowledge. In all
the various works on the honey-bee, published in the old
world, I find nothing but the ordinary bee-stands of ages
past, or simple sheds of no more beauty than a pig-sty
or ahen-roost. That such a structure would truly be
an ornament to the flower garden, every one will admit.
Why, then, should such bee-houses not be erected ?
The cost will not be much. Fifty dollars will suffice to
cover it.

SHAPE, ETC.

It will be perceived, that the foregoing cut represents
an octangular building; that is, one having eight angles
or sides. This affords accommodation for eight hives,
or one toeach angle. The height should be sufficient
to allow a person to walk under the lower extremity of
the roof with facility, and no higher; consequently, the
posts should be about seven feet Jong. The roof should
project over beyond the posts two feet, at least, in order
to shade the hives during the heat of the day. The
style of architecture may vary according to the taste of
the owner; yet the style of the foregoing cut is not un-
becoming, by any means. Instead of having a floor, as
is here represented, the posts may be inserted in the
ground about two and a half feet; and the area within
the posts, may be graveled, so as to have a neat and tidy
appearance. The portion of the posts placed in. the
ground, should be left untouched, and as large as possi-
ble. These posts may either be turned, as they appear

212 MINER'S AMERICAN

in the cut, or they may be boxed in, and made with
suitable mouldings, to look very well. If they be set
into the greund, they should be of some kind of durable
wood ; and the ends to be put below the surface, ought
to be charred with fire, to prevent decay. With box-
columns or posts, the style of architecture should be
changed. A cornice should be run around the struc-
ture; a dental cornice, perhaps, would look well. Every
builder, however, will know how to give the best effect
to the general appearance of the structure. If the posts
be not inserted in the ground, let the floor be laid, and
ordinary joists measuring three by four inches, will do
for the columns, if boxed in. In this case, it will, per-
haps, require some support to prevent the structure from
being blown over ina gale. Three or four posts sunk
into the ground even with the floor, and made fast
thereto, would be all that is necessary.

ROOF—HOW PAINTED, ETC.

The roof of this structure should be of tin, and painted
a brown or stone color, or any shade that may be de-
sired. If, however, it can be covered with shingles, let
it be done. Shingles will look as well as tin, if neatly
put on.

There may or may not be, a ceiling under the roof.
It will look better with one, and the cost will be but a
trifle.

SIZE, CIRCUMFERENCE, ETC.

The size »f the house should be about twenty feet in

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 213

circumference, so as to allow full two feet between the
columns. This is the smallest space that hives can oc-
cupy to advantage. The circumference of the base of
the roof is much more than the foregoing dimensions,
in consequence of its projection.

HEIGHTH OF HIVES——-FLOOR-BOARDS, ETC.

The hives may be set from two to three and a half
feet from the ground. The higher they are placed, the
more they will be protected from the rays of the sun
and from storms. Thestand upon which they are to rest
should be made of a single board in width, if possible,
and bracketed on the under side, to prevent warping.
In joining the floor-boards of hives, there is danger of
affording cracks for the use of the moth-worm to wind
up in.

The width of hives is, say about fourteen inches on
the outside; and the bees require, at least, two inches
space in front to alight on; and the whole width of the
stand would be, according to this calculation, 16 inches,
which would be its least possible diameter. There may
be separate floor-boards for each hive to rest on, if the
owner choose, on the bevel plan, that I have described
at page 169. This would be better than to have the
hives rest on a level floor, when rains beat in under
them; because a level floor is apt to warp some, at best.
I dislike to multiply the fixtures of a bee-stand; for the
reason, that every addition furnishes some crevice,
sooner or later, for insects to breed in. If separate floor-
boards are furnished, let them be two inches, at least,

214 MINERS AMBRICAN

wider on every side, than the hive, and clamped at the
ends to prevent warping; then, | recommend in the
place of the level floor-boards stationary in the structure,
as above alluded to, to simply have a couple of string-
pieces, say two inches wide, by one inch thick, placed
about a foot apart, and upon these lay your bevel floor-
board, strewing salt where they come in contact, plen-
tifully. If the level floor be used, a division between
each hive is necessary; tha is, a board six inches broad,
to be set on its edge vertically, ralf way between the
hives. This prevents the bees running over to gossip
with their neighbors, where the cnly welcome uty get,
is certain death, if they enter their neighbors’ domicil !
The stand for the hives should be constructed wholly
inside of the columns, resting against them. This
throws the hives back, and more out of the reach of the
sun. It will do the hives no harm to have the rays of
the sun strike them in the morning, unti] about 10
o'clock; and from 3 to 7, P. M. Indeed, it is quite
necessary, that the sun should shine on, or near the hives —
in the morning.

HIVES REPRESENTED IN CUT—OPEN BEE-HOUSES
PREFERABI E, ETC.

The two hives represented in the foregoing cut, are
intended to represent my EQUILATERAL hive, as shown
at page 181. These hives have a beautiful appearance,
and if surmounted by a wooden urn, handsome! trrnea,
the decoration would be complete. They rest un pins
or legs, as before described, during the spring and sum-

BEE-KEEPER $3 MANUAL. 215

mer, and in the winter they are let down and the open-
ings in the front and rear are used. The general rules
for the management of bees in other hives, apply to
these with the same force. One great advantage m an
open apiary of this nature is, that it affords the least
possible facilities for insect breeding. Every part is
exposed, and the broom or the brush applied once a
week, thoroughly, will root out every vestige of moths,
spiders, wasps, &c.

I am aware that I take new ground in advocating
open bee-houses ; yet I hope to be able to convince my
readers, that the ordinary close houses, fronting the
south, as they generally do, are downright ruin to the
prosperity of bees. It is a mistaken idea, that bees
should be kept in a warm, sunny place. There is but
one season of the year, that this principle will apply with
benefit to them; and that is in the spring, during the
months of Apri! and May. From June to October, they
want’the same temperature around their hives, that ex-
ists in the open fields—no exposure to the scorching
rays of the sun, beside a close fence, that keeps off the
current of air that elsewhere exists, nor to be penned up
in a close bee-house, fronting the south, where the heat
is sufficient to broil a steak! My remarks on the labors
of bees, to ventilate their hives, when thus exposed, as
given at page 83, may here be read with profit.

I will simply ask the reader, if he does not prefer
laboring in the shade, when the thermometer ranges at
90°? Well, sodoes the bee Watch them on an after-
noon, while clustering o1. their tenement, when the rays

216 MINERS AMERICAN

of the sun are most oppressive. Do you see them re-
maining exposed to the sun, or do you perceive them
changing their position to the shady parts? ‘They re-
move to the shady sides of the hive, of course, and why
is it? Because the rays of the sun are too powerful
and many oees that cluster on the outside of the hive
would be at work within, but for the insupportable heat
there. From these considerations, we should infer, that
hives should not be exposed to the full force of the sun’s
rays in tne summer ; nor be so situated, that the air will
have no circulation around them.

THE HEAT OF THE SUN DISADVANTAGEOUS IN WINTER.

Perhaps of all the innovations upon the established
rules of bee-keepers, that I shall make in this work, none
will be: more repugnant to their views than the asser-
tion, that bees should not be exposed to the rays of the
sun in the winter. Nothing in the whole management
of bees is susceptible of being more clearly established,
than this fact; and though I shall not at this place dis-
cuss the question ‘in all its bearings, yet it is necessary,
that I should state, that close bee-houses with a southern
exposure, should never be constructed. Where is the
bee-keeper who has not witnessed the loss of his bees
when coming forth from the hives when the ground was
covered with snow? Now, what is it that allures faem
from their tenements? It is the warm rays of a
winter's sun falling on the hives, where, perhaps, the
northerly winds find no entrance. The poor bees see
the light penetrating their domicil, and come down to

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 217

snuff the balmy breeze. They look out, and a warm sun
greets them, saying, as it were, “come forth and meet
me; no chill pervades the air. All is bright and glit-
tering ; and old boreas 1s chained to northern icy shores.”
They come forth. All is calm and serene around their
tenement. They rise on the wing, and sweep the fields
while yet warm from their abode, and suddenly the cold
winds that they imagined were hushed, come whistling
past. They feel a chill that benumbs them, and they
endeavor to return. The glittering snow blinds their
vision, and they fall to rise no more. How great the
destruction of life is, in an apiary thus situated, from the
above cause, every person is well aware, who has kept
bees in a northern climate. If there be instances in
which large numbers of bees have perished in the above
manner, and yet it has made no apparent difference in
the prosperity of the apiary the following season, it was
because the hives were well tenanted, and could, with-
out destruction, spare a portion of their numbers; yet
every bee that thus perishes, is a loss. A hive contain-
ing two thousand bees, that loses two hundred in the
above way, decreases in value 10 per cent., and in the
same ratio for the loss of any number or proportion of
the family.

I will now introduce the reader to a bee-house that
may be enclosed when necessary, and avoid all the fatali

ties of close houses, as they are usually constructed.

10

218 MINERS AMERICAN

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The above cut represents a house twelve feet long, six
feet high, and five feet wide. The ends and back are
enclosed, except a space one foot wide, directly oppo-
site the lower section of the hives. This space is pro-
vided with a shutter, hung on hinges, and during the
months of March, April and May, it should be closed.
The remainder of the year, it should be open, unless in
certain circumstances of very heavy winds existing,
when it would be proper to close it again for brief
periods. The shutter here alluded to, is made from any
board measuring 12 feet long by one foot wide, and
bracketed to prevent warping. During the heat of sum-
mer a breeze will constantly be playing around the
hives, when arranged on this plan, giving the bees health
and activity; and during the winter, they will stay at
home, where they belong.

It may be perceived in the preceding cui, that a por-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 219

tion of the structure is closed below the roof in front.
This portion of the front thus covered, is about two feet
wide. It is not intended to be permanently fast, but
one foot of it, at least, in width, should swing on hinges
and be susceptible of being raised and lowered at plea-
sure. In the spring of the year, it may be raised, and
the sun let in, as the heat of this orb, at that period, is
beneficial in aiding the bees to raise the temperature of -
the interior of the hives sufficiently to develop the brood.

HIVES TO BE BROUGHT WITHIN THE RAYS OF THE SUN
AT CERTAIN SEASONS, ETC.

A very good way to bring the hives within the rays
of the sun during the spring months is, to so construct
the floor-board, as to admit of its being brought forward
or moved back at pleasure. For instance, in March,
April, and May, bring it forward parallel with the front
of the house, where the sun will shine with full force
upon the hives. When swarming is over and the heat
becomes oppressive, let it be moved back, so far as to
be beyond the reach of the rays of the sun; and in the
winter, the farther back it is moved the better, for the
reason, that no inducement should then be afforded to
cause the bees to leave their homes, and at this season the
front should be closed partially; that is, the board that
hangs on hinges should be let down. The rear being
open in winter, causes a cool current of air to pass
around the hives, and if at any time the bees leave their
domicils, they do it with their eyes open, or in other
words, they are not deceived in regard to the actual

220 MINERS AMERICAN

temperature without, unless it be, that they find it much
warmer than they anticipated, from which no evil can
arise.

The removal of the floor-boards from front to rear, :
and vice vers@, will not involve the necessity of disturb-
ing the hives. It can be effected by shoving along the
whole together.

DIVISION-BOARDS NECESSARY BETWEEN HIVES, ETC.

It will be perceived, that in the cut a division ap-
pears between each hive. This is necessary, as before
spoken of. A board a few inches wide, placed on its
edge, is all that is requisite.

They who prefer it, may have their hives set on stools
in structures of the foregoing character; and in this
way, have better access to them, and facility in passing
around them, é&c. Iam inclined to think, that setting
them on stools would be the better way.

The suspended hives, before illustrated, may be en-
closed in a house of this description. There is no hin-_
drance in the least. Every apiarian must consult his
own convenience and taste in many things, and not fol-
low any written rules; or rather, he will have to do so,
in the absence of instructions, since to state every thing
pertaining to this subject, is out of the question.

COST OF BUILDING.

A bee-house on the foregoing plan, can be built for
$30, and in good style, too. A handsome cornice around
the roof, to suit the size of. the structure, should be in-

BEE-KEEPER §S MANUAL. 221

cluded in that sum. The posts should be about 4 by 4
inches, with the corners taken off an inch, except six or
eight inches of the tops and bottoms. If the posts should
be boxed in, they would appear much better; but for an
economical house, it is not at all necessary.

FLOOR NOT NECESSARY.

A floor may, or may not be laid. If it is to give
shelter to all manner of insects below, it had better be
dispensed with; but if made perfectly tight, and no pas-
sage beneath be afforded, it will be an improvement.
A stone or brick floor is far best, which would afford no
protection to insects.

BRICK BEE-HOUSES.

Of all the bee-houses that have ever been used, none
are better adapted for wintering bees, than those con-
structed of bricks. The great object is, to keep the
bees during the winter season, in such a manner, that
they will feel the sudden changes of weather as little as
possible. A brick house on the plan of the foregoing
wooden one, would be very convenient. An open space
one foot wide on the back, would be desirable, and very
important, to let a current of air pass around the hives
in the summer season, at least, if not in the winter.
The front may be walled up even with the floor-board
of the hives; and then, a space left open eighteen inches
wide; when the brick-work may commence again, sup-
ported by a cross-timber. A door-way shouid te left in
front, to enter the building. The openings in front and

IF MINER'S AMERICAN

rear, should be provided with shutters, that fit very
closely; the one in front in particular. During the
summer, the front is left open, and the hives are set
back far enough, to be out of the sun the most of the
day. In cold weather, the front is shut as tight as pos-
sible, door and all; and if a current of air can be made
to circulate within, without the rear shutter being par-
tially open, that may also be closed. The bees will then
be in darkness, but it 1s so much the better for them;
provided, that any means can be adopted to ventilate
the apiary. A small air-hole at the bottom, at each end
of the house, with an escape at the top of the roof, some
six inches square, boxed in, and perforated with holes,
would keep the atmosphere within perfectly pure.

On this plan, the bees will not desire to leave their
hives, and the usual casualties of the winter season are
entirely avoided ; provided the bees have sufficient honey
to carry them through the season. They will not con-
sume over one half as much honey in this way, as they
would, if exposed to the full force of the sun during the
winter. ‘

I would not wish the reader .o infer, that this last
method of wintering bees, is the only way that is recom-
mendable. The preceding plan of a wooden house is
similar to it, and perhaps some may think, just as good,
or even preferable. The ornamental bee-house first
given, is not, with all its openness, lacking qualities to
enable the apiarian to winter his bees with perfect safety.
A few boards so placed in front, as to exclude the sun,
say a couple of posts set down temporarily, some four

BEE-KEEPRkK S MANUAL. 223

feet from the hives, and then boarded up six feet or
more, would be all that would be necessary; then close
the slides when the bees show any disposition to come
out, if the ground be covered with snow, if not, let them
come out as much as they please.

In case of using the brick tenement, it will be neces-
sary to open the front occasionally, when the weather
is mild and no snow exists, to allow the bees to clear
their hives of dead bees, and also to their void feeces. It
is very bad policy to keep bees confined a whole winter,
or even a month, without giving them an airing.

The bee-houses here introduced, are original; or
rather the first is entirely original in design, and the
second engraving, with the plan of a brick structure, are
great improvements of apologies for bee-houses hereto-
fore existing. No apiarian has ever taken the same
ground that I pursue, in regard to winter management
of bees, and none have, as | believe, ever met with so
successful results. I make mention of these points, not
in an egotistical spirit, but rather to show that my plans
are not re-vamped from any of the exploded theories of
apiarians that have already existed, and been weighed
in the balance and found wanting.

Had I room to spare, I would illustrate one or two
more bee-houses, that might be constructed, partly orna-
mental, and partly otherwise; but there are none that
excel those already given. Every apiarian can suggest
his own plans, when the fundamental requisites are laid
down, as I think I have done. The dimensions that I

224 MINER'S AMERICAN

have given in the beeotiing cuts, need not be fcilowed ;
but merely the principles there elucidated.

CHAPTER XV.

BEE-STANDS, ETC.

Ir may be necessary for me to state my views upon
the relative merits of different kinds of stands, upon
which to rest hives.

There is the suspending stand ;—the shelf, or horizon-
tal floor-board; and the stool-stand.

The suspended stand is a very good one, and for the
purpose of giving an inclination to the alighting-board
is preferable to any other; but it may be asked, how far
the prosperity of the bees is affected Oye giving an incli-
nation to the alighting-board ?

It is not absolutely necessary to have such an inclina-
tion, yet it is an advantage.in keeping the floor of the
hive dry, and giving any water that may beat in facility
to run off. It also aids the bees as before observed, in
keeping their tenement free from worms, dead bees, ac.

The horizontal shelf has no particular fault. If it can
be kept level, by the use of cleats, to prevent warping, it

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 225

will do very well. The principal objection that can be
brought against this kind of floor-board, is the liability
of the bees to communicate with each other, when they
cluster out in great numbers. When hives are set a
foot or eighteen inches apart, which is the usual dis-
tance, the bees, during very warm weather, will vacate
their hives, and spread out to the right and left, so as to
meet the members of the adjoining families, and they
frequently get so mixed, that they enter the wrong hive
and perish. A bee seems to lose all knowledge of the
position of its own home, except when on the wing. If
they happen to cross the dividing line, between their
own and a neighboring hive, they lose all recollection
of having thus passed the boundary, and the nearest
hive receives them; but their mistake is found out in-
stantly, yet it is often too late to retreat. It is curious
to perceive how the truant bees suffer themselves to be
encircled and held prisoners. A half dozen bees will
surround a single one, showing no deadly hostility, un-
less the stranger attempt to fly away, when it is dis-
patched forthwith. On an occasion of witnessing an
occurrence of this nature, I stood watching the move-
ments of a couple of workers, that held another worker
prisoner. ‘They offered no violence until the stranger
attempted to rise on the wing, when it was suddenly
seized by one of its captors, and stung between the rings
of the abdomen. The next moment it lay quivering in
death.

On refering to page 218, the reader will perceive
small divisions between the hives in the cut. These

10*

226 MINERS AMERICAN

strips effectually prevent bees from passing from one
hive to another, as here represented. They never run
up a vertical barrier, to cross over to adjoining hives,
even if it be but two inches high. This being the case,
a great objection is overcome to horizontal shelf-stands.

The stool-stand, as seen at page 153, is about as good
as anything that can be used. It affords as few facili-
ties for the breeding of insects as any other, and it has
some features that render it preferable to either sus-
pended or shelf-stands. It is easily removed, when
necessary, and with an inclination given to each side,
there can be no reasonable objection to its use. If these
stools can be made in one board, they would be much
better; as the groove where the joint 1s made, when in
two pieces, will open, in time, so far as to admit the
moth-worm to wind up therein. When cracks do ex-
ist, they should be filled with putty in the spring.

The size of stools should be at least two inches larger
on each side, than the dimension of the hive. The
clamps, to prevent warping, should not be omitted. The ~
height may be from one to two feet. The height of
hives from the ground is a matter of some importance.
I have generally recommended three feet for suspended
hives, and it would be better, perhaps, to have all hives
as high as that, but it is not always convenient. All
we want is, to get the hives out of the each of the damp
exhalations that arise from the earth during warm
weather. If the hives are placed near the earth, a thick
coat of gravel around them would be beneficial, in pre-
venting exhalations of dampness. In case of using the

BEE-KEEPER 'S MANUAL. 227

shelf-stand, the hives can be raised three feet without
inconvenience. |

Ido not recommend the practice of having a double
tier of hives, one above the other, at all. It is bad mian-
agement. The apiarian has not the facility to attend to
them, that he has when but one tier exists; and besides
that, it brings the bees too close.

In regard to the distance that hives should be set
apart, | would say, that they cannot be placed too
far, unless it be beyond the bee-keeper’s premises; but
it is necessary to set them near to each other, in order
to afford the bees protection from the sun, &c. I think
that a single row or tier of hives will not suffer injury
by being placed where the space between each hive is
about one foot; provided, that the divisions are put up,
before alluded to. ‘Two feet would be better, and four
feet better still; but it is not always convenient to have
hives that distance from each other.

The stool-stand has one advantage on this point. It
can be used in an out-door apiary, and the hives sta-
tioned a rod apart, if desirable. All that is wanting, in
this case, is a flat portable roof for each stool; say three
boards one foot wide, and three feet long, secured to-
gether with brackets or cleats. Set one of these pro-
tectors on each hive, drawn a little forward of the cen-
tre, to produce the more shade. If they will not keep
in their position, place a stone on each; but if you
would be a little more tasty, you can get iron or lead
weights, if any at all are necessary; which I think quite

doubtful.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE APIARY.

Tue position of the apiary is a matter of importance.
In most cases, it is seen to front the south, according to
the usual practice of the present day; and especially
when enclosed, somewhat on the plan of bee-houses
illustrated at page 218. This position is considered
necessary by bee-keepers generally, in order to afford
the bees all the warmth, both in summer and winter,
that it is possible to give, and which I consider so ruin-
ous to their prosperity.

SOUTH-EAST THE BEST POINT TO FRONT.

It will not, in all cases, be found convenient to have
the apiary front any point of the compass; in conse-
quence of the situation of the ground where it is to be
erected, since it is often necessary to build parallel to
some fence already constructed; but the best possible
way it can point is south-east. Directly to the south
or to the east, is not particularly objectionable, when
the back of the building has an opening to admit a cur-
rent of air among the hives, as I have directed; but

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 229

when it is convenient, | recommend a preference to be
given. to the aforesaid direction.

MORNING SUN NECESSARY.

Kvery husbandman knows full well how much more
labor his hired men can perform, when they get to work
at the rising of the sun, than when they lie in bed until
that luminary peers in at the windows of their bed-rooms
at an angle of 20° or 30°. ‘To the above may be likened
the sallying forth of the honey-bee. It is not often that
bees sally forth to the fields in the morning, until the rays
of the sun strike their hives. For example, two hives may
be placed in the months of June, July and August, in
different situations; the one where the sun cannot shine
upon it, until 7 o’clock, A. M., and the other, where his
rays will fall upon it, at half-past 5. Now mark the
result. The bees in the hive where the warmth of the
sun reaches them at half-past 5, will be seen leaving
their hives at that hour, while those of the other hive,
remain within until 7 o’clock, one hour and a half later.
Thus it may be seen, that it is important toso place our
hives, that they will receive the morning sun. If the
bee-house front the south, it would be well to have a
movable shutter at the east end, to be raised during the
summer ; say two feet space opposite the end hive, to be
thus open, and closed at pleasure.

OFFENSIVE SMELLS DETRIMENTAL.

lt is advisable to place the apiary out of the reac’ of

230 MINER'S AMERICAN

nauseous and offensive smells; and not immediately in
the vicinity of the barn-yard, where flies congregate. <A
yard-house being near, will not, in ordinary cases, be
injurious, unless it be offensive, which should never be
the case, on account of the apiarian’s family. A barrel
of lime or plaster thrown into the sink, when offensive,
will thoroughly purify it.

THE SHADE OF LARGE TREES NOT BENEFICIAL, ETC.

It is not advisable to place an apiary under trees of
magnitude; since the drippings therefrom, during wet
weather, continue long after the sun appears, and thus
retard the labors of the bees. Hives that are set in an
out-door apiary, without any protection, are much more
affected by the drippings of trees than those placed in a
bee-house. It is a custom with many people, to thus
place their hives in the shade, in order to screen them
from the heat of the sun during the summer; but it is
bad management. A cover, three or four feet square,
that may be made at a cost of one shilling, is much bet-
ter than the protection of trees and such cover may be
removed in April and May, and the sun left to shine
upon the hives with his full force, to aid in developing
the brood. In case of removing the cover thus de-
scribed, it would be well to use a small cover the size of
the top of the hive, merely to prevent any warping or
cracking of the top. I never expose the tops of my hives
to the sun, as it is almost impossible to prevent such a
result, socner or later, to some extent,

Bag BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 231

DANGER OF HIVES BLOWING OVER.

In out-door apiaries, there is some danger of hives
being blown over, during the prevalence of very high
winds, unless secured in some manner. If the hives are
set against a close fence, there is no danger from winds,
unless it be a hurricane; yet I do not approve of placing
them against fences or buildings at all, for reasons be-
fore given, in regard to allowing the air to circulate
freely around them, and keeping them free from insects. —
It is always best, in cases of out-door apiaries, to fully
secure the hives in some way, against any possible con-
tingency. A thunder-storm in summer often brings
winds that level trees, fences, and even houses with the
ground. On that account, the lower the hives are
placed the better; but nearer than one foot to the ground
will not answer at all, and the higher the better, so far
as the bees are concerned; but no height will prevent
the moth-miller from entering. What fastening or se-
curity for hives is best to prevent them from being
blown over, I hardly know, but a stake driven firmly
into the ground, against the back of each, and a leather
strap or cord running around the lower section, and
secured to the stake would be effectual. The super, if
the hive be on the plan of that shown at page 153, will
not be blown off, if doweled in; and even if it were not
doweled, it would not blow off, as the bees always ce-
ment down supers with propolis, so as to require a con-
siderable force.to separate them from the main hives.

The cheapest way of holding down hives, is to place

232 MINER'S AMERICAN

a large stone upon each; so let no bee-keeper suffer his
hives to be blown over for the want of means to secure
them.

SURROUNDING PROTECTION NECESSARY.

When bees arrive within a few feet of their hives, it
is very important that the force of the winds should be
checked in some manner, as the greatest difficulty a bee
encounters when on the wing, is to alight safely at her
own door. Like a ship at sea in a gale, all goes on
merrily so long as she has sea room; but let her ap-
proach land, and then comes the real danger. Just so
it is with the little bee, when the high winds sweep over
the hills and valleys. She beats up against the breeze
fearing nothing while she has space to dart over the
forest; but when she comes to her door—when she
slackens her speed, she is at the mercy of every fitful
gust that plays around the hives; and often when just
reaching her own domicil, as she hovers slowly before
the entrance, loaded with treasures from nature’s store-
house, she is forced to the ground, or perchance against
some neighboring hive. The vision of the bee is obscured
when she approaches within a few feet of her hive, and
her motion is necessarily quite slow on such occasions,
and if she be driven out of her course to the least extent,
she has to rise again on the wing, and describe a circle
in her flight, some ten or twenty feet above the apiary,
before she can venture to return again. Even should
she be driven but a single foot from the point she aimed
at in alighting, she would rise again, and make a second

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 233

attempt in finding her home. Bees seem .o know no-
thing at all of the position of their hive, unless when de-
scending on a return from the fields, or in cases when
their flight is merely sporting immediately around it.

For the purpose of affording a check to the force of
the winds in out-door apiaries, immediately around the
hives, in unsheltered situations, | would recommend a
close fence to be placed some short distance from them,
on the north and west sides. If any fence be placed on
the east side, it should not obstruct the rays of the sun
to the most easterly hives. It is advisable to have an
open length one foot wide opposite the hives, that. may
be opened and closed at pleasure. In the spring the
whole fence may be closed, and as the heat of summer
approaches, the doors or shutters may be thrown open.
When a quiet nook already exists, where the force of
the wind is partially broken, the hives. may be - placed
there without further trouble. When the hives are
placed in a bee-house, no protection from winds is re-
quired, except to keep the back closed when the winds
are very high, and it is evident that it would be bene-
ficial todo so. In case of having an open howe, like
that described at page 210, some little screen affuided
as protection against the winds, such as adjoining high
shrubbery, or some fence within ten or fifteen feet, on
the north or west side, would be sufficient; yet without
any protection at all, in any case, the bees will thrive
and do well; but it is better to thus arford a littie pro-
tection from the force of the winds when convenient
to do so.

234 MINERS AMERICAN

RIVERS AND LAKES DETRIMENTAL.

If the apiarian reside on the banks of a large river
lake, or very near the ocean, he should place his apiary
as far from the water as possible; as the bees are liable
to be forced down and drowned when returning heavily
laden. Such results occur when the bees cross the
water. If the bee-pasturage be abundant back of such
river or lake, they will seldom venture across, where the
distance is half a mile and over ; yet there are instances
where bees have been known to pass several miles over
water to obtain honey. I should not suffer a close
proximity to the water, in any case, to deter me from
keeping bees; yet what I would inculcate most deeply
is, that an apiary immediately on the banks of a river,
or of any other body of water, where but a few feet
intervene between the hives and the water, is objec-
tionable. Two hundred feet from the bank is a safe
distance.

HOW SITUATED IN REGARD TO THE DWELLING.

lt is an important consideration to so place the apiary,
that during the swarming season, the swarms will be
readily observed, as the bees will not always await their
owners motion to hive them. If it be convenient to
place it where the servants about the kitchen, in their
running in and out, would be likely to observe the bees
in such instances, it would be the best position, perhaps.
When bees swarm, the noise created by them may be
heard many rods, where but few hives exist; but when

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 235

a dozen or more strong families are in a single apiary,
the usual hum drowns the extra noise of swarming.
Any gentleman keeping this insect, should for the space
of about three weeks, charge his gardener to be on the
look out. The season when swarms are to be most ex
pected, is from the 20th of May to the 10th of June, and
during this period, if the apiary be not near the kitchen
door where the servants will notice swarms, a little at- -
tention on the part of the gardener is quite sufficient.

NO WALLS OR BUILDINGS TO IMPEDE THE FLIGHT OF BEES.

When bees sally out to the fields, they depart at an
angle of about forty degrees with the plane of the
horizen; and no wall, or other obstruction, should im-
pede their free passage at such an angle. It matters not
what obstruction may be in the rear of the hives, pro-
vided, that no barrier exist in front.

VALLEYS MOST SUITABLE FOR APIARIES.

If one were to have his choice of just such a location
as he might elect, he should select a broad valley, with
gently-sloping sides, extending a mile or more. The
sides of such valley should be composed of rich mead-
ows and pasture lands; and as little as may be under the
plow. Here and there should a tract of woodland inter-
vene, and ample orchards dot the landscape; and above
all, the white clover should be seen spreading its snow-
white mantle in wild exuberance and profusion, beneath
the feet of the herds that rove over the fertile fields.
this would be a paradise for bees; yet such a paradise

236 MINER'S AMERICAN

exists in thousands and thousands of places, where bar-
rels of honey might be gathered, for the pounds that are
now produced.

In valleys, bees have less high winds to encounter;
and when loaded and returning home, it is easier for
them to descend than 1o ascend. This requires no
proof. Let the reader, when fatigued, have a mile to
walk, would you prefer to have it up hill or down?

WEEDS AROUND HIVES TO BE EXTIRPATED.

It is customary with many bee-keepers to place their
hives where the grass grows in the greatest profusion.
This is not good policy; yet, perhaps, it is full as well,
to place hives over a green sward, where the grass can
be cut at intervals, as to place them where the sod has
been turned over, and then allow a profusion of weeds
to spring up around them. Both cases are bad man-
agement for the thorough apiarian. I now allude to
out-door apiaries only, of course.

The better way is, to first throw aside the top soil, —
where an out-door apiary is to be situated, then throw
out a foot or two in depth of the yellow barren sub-soil.
In the pit thus excavated, place the top soil first re-
moved, and let the barren sub-soil remain on the sur-
face of the ground. Over this spread a few inches of
grave}, and you will soon have a hard foundation for
your hives, where but few, if any, weeds wili spring up,
and where every unfortunate bee that falls to the ground
exhausted with: fatigue, as does often happen, may rest

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 237

her weary limbs in ease and safety, and finally rise on
the wing, and regain her tenement.

It may not be generally known, even among bee-
keepers, that when a bee falls through fatigue, that it is
difficult for her to rise froma level surface. Some little
headway must be secured: and for this purpose, a nar-
row strip of board laid on the ground, in front of the
hives, will afford the requisite facility. The bees will
ascend the sides of such piece of board, and from thence
take a flight, that could not possibly be efiected from a
level surface.

Besides the above considerations, we lose a large
number out of every family of bees, where weeds and
grass grow spontaneously around the hives, that would
not be lost in other circumstances. How many spiders
lay in ambush among the weeds and grass, to weave
their silken webs around every fallen bee, no one can
tell, who has not carefully investigated this subject. A
few bees ensnared every day is of no account, perhaps
the careless apiarian would say; but let us see what
figures say, that cannot lie. Suppose ten bees are thus
lost daily on an average, from the Ist of May to the Ist
of November. We’ have 184 days, and the number of
bees lost, that might, with good management, have been
saved, is 1840! This number would make a very re-
spectable swarm. Is it any wonder that people do not
succeed, in many cases, in the culture of bees, when
they thus iet them take care of themselves ?

238 MINER'S AMERICAN

APIARIES IN THE ROOMS OF DWELLINGS.

It is a practice with some people, to have their hives
placed in an upper room of their dwelling, with tubes or
other channe-s for the bees to obtain egress and ingress.
This plan may answer very well in large towns, where
no yard-room exists; or in cases of having a hive or
two, kept more as a source of amusement than of profit ;
but in no case can bees be brought into one’s dwelling,
or any out-house not built expressly for them, and prove
prosperous in the long run. They will thrive a short
period, in spite of all the disadvantages under which
they labor, and finally, they are “non est inventus,” as
the constable says, when he returns his writ unexecuted.
As for preventing the ravages of the bee-moth, by at-
tempting to get up out of her reach, you might as well
attempt to get out of the reach of the fowls of the air
by ascending heavenward. - The practice of thus con-
fining bees in the rooms of dwellings, is highly injurious
on account of not affording a plenteous infusion of pure-
air in, and around the hives, which is so vitally essential
to all animate nature. Think not, reader, because a bee
is but a small insect, that she needs not the necessity of
breathing heaven’s pure ether, like unto man. Though
“man is fearfully and wonderfully made;”’ yet the same
Architect that formed man, also formed the bee, and
with the same master-hand. Let not frail mortals usurp
a high distinction in the wonderful mechanism of their
frame. over that of a little bee; for, we find no less to
excite our amazement in the one, than we do in the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 239

other. The air that man breathes, was not made for
him alone, and if we place the bee where t is not found
in its purity, we do her wrong, since nature never thus
destined her to be.

There is another methoa of placing bees in rooms. 1!
allude to allowing them to occupy a small room at large
without being subject to hives at all; I do not approve
of this method. In the first place, we get no increase
from our bees. They will not multiply and fill a whoue
room, as some persons may imagine. The natural in-
herent hostility of queens towards rivals, prevents sucn
a result. ‘Two queens cannot exist in the same family.
One must be mistress of “all she surveys.” It matters
not how far you “extend the area of freedom,” if a
second queen exist, she will be found by the legitimate
sovereign, and one of the two must perish, and that
quickly. Should bees form detached settlements in dit-
ferent parts of the same room, perhaps several families
might exist for afew years; but it is folly to manage
bees in this way. The surplus honey is not as easily
taken away on this plan, as it is when stored in supers:
and all the casualties attending the prosperity of bees,
from the ravages of the moth, are subject to result from
this mode of management, as well as from any othe
method.

BEES THRIVE IN LARGE TOWNS, ETC.

Bees will thrive in a large town with a fertile sur-
rounding country, as well as in any other place, unless
it be in a situation of peculiar merit, such as in a rich

240 MINER S AMERICAN

valley, with bee-pasturage in its greatest profusion ex:
sting in every direction.

In every town with a population of from 5,000 to
10,000 inhabitants ; and even in cities with from 15,000
to 50,000 people, bees may be kept with the best results

Bees fly from oneeto two miles with the greatest fa.
eility, to obtain honey, when it cannot be obtainea
within that space; consequently, an apiary situated in
the centre of a town, with a radius of half or three-
quarters of a mile each way, before reaching the open
country, would be prosperous. In the spring of the
y¢ the blossoming trees of every country town

ether large or small, afford a rich harvest of honey.

In the city of New York, hemmed in as it is, by two

‘arge rivers, I cannot say that I think bees would thrive
unless they be fed. I am aware that Mr. Townly has
‘endeavored to inculcate a different belief, and it was his
interest to do so; but I shall not transcend the limits
of truth, for any gain that might accrue to me by so
doing.

In the city of Brooklyn, bees would do very well.
There they would have a range in the interior, without
crossing the river. In almost any other city in the
United States, except New York, bees may be kept with
profit; but not as profitably as in locations out of town.
In any situation where the most of the ground is under
a state of cultivation, that is, plowed up yearly, bees
do not thrive, as they do where there are extensive
grazing lands; but they do well in almost any place. I
know of no location in the United States where they

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 241

would not prosper, except in the heart of the city of
New York.

CHAPTER XVII.

—

PASTURAGE.

Tur success attending the keeping of bees depends,
in a great measure, upon the character of the pasturage
In the vicinity of the apiary.

Of all the resources of bees, nothing can equal the
white, or Dutch clover, that abounds toa greater or less
extent, throughout the whole country; I may aimost
say, that without the existence of this flower, it would
be useless to attempt to establish an apiary ; yet there is
no section of the country where it does not exist; con-
sequently, there is nothing to fear on that point. In
any place where this clover is found growing in spon-
taneous profusion, there will bees thrive beyond a doubt.
It blooms in the latter part of May, and continues in
blossom to some extent, all summer; but the height of
the honey-harvest from it, is during the month of June.
It is from white clover that the purest and most deli-
cious honey is procured. No other pasturage can com-
pare with this, so far as ‘he purity and flavor of the
honey is concerned.

1}

249 MINER'S AMERICAN

Next to the above clover, stands the various k.ossom-
ing trees of orchards and gardens, that are spread over
every fertile landscape. In the spring, the cherry, peach
and nectarine trees, first invite the bee; then the apple
and pear trees spread their flowery canopies over the
green fields, and afford a short but rich harvest of honey.

But first of all in the catalogue of sources, whence
the bee derives a spring supply of honey, is the willow.
When all nature wears a sombre hue, with scarcely a
flower upon her bosom, the willow sends forth its tiny
shoots, from which the bee obtains her first gatherings.
Let one but pass beneath some stately willow at this
period, and his ears will be greeted as with the music of
some sweet-toned eolian harp, that seems hid among
its branches; but let him cast his eye above, and there
a cloud of bees may be seen flying to and fro, chanting
a merry song, as they lightly dance from shoot to shoot,

Primeval bliss, without alloy,
Where cares can ne’er their peace destroy.

Among the earliest resources of the bee, besides the
willow,.are the osier, the poplar, the sycamore, the plane,
the snow-drop, the crocus, white alyssum, laurustinus,
é&c. To these may be added, the gooseberry, raspberry,
and currant bushes, with sweet marjoram, winter savory
and peppermint.

Alder buds and flowers afford honey during several
months. The flowers of the bean, cucumbers, squashes,
pumpkins and melons of al kinds, afford a large supply
of pollen.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 243

To the above may be added the sunflower, the dandy-
lion, the hollyhock, and Spanish broom; but above all,
as a source of pollen, is the sunflower. In its golden
heads, may constantly be seen the industrious workers,
covered with the yellow farina of this flower, and busily
engaged in kneading it upon the cavities of their legs.
Every bee-keeper should plant a few dozen seeds of this
flower around the border of his garden, or among his po- -
tatoes. Should an occasional seed be dropped in the
potato field, when planting that vegetable, say at every
sixth hill, the crop of sunflowers would be valuable for
the seed to feed poultry, and be of great advantage to
the bees, and not lessen the potato crop in the least.

The blossoms of mustard, turnips, and cabbage, the
privet, the holly, phillyrea, bramble, sweet fennel, nas-
turtiums, asparagus, crowfoot, dead nettle, vegetable
marrow, white lily, coltsfoot, borage, viper’s bugloss,
mignonette, lemon thyme, teasel, furze, heath, sainfoin,
&c., are much frequented by bees.

Among the forest resources of the bee in this country,
the most conspicuous are the basswood and maple.
From the basswood in particular, a great supply of
honey is obtained ; and where this tree abounds, In con-
nection with a profusion of white clover, there is the
apiarian’s true El Dorado.

Common red clover, that seems so very inviting, is
perfectly useless to the honey-bee, as so many thistle
heads; for the reason, that the probosis of the bee
cannot penetrate the nectaries o this flower, owing
te their great length.

344 BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL.

As a fall source of honey, nothing can equal buck-
wheat; the honey, however, is not of so fine a flavor,
as that made ‘from white clover, let who will assert to
the contrary. It is much darker than that gathered in
June or July, from other sources, and it will not com-
mand so high a price, as that obtained from other
flowers. Buckwheat affords a supply of honey for
about four weeks, and every bee-keeper who is a farmer,
should sow plentifully of this article, for the twofold pur-
pose of the grain, and its advantage to his bees.

Some people imagine that the vicinity of extensive
flower gardens, is highly beneficial to bees ; such as the
gardens of gentlemen residing in the immediate vicinity
of large cities, where almost every flowering plant and
shrub that adorns both hemispheres may be seen. This
is a mistake. Bees do not frequent such places at all,
unless it be to visit a few of the common order of
flowers. Roses, pinks, tulips, carnations, dahlias, &c.,
have no attractions for this insect; but where these
things exist, may generally be found, a rich harvest for
them. As [ have already said, the blossoms of cherry,
nectarine, peach, apple, and pear irees, are their first re-
source; then comes the mantle of white clover, from
which a speedy harvest is reapt.

I recommend no especial crop to 2e sown for bees, as
a source of honey, except buckwheat; and this is pro-
fitable of itself, to say nothing of the honey that it
yields.

CHAPTER XVTII.

HONEY DEW.

Tuts is a substance that is supposed by some t) be an
exudation from the leaves of trees; such as the oak,
jaurel, bramble, poplar, willow, &c. Other naturalists
have considered it a substance that falls from the
atmosphere.

Mr. Ducarne, a foreign naturalist of distinction thus
speaks :—* You know what honey is, which the bees
collect with so much ardor from flowers, but you do not,
perhaps, know that there are two kinds; one, which is
real honey, being a juice of the earth, which proceeding
from the plants by transpiration, collects at the bottom
of the calyx of the flowers, and thickens afterwards; it
is, in other words, a digested and refined sap in the tubes
of plants; the other, which is called the honey dew, is
an effect of air, or a species of gluey dew, which falls
earlier or later, but in general a little before and during
the dog days. The dew alights on the flowers, and the
eaves of the plants and trees, but the heat operating
un it, coagulates and thickens it, whilst, on the other,

246 MINERS AMERICAN

the honey which falls on the flowers is preserved a
much longer time.

“Those persons who have not viewed the honey dew
fall, like myself, have asserted, that it is nothing more
than the sap or juice of the plants, which, in hot
weather, experience, perhaps, a greater fermentation,
and by which it is forced through the leaves. In con-
tradiction to this, I assert that it is perceived much
better in the morning before the sun has been able to
dry and harden it. These persons are, however, de-
ceived. If have nut only seen this honey dew fall a hun-
dred times in the form of fine rain on the leaves of an
ash, but I have also showed it to others, and the
globules were most distinctly perceived.” Whether
this substance be an atmospheric phenomenon, or an exu-
dation, or secretion of certain trees and shrubs, is of
little consequence to the apiarian, beyond merely satis-
fying his curiosity.

I will now give a little testimony on the other side of
the case. :

“IT have long adhered to the opinion,’ says Mr
Knight, “that the honey dew deposed on the leaves of
the trees, was only an exudation, although the form of
the globules scarcely bore any resemblance to each
other, but were rather an imitation.of a species of rain,
On examining more minutely different trees, on which
the honey dew was apparent, chance led me to the dis-
covery of a holm-oak, on which the honey dew had re-
cently appeared, and in its primitive form, which is tnat
ofa transfused humor. The leaves were covered with

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 247

several thousands of globules, or small, round and com-
pact drops, which, however, seem to be either touching
or intermixing, similar to those which are seen on the
plants after a thick fog. The position of each globule
appeared to indicate, not only the point from which it
exuded, but also the number of the pores, or the glands
of the leaf in which this mellifluous juice had been
pressed. I assured myself that the honey dew possessed.
the real color of honey, which alone was sufficient to
decide its origin, and our surprise need not be great that
exudation is not suspected as the cause.”

Thus it will be seen that this subject is but another
question of the disputed catalogue that pertains to the
history and economy of the honey-bee. Some natu-
ralists contend that there are two sorts of honey dew,
neither of which falls from the atmosphere, “one a se-
cretion from the surface of the leaf, and the other a
deposition from the body of the aphis.” Thus speaks
Dr. Bevan. The aphis is an insect that abounds on
the leaves of certain trees, at certain seasons, and they
are said to eject a saccharine fluid from their bodies,
in very small limpid drops, of the consistence and flavor
of honey. |

It is my opinion that no honey dew ever existed, that
was not an exudation from the leaves of the tree. It
appears to be so inconsistent, that nature should shower
down a sweet mist that can only be perceived on the
leaves of shrubs or trees. Why do we not perceive the
bees gathering it from stones, and other substances, as

248 MINERS AMERICAN

well as from the leaves of trees, if it were an atmos-
pheric mist or dew ? 5

There is no doubt of such a substance existing, and
on this account, the proximity of diversified forests to
the apiary is beneficial.

CHAPTER XIX.

Wf a
i] if fi é \
| A | A Hi ‘ H
Se a Ul
SS Se.

BEE-DRESS, ETC.

Tur above cut represents a bee-dress or head cover-
ing, made by inserting a piece of wire-cloth in a muslin
cowl, that reaches down over the shoulders, securing
the neck by buttoning the coat over it, as high up as
possible. ,

There are various ways of protecting one’s self in
operations with bees, but there is nothing superior to

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 249

that shown in the cut. A veil is often used, or a
piece of musquito netting is thrown over the head ; but
such things are but temporary and imperfect security.
If the bee-keeper is accustomed to hiving swarms, and
if he be one that is favored by bees generally, and has
but an occasional use for protection, he may be as care-
less of exposing his person to their stings as he chooses;
but every apiarian who has frequent use of a protection,
and especially if bee stings produce much pain and
swelling, should have perfect security against their at-
tacks.

There is a class of persons who are seldom stung by
bees, when other people, placed in precisely the same
situation, would not escape without paying dearly for
their temerity. The reason of bees showing this par-
tality, is merely owing to the odor of different people’s
breath. Bees are very quick to take offence when ap-
proached by a person whose breath is unpleasant to
them.

In consequence of the breath being offensive, it is
best to suppress respiration as much as possible, when
holding the head immediately over them, or when the
breath would be likely to be scented by them.

The principle advantages in a bee-dress on the fore-
going plan are, that the vision is not obstructed; a per-
son being able to look through the wire cloth almost as
plainly as if no such thing intervened; and the facility
that is offered for free respiration. The wire-cloth need
not be so large as to cover the whole face, but simply
over the eyes, if y:u please. It is sewed in with ordi-

1

250 MINERS AMERICAN

nary linen thread. Wire-cloth of the kind used for this
purpose, may be obtained in cities and large towns, at
the agricultural stores, or at bird-cage makers. It should
be quite fine and pliable, and the suitable size may at
once be known by ascertaining whether you can see
distinctly through it when held close to the eyes.

When this dress is put on over the head, the coat
should be thrown off sufficiently to allow the lower folds
to fall down around the neck and shoulders, when it is
to be raised and buttoned up under the chin. Over this
head-covering a hat is to be worn, of a little larger di-
mensions than usual, and one that is kept especially for
such occasions.

The length of the dress may be diminished some, from
that appearing in the cut; say six inches below the neck
does very well; and it may be made without contract-
ing it around the neck as the engraving represents, if
you choose to do so. It is the most simple thing to
make imaginable. All you have to do is. to get a little
black or dark-colored muslin, cut and make it in the
form necessary, sew in the wire-cloth, and it is done,
costing about one shilling and sixpence.

When the head-dress is made, you then want a stout
pair of woollen mittens or gloves, with an old stocking
leg, five or six inches long, sewed on to the opening of
each; and with these on, and drawn up well under or
over your coat sleeves, and with your eyes peeping
through the wire-cloth and coat buttoned up to the chin,
you will feel like encountering the whole of the bees in
your apiary, as if they were so many flies.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 251

lt sometimes happens, that when the bees find the
head and hands invulnerable, they will descend ana
crawl up the legsof your pantaloons. It is best to wear
boots, and in some cases, when many bees are placed in
a situation where they might chance to get into the legs
of your nether garments, it will be requisite to tie strings
around to prevent such a result.

Woollen gloves or mittens should always be used, as
the stings of the bees can be easily withdrawn from
such; whereas, they cannot from buckskin or leather,
which causes the death of every bee that perforates
them.

BEE-STINGS—HOW CURED, ETC.

The venom or poison of the honey-bee, is very active,
rather more so than that of the wasp. The fluid is of a
transparent nature, and when applied to the tongue im-
parts a sweet taste. It is not necessary that the fluid
should be imparted from the sting of a bee, to produce
pain and swelling; the puncture of a needle, with the
fluid on its point, would produce precisely the same
effect.

The activity of the poison depends somewhat on the
temperature of the weather. During the heat of sum-
mer if causes much greater inflammation, than in the
winter season.

Some persons are much more affected by stings than
others; this is owing to a peculiar state of the system
or blood, as it exists in different people.

The only positive and immediate cure for a bee-sting,

252 MINERS AMERICAN

that I have ever heard of, that may be depended on in
all cases, is Topacco. This remedy was recommended
to me as an infallible cure; yet I had but little faith in
it, still I tried it, and as I supposed, property, and found
little or no benefit from its use. I reported its failure
to cure in my own case, to my informant, and he stated
that I had not applied it thoroughly, as I ought to have
done ;—that he was certain that it would be an effectual
cure, never having known it to fail in a single instance,
when correctly applied. The next time I got stung, I
applied the tobacco as directed, and found it to cure like
acharm! The manner of applying it, is as follows :—
Take ordinary fine-cut smoking or chewing: tobacco,
and lay a pinch of it in the hollow of your hand and
moisten it,and work it over until the juice appears quite
dark colored ; then apply it to the part stung, rubbing
in the juice, with the tobacco between your thumb and
fingers, as with a sponge. As fast as the tobacco be-
comes dry, add a little moisture and continue to rub,
and press out the juice upon the inflamed spot, during
five or ten minutes, and if applied soon after being stung,
it will cure in every case. Before I tried it, I was fre--
quently laid up with swollen eyes and limbs for days ;
now it is amusement to get stung.

There are various other reputed remedies, such as
ammonia, (spirits of hartshorn,) salceratus diluted in
water, cold water alone, and earth mixed with water,
and applied to the puncture, and various other alleged
cures, all of which I have tried, and found partially in-
effectual.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 253

Ammonia ‘s excellent to allay swelling, and if a cloth
be saturated with it, and appiied to the wound, it will
extract the most of the poison, and at the same time
take off the skin. I had the entire skin of my forehead
taken off by it on a certain occasion, when stung over
one of my eyes. I felt a most powerful burning, but
being determined to effect a cure, ] bore the pain with
patience for several hours, when I found that the swell-
ing had abated; but I had lost the skin of my forehead,
which was far worse than the sting. It will do very
well to apply it in this way, if not left on too long. Oc-
casional bathing with ammonia, is a good way to ap-
ply it.

Another remedy is an onion sliced in two, and well
covered with fine salt, and bound on the part affected.
This is a very good antidote.

Some apiarians insist that nothing is hatter than cold
water, quickly and freely applied. This is a remedy
that is always at hand.

The tobacco, however, is the great panacea, and |
hope that none of my readers will refuse to try it from
prejudice. Let every bee-keeper have a small paper of
this weed handy, where, in case of being stung, or any
of his family, he can apply it without delay. I can cure
any sting, no matter how bad, in five minutes, with to-
baeco, so that one would not know that he had been
stung, from any sensation of pain that would be felt
alter its application. | !

It is always best, as soon as stung, to search for the
sting, and extract it,.as it is generally left in the flesh by

254 BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL.

the bee, it being barbed like the shaft of an arrow, and
it meets with so much resistance, when the bee attempts
to withdraw it, that she is forced to leave it behind.

I would observe in regard to exciting bees to the use
of their stings, that the apiarian should never repulse an
attack ; no matter how many nor how furious they may
dash at you, when performing some operation that ex-
cites them, always keep calm, and pay not the least re-
gard to their anger. If you find that they are coming
rather too hot, discretion may dictate a retreat, even
when fully protected with a bee-dress and gloves; and
let your retreat be slow and cautious; and if any dense
shrubbery be at hand, run your heaa into it for a minute
or two. I have been exposed to their attacks, when
their excitement was so great, that they would dash
against the wire-cloth with the violence and sound of
hail against the windows, in a storm; at which time the
odor from their venom-bags was very strong. It is best
to retreat, when such a crisis exists, for a few minutes,
and let them cool down a little.

When you have-a pair of thick woollen mittens or
gloves on, you need not fear in the least, that you will
be stung. Let as many bees attempt it as may please,
do not withdraw your hand suddenly from any position,
when covered with them, even if they try their best to
sting you; as I have already observed, tiat any sudden
motion tends to arouse their anger.

CHAPTER XX

SWARMING, ETC.

TuE pr mary sauses of swarming may be said to be
an instinct natural to the bee, which teaches her to ex-
tend and propagate her species. This is a wise and
universal influence of nature, that pervades all animate
creation.

In order to insure this desired result, nature has had
recourse to harmonious causes and effects, that produce
the ends desired. The only way in which the honey-
bee can increase and propagate her species by multiply-
ing families or colonies, is by sending off families as pio-
neers, to find shelter and protection for themselves ; and
to insure this, there must be certain causes that operate
to force out swarms, even against their wishes.

In order that the reader may arrive at a proper in-
sight of this subject, I will make a few remarks on the
general features of breeding, and the particular influ-
ences brought to bear on the queen of every family, in
the spring of the year, when all measures tending to
produce emigration are put in operation.

In the first place the queen commences her great laying

256 MINER S AMERICAN

in March or April, according to the state of the weather.
If the weather be very mild, she may sometimes com-
mence as early as February; but subsequent cold
weather generally intervenes and puts a stop to further
laying for a while. She continues to lay eggs in mode-
rate numbers, until about the first of May, when she
produces from 100 to 200 eggs per day, for a few weeks.
It is at this period that she decides, or, perhaps, her
workers decide, whether any emigrant families shall be
sent off. They reason thus ;—can all the tenants of
this hive that now exist, or those to exist hereafter, find
room to labor here to advantage? Whether it be the
queen that decides this important question, or her sub-
jects, we can never know; but this we do know, that
if the space within the hive be such as to afford room
for all the family to labor to advantage, it is decided
positively and irrevocably, not to send forth any swarms,
and no royal cells are constructed! If, on the other
hand, the increase of the family will be such as to be
unable to find suitable accommodation at home, it is as
positively decided, that one or more swarms shall emi-
grate; and the royal cells are constructed, in which to
rear the queens that are to go forth with them, or with
all except the first. Thus it will be seen, that the szze
of the hive settles this question entirely.

If it be decided that a family or two can be safely
spared, and still leave a populous stock behind, it be-
comes necessary to create a large number of drones, to
ensure the impregnation of the young queens, as has
alrexdy been fully illustrated. Coeval with the laying

BEE-KEEPER'S MANUAL. 257

of drone-eggs, which generally takes place from the Ist
to the 10th of May, is the construction of queen-cells.
From five to ten royal cells are usually commenced, and
the same kind of eggs that produce ordinary workers,
are laid in these royal cells, from which queens are pro-
duced, by a different treatment and food, as I before
illustrated. The eggs are not all deposited in the royal
cells at once, but on different occasions, so as to mature -
about the time that they will be wanted to go off with
swarms. ‘There is generally a superabundance of young
queens matured, so as to be on the safe side, and guard
against any casualties that may ensue. This is exactly
according to human reasoning and human judgment, to
provide a few over the exact number of any particular
thing desired, where the least risk of loss may appear.
A young queen is never suffered to leave the cell
until the first swarm has departed with the old queen at
their head. If any of these young scions of royalty
should be ready to emerge from the cells before the
swarm is ready to issue, they are kept prisoners therein
by the workers until the swarm has departed! Here is
one of the most wonderful features of the economy of
the bee. Nature has implanted so deadly a hatred of
rivalry in the queen bee, that she seizes her own off-
spring, as soon as a young queen emerges from her cell,
and thrusts a deadly sting into her, without the least
compunction. Again, nature has ordained that the old
queen should go off with the first emigrating family.
This is just as it should be. The old queen’s impregna-
tion being effectual from the season previous, she is

258 MINER'S AMERICAN

ready at once to go on with the increase of her family ;
whereas, a young one would suffer the casualties of de-
lay in her impregnation, and thus endanger the existence
of the colony; and the issue of more than one swarm
being a precarious matter, it is a wise dispensation in the
nature of this insect, that the old queen is compelled to
leave the hive with the first swarm. I say compelled,
yes, actually compelled to go forth! Never was there
an instance known, where she remained behind, and a
young queen took her place. ‘The reason lies here ;—
the moment a young queen is matured and commences
piping, that is, says peep, peep, which may often be
heard, it is because she is in duress, or in other words,
she is held in confinement, and fed by the workers.
When this takes place, the old queen is aroused, and in
her anger, she attempts to get at the royal cells to de-
stroy the young queens that are ready to emerge, and
she is restrained by the workers. , In her desperation and
agitation that seems to dementate her, finding that she
is not permitted to immolate her young, she rushes out
of the hive, calling in her train a portion of the family,
being resolved to remain no longer, where her authority
is rendered nugatory. It is not wholly the loss of her
absolute authority that causes her to depart, but it is
also a fear and dread of encountering her rivals to the
throne, that also has an influence in causing her to rush
from her tenement. When the time arrives for her de-
parture, she commences a sudden vibration of the wings,
and rushes over every part of the combs with the ut-
most speed and her subjects, in her trail, catch the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 259

impulse, and a commotion ensues within, that beggars
all description. When the notice is fairly given to the
whole family, the queen rushes towards the outlet, and
if in her passage she happen to pass near the royal cells,
the workers mistaking her intention to leave the hive,
for a rush at a young queen, seize and hold her a pris-
oner. In the meantime the word has been given out
to swarm, and away go the workers, as if ten thousand
of their deadliest enemies were on the chase. They
cluster as usual, but in a few minutes they miss their
queen, and all is confusion again. They return to the
hive. This is the reason of swarms sometimes issuing
without a queen.

If the queen pass near no royal cells, containing
young queens ready to emerge, she goes off, and then
all is peaceable again.

Now, we will follow the condition of things in the
hive after the old queen is departed. The workers at
once go to the oldest of the young queens that is kept
in durance, if there be more than one, and say “ madam,
you are at liberty to come out.” She comes forth,
strong and full of fire and energy, and at once assumes
the helm. She, in turn, also scents out her sisters in
royalty, and if permitted by the workers, she would fall
upon them and slay them while yet in their cells.

We now come to a crisis where all future swarming
rests upon the decision of the workers at this juncture.
If no more swarms can be spared, the workers immed1-
ately give up the guarding of any more royal cells, and
the queen that has jus assumed the reins of govern-

260 MINER'S AMERICAN

ment, being the oldest and strongest, rushes upon all the
young queens that may be ready to emerge, as well as
upon those in the embryo state, and destroys them also;
consequently, no more swarms can deia take place
that season.

If, on the other hand, it be decided that other swarms
shall issue, then all other young queens are kept con-
fined as long as possible; and the same causes that drove
off the old queen, may also force her successor to de-
part ; but it sometimes happens, that half a dozen young
queens will mature about the same time, which are dif-
ficult to be kept in confinement, in which case, they
are guarded by the workers, and at the proper time,
some one of them gives the notice to swarm, and seve-
ral queens rush out in the general melee. This ac-
counts for more than one quee: being sometimes found
. In a swarm.

A permanent stop to swarming may be occasioned by
a few days of rainy weather, occurring just at the time
when a family ought to issue. It happens thus ;—as the
young sovereigns increase in age and strength, the work-
ers find the greatest difficulty to restrain them in their
attempts to destroy each other, and they often become
wearied out by the delay in issuing, when the weather
is long unfavorable, and giving up their royal charge to
their own wrath and hatred, it is not long before all are
killed save one. Here I would remark, that nature has
so wonderfully ordered the attacks that queens make on
each other, that in no case are both killed in the same

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 26]

combat ; if it were not so, many families of bees would
be liable to perish.

The season of swarming is a season of peculiar inte-
rest to the apiarian. It is at this season, that he looks
for a reward of his labors, in the increase of his families
of bees. Aside from the profit accruing from an in-
crease of families, there is an interest—I may, perhaps,
say a charm, attending the issue of a large swarm of
bees, to the apiarian who takes a deep interest in the
domestic economy of this insect.

When the cry of “ bees swarming,’ reaches one’s ear,
he drops all and runs to the scene. If he be at the well
with a bucket of water half way to the top, perhaps,
down it goes, with many a hard thump against the stony
sides, and away he goes. If he be in the field at the
plow, he stops his team when the sound strikes his ear,
throws down his whip and is off. When he arrives at
the scene, he beholds the heavens darkened with a re-
volving mass of bees, and thousands still rushing from
the hive! Mark the slow and beautifully-undulating
circles described, as the bees hover aiound the apiary,
in order to give time for all to join the swarm! Now,
a portion of the living cloud quickly and thickly revolve
around yon slender branch, where a few bees are al-
ready clustered! Now the whole mass, as by magic,
draw closely around, and settle thick and fast. The far-
extended cloud that but a moment before seemed to
cover the area of an acre, now, by some mysterious
command, whirl in the space of a few feet, preparatory
to clustering in a solid mass! Now all are clustered

262 MINERS AMERICAN

save a few straggling bees, that seeem to be undecided
whether to join the emigrants or return home. There
they hang in the form of an inverted cone, with their
heads up, erough to fill a peck measure.

“What are they hanging there for?” says a bystandex,
who has never seen a swarm issue before.

“They always cluster in this way, sir, preparatory to
taking their flight to the forest, or such places as they
would seek for a home; provided, that we should not
tender them one.”

“Is the king-bee among ’em ?”

“There is no king-bee, but a queen-bee is among
them, without doubt. If she were not, they would not
remain so quiet as you perceive them to be, but would
be seen running to and fro, in wild consternation ;
and when satisfied of her not being present, they would
quickly return to the hive whence they issued.”

“But how can they know whether she be with them
or not, since she is but one among so many thousands.”

“ They have the power of communicating this know-
ledge, which is almost instantaneous. When on the
wing, a certain noise produced by the wings, will imme-
diately bring a swarm, extended over nany rods of space,
to a focus, where the queen may be. When in a clus-
ter, or in the hive, her presence is quickly communi-
cated from one to another. As the General-in-chief
gives the word of command to his aids, from whom it
rapidly passes down the lines, until the whole army
knows the orders of their commander, so is a knowledge

BEE-KEEPER 8 MANUAL. 263

of the presence of a queen-bee imparted to the legions
under her control.”

“ Why, sir, the history and economy of the bee must
be quite interesting. I always supposed it was a dry
subject. Really, I should like to hear a little more about
the wonderful instinct of this insect, unless you fear this
swarm will depart if not soon hived.”

“With pleasure, sir. Il just put up this canvas _
screen to keep the rays of the sun from them, since they
cannot bear an intense heat in such a situation, and
then I'll try and see if I can find the queen, and we will
see what effect her removal will have upon them, if I
be so fortunate as to find her.”

“Tm delighted, sir, at the prospect of seeing her.”

“T think Ill find her with the feather end of this quill
—don’t be alarmed, they don’t sting during swarming-
time, unless fretted a great deal. There she is! I have
her now,—l’ll throw this handkerchief over her to hide
her from the swarm, or they will follow her at once.”

“Let me have one look at her, if you please—How
long and slender she is,—black back, and yellow under
yer belly, and—”

“ There, sir, now look at the commotion! Do you
see how they run up and down the branch in every di-
rection, as if in search of something. Now they begin
to leave it, and if I don’t return the queen, they will all
ieave soon.—I’ve returned her. Now mark the effect.”

“They keep up the commotion, and the buzz of their
wings yet.”

“They will be calmed soon. Now see how they be

264 MINER'S AMERICAN

gin to re-form! They are aware of her presence now, |
sir. A few minutes more, and tranquillity will be re-
stored. Now all is perfectly quiet again.”

“Pm astonished! I had some important business in
town to-day, but I’ll put it off until to-morrow, since I
should like to see you hive this swarm. [Tm determined
to purchase the first swarm of bees I can find, and I
should like to see how you perform the operation of
hiving.”

“ John, bring a clean hive, a table, blanket, chair and
brush. Nothing can give me greater pleasure, sir, than
to entertain my friends in this way.”

“ You are very obliging, sir.”

HIVING.

“Tn the first place, I take a perfectly clean hive, and
rub a very little honey around the inside, with a small
sponge that I keep for that purpose. Iam not positive
1s it does any good, yet | am sure that it does no harm,

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 265

and since it is reasonable to suppose, that the bees will
like it, | continue in the practice. Various other things
are recommended to dress hives with, but I pay no at-
tention to them, since I never lost a swarm on my plan,
and I could not have done better if I had pursued other
people’s plans. The great object is to have clean, sweet
hives. Dressing them with the leaves of certain trees,
er of herbs, is entirely useless. If the swarm be clus- ©
tered within six or eight feet from the ground, which is
generally the case, where many low trees and shrubs
exist, | place my table under them and spread a blanket
over it. I then place my hive in such position, that the
bees may be made to fall directly before it, and within
a few inches of it. I then raise the front of the hive
with a block of wood, as you perceive, so as to give the
greatest facility for the bees to enter rapidly Having
done this, and being protected by my bee-dress, | take a
‘chair to stand on, and with a brush, such as this, I am
prenared for the operation. I will now show you how
Ido it. With one hand hold of the branch, and the
brush in the other, I give a sudden jar to the limb, and
down they fall before the hive; and the small portion
that adhere to the branch after jarring it, I brush off and
all that take wing again, follow their companions below
There, they are all on the table now, except a few hun-
dred, that will soon settle with them in front of the
hive.”

“That was done very dextrously. Now they are
running into the hive, I perceive, except on this side,

12

266 MINERS AMERICAN

wnere a portion are clustering on the outside of it.
Tna.. is not right, is it, sir?”

*]’ll brush them off, and with the feather end of this
quill, Pll soon make them disappear.”

“Ha! na! now they scamper—now they go in. Do
you leave the hive here, or remove it at once to the
stand ?”

“Tt is not a matter of importance, whether it be re-
moved as soon as tne bees vecome quiet, or left here
until evening. As a general rule, all swarms that come
off in the morning should be removed to the stana as
soon as they become quietly hived, and swarms that
issue in the afternoon, may be left until evening before
removing them. The reason for this course 1s, that a
swarm issuing in tne morning, will become so accus-
tomed to the locaiity wnen tne nive is .eft unremoved,
that more bees are .ost tne next day, wnen its situation
is changed, than would be, if the removal took piace 1m-
mediately. Ido not wish you to understand me, that
any bees are actually /ost in either case, since they re-
turn to the parent hive, when they cannot find their
new tenement.”

“T understand you, sir, perfectly we., and I feel under
obligations to you for thus explaining the manner ot
hiving, &c. Godd morning, sir.”

So much of the features pertaining to swarming, |
have put into the words of others, in the form of a social
dialogue.

The foregoing cut, as the reader perceives, represents
the actual operation of hiving a swarm of bees, as I am

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 207

accustomed tc perform it, when the swarm does not
cluster too high

A blanket is necessary to spread over the table to
ease the fall of the bees upon it. When they cluster so
high as to require a fall of five or six feet, 1 put the
blanket on doubled, or throw a bag over the table, and
then put the blanket or table cover over it.

Some apiarians first brush or shake the bees off the
branch into the hive, which is held under them bottom
upwards, and then set it down upon a table with one or
more of its sides raised on blocks to admit such bees as
are out. This is a good way where the bees do not
cluster conveniently for shaking or brushing off before
the hive. There is no difficulty in making the bees
enter when made to fall on a table before it. They will
run towards a hive when several feet from it, on their
seeing an opening for them.

HIVER.

When bees cluster upon the branches of trees, too
high to admit of being hived in the foregoing way, a
temporary Aiver may be used to advantage. It is made
by taking three light, thin boards about ten inches wide,
and 18 inches long, and nailing them together in the
form of a triangle, with both ends left open, and sundry
auger holes bored through the sides, near the centre.
An iron strip is then secured to it, with arms extending
along two of its sides, and a short shank projecting,
which is made fast toa pole. This hiver may be raised
by the means of the pole to any usual height that bees

268 MINER S AMERICAN ©

cluster, and by the use of additional joints to the nandle,
secured with ferrules, it may be raised to any reasonable
height. It will be necessary to make the hiver as light
as possible, in order to handle it conveniently: Ali that
is to be done when bees cluster beyond the reach of
ordinary means, is to place the hiver over them, with
some of the holes in contact with them, and in a few
minutes they will enter it, when it may be taken down,
and the bees shaken out on a table in front of a hive
intended as a permanent residence, with one side raised
about an inch, and they will enter speedily.

CLUSTERING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE HIVE.

It often happens that a swarm is inclined to cluster
on the outside of the hive, rather than enter immedi-
ately. This is caused by the heat being insupportable
within, or from the queen being outside. In the latter
case, nothing will cause the family to remain quietly
inside until the queen is made to enter. The remedy
is to brush the bees off gently, either with a soft brush
or the feather end of a quill, and give them every faci-
lity for entering, and also as great a circulation of air
under the hive as possible, by raising it on blocks.

Every precaution should be taken to keep the hive in
the shade.

RINGING OF BELLS, AND OTHin NOISES USELESS.
When a swarm issues, no jingling of bells, or the

rattling of tin pans should be indulged in, in the least.

This custom originated from the cottagers of Europe,

BFEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. ; 269

residing in communities making a practice of ringing
bells, or thumping on tin pans when a swarm of bees
issued, so as to know who the owner was; since swarms
issuing from the premises of one cottager would fre-
quently cluster on the grounds of another.

SWARMING PREVENTED BY EXTRA ROOM.

The apiarian may at any time prevent swarming, by
affording the bees extra room below them. For in-
stance, take a hive filled with bees, and nearly ready to
throw off a swarm, and place it over another hive of the
same diameter, with a passage-way through it, and the
pees will soon destroy their young sovereigns in the
embryo state, and no swarming will take place.

It is sometimes advantageous to thus prevent the issue
of swarms. when the owner does not wish any further
increase in the number of his families, as the larger the
body of bees together, the greater is the quantity of
surplus honey produced; yet this argument does not
apply to increasing the size of hives, except temporally
by nadiring or supering.

Boxes may be constructed of half the usual depth of
hives, with both ends open; and in the month of May,
before swarming, one of them may be placed under the
hive, where swarming is to be prevented. These boxes
should be made oi the same dimensions of the hive, so
as to make a close joint where they come in contact.
In the fall, a wire may be drawn through between the
connectior. and sever the combs, and the bees in the
lower section will retura, and the family will be very

370 MINER'S AMERICAN

populous, and probably highly prosperous; yet but few
more bees will exist in February, and March following,
than would exist, if a swarm were suffered to issue; but
the labors of the extra number of bees existing during
the summer, are not lost, as the honey and wax in the
nadir will testify.

It is very important to know how far supering, or
placing boxes over the hives, will prevent swarming. I:
have never found supers eight inches deep to prevent
swarming with me; neither have I found the boxes in
chamber-hives, to prevent it in the least. I always let
the bees into the supers in April, and I get my regular
swarms. If supers should be placed on of the full size
of the hive, swarming would be likely to be prevented ;
but there is nothing certain to prevent an issue but na-
diring, or collateral hiving, in such a manner as to throw
two hives into one, or nearly so, from the capacity of
the openings between them.

STRONG FAMILIES ALWAYS RECOMMENDED.

I cannot too deeply impress on the bee-keeper’s mind,
the necessity of keeping very strong families in all
cases, if possible. I will illustrate this point, as follows:
a family of 15,000 bees is supposed to occupy a hive
one foot square in the clear, or inside. That family
will, if left undivided, lay up sufficient honey in one
season, to carry them safely through the winter, and
have jorty pounds surplus that goes as profit to their
owner. Now, what would be the result if they should
be divided intc four families; each with a queen at its

BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. ¥71

head, and placed in hives of the same size of the orig-
inal one? There would not be a drop of surplus honey
stored up by either family, and in all probability, they
would not be able toexist through the month of Novem-
ber, unless fed, much less through the winter. It is on
the principle that “im unity there is strength.” Four
rods when together may not be broken, but take each
separately, and the whole are easily rent asunder. The
philosophy of the failure of four families of 3,750 bees
each, to gather as much honey as one family of 15,000,
lies here :—it requires nearly as many bees to remain
constantly at home, in each of the four hives, for the
purpose of keeping up that degree of heat that is neces-
sary within, that it does in the hive where the whole
15,000 reside ; consequently, it follows, that in one case,
perhaps, 10,000 bees would be constantly on the wing,
and in the other case of the four separate families, not
over 1,250 could be spared from each, making only 5,000
bees as the actual number of gatherers employed by the
whole of them.

In consequence of this state of things, more bees are
lost, by a desire to increase our families too rapidly, than
from any other particular cause. It is truly said, “that
experience is the best schoolmaster;’ and I have paid
pretty dearly for my knowledge. Feeling anxious, one
season, to increase the number of my families, to the
greatest possible extent, I divided my largest swarms,
and some families that did not swarm but once, I drove
out, and made two families, where but one existed before.
This course wel-nigh ruined my whole apiary; and I

272, MINERS AMERICAN

would briefly say, always be on the safe side in regard
to the strength of your swarms, and never grieve when
but one issues in a season. I assure you, that one large
swarm is enough. Never think of dividing them, unless
you are positive that they contain two or more issues.
There is not much danger of your dividing swarms or
families, unless you have had experience in such mat-
ters. I will illustrate this point soon.

DIFFERENT SWARMS APT TO CLUSTER > OGETHER.

When different swarms issue at the same time, they
will almost invariably cluster on the same branch. This
arises from an instinctive predominant principle in bees
to congregate in as large families as possible. It is not
necessary that each family should issue at the same in-
stant; since'a swarm already clustered, will be followed
by a swarm sallying forth half an hour later, and another
coming forth before the previous two are hived, will be
sure to mix with them. In extensive apiaries, there is
much difficulty attending the union of swarms in this ~
way. In such cases, it is best to have everything at
hand ready, and hive each swarm as quickly as possible.
When the weather becomes fine after a rain, and it is
probable that several swarms will issue at once, it is ad-
visable, when a swarm commences issuing, to sprinkle
the rest of the hives with water, from a watering-pot.
This will keep them back a few minutes, until you can
hive the one already clustered. I now speak of very
large apiaries, where from 25 to 100 hives exist. Every
precaution should be taken, to keep the hives that have

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. ie

just received the swarms, as much out of sight as pos-
sible, as it frequently happens, that a swarm will follow
another, after being hived, if a portion of the bees clus-
ter outside, where they may be seen.

When several swarms do get together, making, as I
have known, a barrel full of bees; and perhaps a dozen
different swarms, then the apiarian is In no very envia-
ble predicament. I heard of a gentleman whe had 200
hives or families, and when they came out and clustered
together in this way, he hived them in a barrel, and in
one season the barrel would be filled with combs, and
contain several hundred pounds of honey.

TIME THAT SWARMS REMAIN CLUSTERED.

The length of time that swarms will quietly remain
upon the bough where they cluster, if not hived, is a
matter of importance to every bee-keeper. There is not
that necessity for hurrying, as if one’s life were at stake,
as some people imagine. If the weather be unusually
hot and sultry, and the swarm cluster where it is: fully
exposed to the rays of the sun, and it be between the
hours of eleven and éwo, you cannot be too quick in se-
curing them; but if they issue in the morning or in the
afternoon, when the air is cool, or if they are fully
shaded, let the time be when it may, you can hive them
at your leisure. I had two swarms issue, some few
years ago, when the weather was not oppressively hot,
under the following circumstances :—I had occasion to
be absent from home at a period when no one was on
my premises who could hive bees. One swarm came

] 9 ye:

O74 MINER'S AMERICAN

out about 10 o’clock, and the other about 11 o’clock.
They remained quietly clustered until half-past 3, when
a most violer.t thunder-storm arose. ‘The wind blew a
gale, and the rain came down in torrents, for the space
of an hour. At 5 o'clock, I returned, and found both
swarms clustered as at first, and not a bee had been lost
by the force of the wind and rain. This case is a fait
criterion of what may generally be expected, when
swarms are left unhived. They will often remain 24
hours, and sometimes they will adhere to the branch
where they cluster, until every bee perishes, or returns
to the parent hive. From my own experience, I am led
to believe, that the length of time that swarms will re-
main where they cluster, depends, in a measure, upon
the fact, whether a general supervision be extended over
them by the owner; that is, whether he is constant in
attending to the little duties pertaining to the apiary ;
such as brushing away the webs of insects, keeping
everything in order, feeding a weak swarm here, and
attending to the wants of a family there, and by his daily
presence, manifesting to the bees, that they are not left
to provide wholly for themselves. As “ the ox knoweth
his owner and the ass his master’s crib,” so is the little
bee sensible of the fact, that a hand is ever ready to pro-
vide for her necessities. Though you cannot change
one iota of her natural economy, that she has brought
down through thousands of generations since the crea-
tion of the world; yet if you but extend kindness to her
—if you feed her when famishing—if you remove im-
pediments to her prosperity, that she cannot perform,

. BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 275

she remembers your attention, and learns to place her
trust in you. This is a prominent feature of every being
that depends on man for protection. It is an attribute
of Him who created all.

The mandate went forth at the creation of the world,
“that as man looketh to me, and I extend an outstretched
arm over him; so shall every living thing be subjected
unto man, knowing that he provideth for them in the
day of their necessity.” Taking this view of the case,
it is not unreasonable to suppose, that if one seldom goes
to his apiary, and pays little or no regard to the wants
of his bees, they will, in swarming, have no idea of be-
ing provided with a tenement; and consequently will,
perhaps, take to the forest much sooner than under
other circumstances. I have been led to this conclusion,
from hearing of many swarms departing to the woods,
in cases where I knew that no attention was paid to the
wants of the bees generally; and from the fact, that
during the many years that I have kept this insect, I
never had an instance of a swarm departing, except one
that clustered on the sunny side of a tree, where the
thermometer was about 140° in the sun, hot enough to
roast them; and I should not have lost this one, but I
was not present until half an hour after clustering, and
_ they took flight just as I arrived. I say that I have had
but one instance, I have had two; the other was a case
where the person hiving them, used salt too freely in
dressing the hive, as I shall narrate hereafter.

276 MINERS AMERICAN

THE QUEEN GENERALLY ALIGHTS FIRST.

The above cut represents the commencement of clus-
tering. The queen generally selects the branch to clus-
ter on, and wherever she goes, the family are sure to
follow; sometimes, however, the bees cluster while she
is on the wing, and she follows the swarm, but such
cases do not often occur. If it so happen, that the
queen becomes fatigued, and alights on the ground or in
some place, where the bees cannot readily observe her,
they will cluster without her, and remain a few minutes
only, when every bee will return home to the parent
family. Queens are often forced to alight before a
suitable branch is selected to cluster on, in consequence
of the shortness of their wings, not enabling them to fly
with the same ease as their subjects.

NECESSITY OF PREPARATION FOR HIVING, ETC.

The above engraving shows how the apiarian should

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. Q77

be prepared to hive his bees without delay, when he can
do so; because they cannot be hived too soon, and you
may be too late. Always have a common table handy,
and a blanket or an old table cover, where you can lay
your hand on it, at a moment’s notice. A brush as ap-
pears in the apiarian’s hand, in the cut, should also be
at hand. Your hives should be in order, and perfectly
clean, and always a few more of them than you may
actually require, perhaps, should be constructed. Hives
that have been previously used, are as good ag any, it
perfectly clean. Boiling hot water should be freely used
in cleaning old hives, and the joints well drenched to
kill the ova of insects.

Bees, when swarming, are quite docile, seldom using
their stings, unless in windy weather, when fretted a
great deal by the branches or leaves of the trees flapping ~
against them. The person on the right hand of the cut,
who is defending himself from their attacks, foolishly
commenced parrying and striking at a stray bee, that
came around his ears in rather a menacing attitude, and
by so doing, he brought a dozen around his head, breath-
ing vengeance for the affront. He will know better
next time.

Bees are very particular about the weather when they
swarm; and the first swarm more particularly, as the
old queen goes off then, and she has more experience
than young queens in such things. A calm, sunny day
is chosen for migrating generally. If a storm arise at
the time swarms are expected, and continue one or two
days, or longer, the first fair day will bring them out;

4

278 MINERS AMERICAN

provided they be ready, and the storm has not continued
so long as to break up their arrangements, as before
illustrated. Some writers assert, that bees never swarm
when high winds prevail. This is a mistake. They
will wait for pleasant, mild weather, as long as they can,
and then let it be windy or not windy, they come forth
on some occasions. During the month of June last,
(1848,) I had a swarm issue when the bees were almost
blown to the ground, before they could cluster. There
had been four days of the most windy weather that I
ever knew at that season, and on the fifth day, while the
wind was still rushing past like a gale, this swarm issued. |

The time intervening between the first and second
swarm, is from nine to fourteen days, but generally
about the ninth day; between the second and third,
seven days; and if still another issue, on the second or
third day thereafter.

If a storm arise immediately after hiving a swarm,
and continue long, the bees must be fed. <A piece ot
empty honey-comb placed under the hive, and filled daily
with liquid honey, or syrup made of sugar will answer
the purpose. The bees, in such ‘a case, must be con-
fined, so as to exclude their neighbors, as honey is
quickly scented ; much sooner than sugar made into a
syrup.

SYMPTOMS OF SWARMING.

No positive symptoms showing when a swarm will
actually issue, can be given. Huber’ has had a great
deal to say ir regard to what he terms “piping,” as

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 279

bemg a symptom showing when a family will sally out;
but this indication is not to be depended on, from the
fact, that not one bee-keeper in ten, will ever be able to
distinguish this sound, amid the hum of a populous
family in warm weather.

Piping, as it is called, is simply the notes of the young
queens, that are held prisoners by the workers, as before
described, manifesting their desire to obtain their free-
dom, and the noise emitted sounds somewhat like peep,
peep ; and when such a sound is heard on a calm even-
ing by applying the ear close to the hive, and in actual
contact therewith, it signifies that a swarm will issue
soon, if the weather be favorable.

The only general criterion by which we can judge
whether a swarm will soon issue, is from the following
circumstances, viz :——

If the hive be full of combs, and the bees find difh-
culty in getting into it at evening, a swarm may be soon
expected, any time after the 15th of May. If large
clusters of bees hang out at evening, then the symptom
of swarming is still stronger. If no swarms have come
out on the Ist of June, and the aforesaid symptoms ex-
ist, it is almost morally certain that one will depart very
soon, unless the weather be cold, damp or windy. When
a swarm has issued, clustering out indicates that another
family will take their exit, but not much dependence is
to be placed upon the apparent populous state of the
stock, for any issue except the first. If the weather be
very warm, the apiarian will be liable to be greatly de-
ceived in regard to the actual population of his parent

280 MINER'S AMERICAN

hives, and he will think it a pity, perhaps, that more
swarms are not sent out, when, if such a result were to
take place, it would be the ruin of his apiary, to a great
extent.

There are instances, when all signs in regard to
swarming, may fail. Every bee-keeper, or at least,
many, have watched their hives with a deep interest,
during the swarming season, wondering what keeps their
pees, as it were, spell-bound to their tenements. Large
clusters will hang out, night and day, and the swarming
season will pass away, and still there they hang, appa-
rently without doing any labor, save an occasional de-
parture to the fields to supply the wants of nature.
These things will often occur, and the reason why no
swarms issue is, that a failure has taken place in the
production of young queens, or when produced, they
have been slain from some cause, as | have already ex-
plained. The only alternative with such over-populous
families, is to form an artificial swarm, or suffer them
to remain as they are. When bees cluster in large in-
verted cones on the under side of the bottom-board, it
is well to place a few handfuls of grass directly under
them, as they often fall to the ground in the night, or
during the prevalence of a storm.

SEASON OF SWARMING.

fn the latitude of New York, the usual season of
swarming is from the 15th of May, to the 10th of June.
in higher latitudes, for instance, that of Boston, it is a
few days later, perhaps; and in more southern aistricts

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 281

it is somewhat earlier. Occasiona! swarms may issue
in April, and also as late as July, and even in October,
instances are found of such a result. When a swarm
issues in October, it embraces the whole family; and it
may, perhaps, be more properly a desertion. The two
instances of this nature, that eccurred in my own aplary,
and before alluded to, came out in the month of October,
leaving both honey and larve behind. Powerful, indeed,
must be the cause that forces a family of bees to leave
their domicil at such a period, and depart on the wing
to an uncertain destiny. The bee has the same natural
attachment for its young that pervades all animate
nature. When a piece of brood-comb is extracted con-
taining larvze, the bees adhere to it with the utmost te-
nacity ; and the cause of such an unfeeling, and appa-
rently uncalled-for desertion, may appear strange to one
not having a tangible ideaof the true reason. My opin-
ion on this question is, that the hives being but partially
filled with combs, not over one-quarter part, and there
not being over one-tenth the number of bees that con-
stitute a populous family, the idea of wintering in a place
where no warmth could be generated by them, and hav-
ing had a foretaste of what was to come, in a few
cold days previous to their departure, with the en-
trance all around the hives open as in summer, they fore-
saw that death must ensue if they thus remained, and
having, probably, sent out an embassy to find some hol-
low tree in which they would be less exposed to the
rigors of the weather, they departed. The reader may
recollect, that I stated, in a previous allusion to this

282 MINER'S AMERICAN

singular desertion, that I succeeded in hiving both
swarms; and in a few days they rushed out again, and
I was unable to stop them. Here is a cut representing
a swarm taking a flight to the forest, high above the
trees.

Qa . ‘\

—

1a) Al | A
‘ {wih { = | =

7
+ ill i mina) & == 5 —x<

LL ! liyys 4

SSA
BS
[DE ARBUNY
VZ “i SN S
Sai} ,

==

rAd
| Ne Hila

When bees are determined to seek a home for them-
selves, they revolve in a mass, gradually getting higher
and higher, until the coast is clear, and then their flight
is rapid; yet sometimes they may be followed for half a
mile. The best remedy for bringing them down is, to
throw fine sand or water among them. When one of
the swarms issued, before spoken of, I seized a pail of
water anda dipper, and I made the water fly among
them like a real shower. Before I had used the first
pail of water, they had got some twenty rods from the
apiary. In the mean time I sent for more water, and I
at last succeeded in bringing them to cluster on the
branch of a cherry tree, about twenty feet from the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 283

ground. Being called away for a short time, I suffered
them to remain, and when I returned they were gone,
and to my satisfaction ; since my only motive in stopping
them was, to experiment on the application of water in
such cases.

In regard to the actual danger of the aforesaid two
swarms perishing, had they remained in the original
hive, I would observe, that they were. the smallest
swarms that I ever had; consequently, I am not able
to say positively, whether they would have survived
through the winter or not. I have wintered swarms
that did not contain over a quart of bees in December,
with perfect security, and I am inclined to believe, that
had I lowered down the hives, and allowed but a single
place of entrance, and had fed them freely, they would
have lived through the winter. The t3woswarms alluded
to, would not probably have made more than about a pint
in bulk, if left until December or January. There was
about a quart in each when they departed.

SWARMS CONSIST OF BEES OF ALL AGES.

The question has often been asked me, if swarms are
not composed entirely of young bees? My answer is,
that they contain bees of every age, from the old bee of the
season previous, coming into existence through the sum-
mer and fall months, down to the young bee that never
before ventured a rod from the hive. There appears to
be no discrimination on the point of age. A promiscu-
ous sally takes place, and the majority are young bees.

284 MINERS AMERICAN

as a matter of course, since four fold the ::umber of old
ones existing are produced every spring.

SWARMS ISSUING HAVE NO HABITATION SELECTED.

Much has been said in regard to bees selecting a habi-
tation before issuing from the hive. It is supposed by
many persons, that previous to a swarm issuing, an em-
bassy is sent to the forest to select some hollow tree or
other tenement in which to reside. That such cases
sometimes do take place, | have no doubt, but that a
selection 1s made in every case, is not a fact. I think
that the attention paid to the wants of the bees by their
owner, as before alluded to, has something t» do with
this matter; since it appears that they who pay no re-
gard to their bees, at any season, lose swarms very fre-
quently, while they who are constantly paying the little
attentions to them that: good management demands,
seldom lose any.

I have often observed single bees, during the season
of swarming, entering the knot holes of my stable, sing-
ing a merry song, and carefully examining them for no
other purpose, I presume, than to finda domicil for some
swarm soon to issue. It appears natural in the bee to
send out scouts in this manner, and where a forest is
very near, filled with hollow, decayed trees, the securing
of swarms is attended with much more trouble than in
other situations. It often happens, that a hole in some -
eld building is secured by them for atenement. A lady
of my acquaintance, who is very fond of attending to
bees, informs me that on a certain occasion, a swarm

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 285

issued from her apiary, and without clustering, pro-
ceeded slowly across the fields to the house of a neigh-
bor, about half a mile off. Their progress was so slow,
that she was able to follow them all the distance, with-
out losing sight of them. They entered the house at
an aperture under the roof. She returned home, and
in a few minutes another swarm issued, and took the
same course without clustering; and she again followed
after them, and just as she arrived, the last of the latter
truant swarm were entering the same aperture where
the first swarm entered. ‘This is rather a singular case,
since it is very rare to have swarms issue and depart
without clustering. Clustering seems to be necessary,
in order to congregate the whole family prior to the
journey, when a flight is contemplated. Some apiarians
have recommended decoy hives;-that is, empty hives
placed about the apiary, in which it is supposed swarms
may enter. 1 have tried this experiment, but have
never found it to succeed.

BEES COMMUNICATE ON TIE WING.

While bees are swarming, they have a peculiar power
of imparting information from one to another, while on
the wing. It is this power that calls, at a moment’s
notice, the bees that cover many rods area to a focus,
when it is decided to cluster. I had a singular circum-
stance occur, the last season, cf this nature. I had seve-
ral swarms issue and cluster on the same branch, at the
same time. I divided them in three parts, and hived
them separately, thinking that if I should happen to get

_ 286 MINER S AMERICAN

a queen in each, it would save all further rouble. I
placed the hives in different situations, and in the course
of a few hours I found the whole together again. I then
took a small swarm that issued the day previous, and
placed it where the hive stood that contained the three
swarms, which was filled inside’and covered outside
with a perfect sheet of bees, and as quickly as possible
I shook out about half of its contents alongside of that
containing the small swarm, and then I ran with the
hive thus emptied of half its contents, and set it in the
place where I took the other from. My object was to
force a division in some manner, if possible. I remained
a few minutes watching the result. Presently the bees
that had been shaken down at the side of the hive,
commenced rising on the wing, and mixing with a small
part of the other portion of the joint families, that hov-
ered in the air, and soon a trail was formed from one
hive to the other, and in fifteen minutes, every bee was
at the hive in the new situation, some rods off; the
knowledge of its position having been communicated —
from one to another, on the wing. It is only in cases
of large numbers of bees being on the wing at the same
time, that a communication can be effected by them.

PROPER MODE OF SEPARATING SWARMS.

The foregoing experiment was out of the regular order
of my usual course, in effecting a sivision of swarms ;
yet such a separation, or rather an equalization of fami-
lies may be made. Two swarms, the one very large
and the other very small, may be managed thus ;—at

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. _ 287

evening, when the bees are all in, and quiet, take the
large family from its position, and suppy its place by
the small one, at the same time, causing a portion of the
large one to fall alongside of the hive containing the
small swarm. The bees will readily enter, and join the
family within. The hive containimg tne 1arge swarm
should be placed in the position that tne other family
occupied. ‘To effect such results, 1t may sometimes be
necessary to perform the operation of mixing the bees
on a blanket, spread on the ground. One hive may be
be set down, with one side raised half an inch, and the
bees from the other falling near it, wil enter at once.
The time to effect this equalization should be soon after
sunset, and neither swarm should have issuea beyond a
day or two previous. 5
During the next two days, still ,arger numpers from

the large family, will gather to the smau one; smce they —
go out to the fields from the new situation, ana return
to the old one. The object of forcing out a portion at
once, is to mix with the other famisy, ana partially de-
stroy the peculiar scent by which bees trom one swarm
recognize those of another. It is not advisable to force
out many, as a very large portion entering so as to
outnumber those already there. mignt cause trouble
with the queen, as a strange queen coming suddenly
into the midst of a great nuinber ef pees. not of her own
family, is at once seized by them, ana heJd so close a
prisoner, that suffocation is .iable to ensue. Ido not
recommend this way of separation 0. swarms, uniess it
be in cases where one can well spare a large portion of

MINERS AMERICAN

its numbers, and the other cannot possibly thrive wits-
out an accession to its strength.

The true and proper way is by adopting tne princi-
ples of artificial swarming, as 1 shall soon explain. -
simply consists in attaching a piece of brood-comb cor.
taining larvee, in two or more hives, according to te.
number of families that may be desired to make, anc
then dividing the bees, placing them in the hives wita
the brood-combs, and if no queens happen to be among
them, they can make them, as I have before stated. I

ae division take place on the day of swarming, brood
combs should be placed in each hive; but if left until
“nree or four days after being hived, they should be
sxaced in the empty hive only, since the full one wou.

orobably, already contain combs and eggs; and ther

would be no necessity of disturbing the queen pertain-
ing toit. The manner of division in this latter case is
thus :—at any time of day, a small portion of bees should
pe gently shook out of the hive containing a double
family, in such a position, that they will enter .ae empty ~
hive, which is to be placed in the full one’s position

then carry the full one to a new situation, not less than
ten feet off, and during the two succeeding days, tn

empty hive will gain strength as before described, untu
a respectable family accumulates.

UNION OF SWARMS.

A union of two or more small swarms may be effected
on the day of swarming, without any trouble. All that
is to be done is, to make one mass of them, and the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 289

extra queens will soon be slain, and the bees will work
as one family. A union may be effected in this man-
her, at any time within a week after hiving the bees, but
there is this difference attending it; one of the hives is
to be removed, of course, and during the next two or
three days, a large portion of the swarm that had be-
come accustomed to the place where the removed or
emptied hive stood, will return to that place, as they.
sally forth to the fields from their new domicil, and will
be lost.

Ca —
sus

BEES LIABLE TO CLUSTER ON THE APIARIAN,

The above cut represents a servant of mine, with a
swarm of bees clustering on his neck and back. Per-
haps the reader may think that this comical scene is but
visionary; yet I would assure you, dear reader, that
such things do actually occur; and every bee-keeper is

LD)
es

290 MINERS AMERICAN

Hable to be placed. in the same unenviable predica-
ment.

The queen, as I before stated, is sometimes quite
heavy and unable to fly, and it may happen that in case
of not meeting a proper shrub or branch to alight on,
she will perch on the first thing that may come in her
way ; and if she alight on any part of the person in at-
tendance, the whole swarm will follow so speedily, that
there is no help—no evading it. All that one has to do
is, to stand still, and bear it like a philosopher, not at-
tempt to run away, as poor Sambo did. There is not
the least danger in such a case, if one will only be quiet.
It will call forth all the presence of mind that he is pos-
sessed of, without doubt. In such a case, another per-
son should bring a hive and hold it over the bees, resting
it in some manner that will give facility for them to
enter, and in a few minutes, they will all take to the
hive.

SAMBO'S FIRST TRIAL AT HIVING.

When I commenced keeping hees, I was as green in
the business as the most ignorant I gave directions to
my servant to dress the hive with salt and water, having
heard that this was good. When i returned at evening,
(I resided on Long Island, and came to New York
daily,) he informed me that a large swarm had issued,
and he hived it, and in a few minutes they rushed out,
and that was the last he saw of them. I turned up the.
hive, and behold! he had rubbed salt sera on the
sides of it, to pickle a pig. There was no wor:

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 291

ihe bees departed. The next day, when I returned, he
came up grinning, “I’ve got ’em, sir, this time, and a
mighty large swarm it is, too,’ said he. What, another
swarm out, inquired [? “Yes, sir, here it is, and to
make sure of ’em, I cut off the branch, and put it into
the hive, and then tied a cloth over it tight, leaving one
little air hole for em to breathe, sir.” Sure enough,
there was the hive tied up like a band-box on a journey.
I flew around and made the necessary preparations to
remove them, and called my wife out to witness the
first swarm, as | should remove the covering, and turn
up the hive to our admiring eyes. I got the whole
family around me, as assistants in the operation, all as
eager to witness the bees as myself. I gently raised the
cloth. The end of the branch protruded under the hive.
I raised the hive on one side very slowly, with my heart
in a flutter of excitement and anxiety; I expected soon
to hear exclamations of delight on all sides. Higher
and higher the hive was raised, expecting every instant
to catch a view of the swarm clustered at the top. Pre-
sently it gained a point where the eye reached the sum-
mit, and such a sight! Reader, what do you think it
was? Not a single bee was there! If ever the mer-
cury went down suddenly in my blood, it was then. I
was nigh breaking the hive over Sambo’s head, but the
old fellow was useful, and I let him off with a good
scolding for having duped me. The bees had escaped
one by one, through his air-hole, and had returned to
the parent family.

292 MINERS AMERICAN

GRAPE-VINES SUITABLE TO CLUSTER ON—ARTIFICIAi
CLUSTERING BUSHES, ETC.

A grape-vine seems to be a particular favorite for
bees to cluster on. I had several large vines near my
apiary, on Long Island, and I have frequently had every
swarm during a season, cluster on them. When the
leaves are large enough to afford shade, they are inclined
to cluster on them more, than when the vines are par-
tially bare. They often cluster in peach, apricot, cherry
and apple trees; and not unfrequently on currant bushes.
Where no small trees exist of the size of ordinary peach
trees, some kind of small tree should be set out, and I
know of none better than the peach. I have tried arti-
ficial clustering shrubs or bushes with the most perfect
success. In the spring of 1848, | removed my apiary
to a place where not a tree or shrub existed of a suitable
size. I took a dozen of the poles used for sustaining
dahlias, about six feet long. and to the end of each I
fastened a green cedar bush about one foot in diameter, ~
and eighteen inches long; being the tops of small cedar
trees and shrubs found in any quantity, in the woods.
I drove down these poles in different places around the
apiary, some two rods apart; making the bushes stand
from four to six feet high. When the swarms issued,
they selected one of these bushes. I had twenty-six
issues, and every one clustered in the same way; and
seemed to like them better than trees, as they afford the
best security against the bees falling. ‘They generally
clustered around the centre of the bush, and when they

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 295

became dry and faded, it made no difference in regard
to the bees clustering on them.

APPEARANCES AT THE MOMENT OF ISSUING.

Perhaps some of my readers would like to know how
a family of bees is affected at the first movements in
swarming, since very few bee-keepers witness the first
outward excitement among them. I stood looking at a
hive last June, and presently a mass of bees came surg-
ing over and over, out of the hive on every side, like
the froth of a pot slowly boiling over. The bees ran up
the sides a few inches, making a complete mass all
around it, and then for a moment, the most phrenzied
excitement took place, running in every direction, with
a speed unnatural to them. Then they commenced
rising on the wing, and in cne minute, the air was dark-
ened by the mass that issued.

TIME OF DAY TO EXPECT SWARMS TO SALLY FORTH.

From 7 o’clock in the morning to 6 o’clock in the
afternoon, they may issue, but generally from 10 to 3.
In very warm weather swarms frequently issue as early
as 7. This is about all the specific guide any one can
have.

CHAPTER XXI.

DOO OOOO

ARTIFICIAL SWARMS.

Tue art of forming artificial swarms has been known
for many years. Shirach is reputed as the original dis-
coverer of it. It is simply based on the power that the
workers possess, to convert any worker-egg or larve
under four days old, into a queen, as I discussed in Chap-
ter I]. This being an established fact, it follows, that
if a queen belonging to any family be removed, and leave
behind eggs or larve, of a suitable age, the bees will
rear another queen, and proceed in their labors, as if
nothing had occurred to them.

I will now illustrate precisely what would take place
within a hive, if a queen were suddenly removed. We
will suppose that the whole interior of the hive is fully
exposed to our view. We now remove the queen sud-
denly, and without molesting the workers in the least.
All is perfectly quiet, and perhaps may remain so seve-
ral hours, since no alarm has been sounded. ‘The work-
ers take it for granted, that the queen is still there; and
although they do not see or feel her, yet it is presumed
that she is somewhere about the hive. . We will arouse

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 295

them, and on the approach of danger, their first impulse
is to be assured of the safety of their sovereign. We
take a rod and rap smartly on the hive.—The bees now
begin to run speedily over the combs—the excitement
increases, and they are now fully aware of the queen’s
absence. Hark! what atumult and roar within! How-
eagerly they traverse the combs, as if in search of some-
thing. Six hours have now past, and the excitement is
dying away. Here in this cluster of bees, the rudiments
of a queen-cell are already laid, and within twenty-four
hours one of the larva of the unsealed cells will be re-
moved to it, and in about 12 days a queen will issue.

If a strange queen should now be offered to them, they
would not receive her kindly; but would cluster around
her in such numbers as to suffocate her, in all proba-
bility. But if we wait 24 hours, and then offer a new
sovereign, she would be welcome, and would be treated
with the respect due to royalty, since it requires 24
hours to cause a family of workers to forget their queen.

On an occasion of endeavoring to unite two small
artificial swarms, where I was apprehensive that one of
them was without a queen, I attempted driving them out
by the aid of smoke, and the family that I supposed to
be without a queen, did possess one, and she rushed out
of the hive and alighted on the under side cf the brim
of my hat; I seized her, and placed her under a tumbler
until the next day, when I turned up a hive that con-
tained another artificial swarm, which, to all appear-
ances, had no queen; and having laid the hive on its
side, I placed her majesty close up to the bees as they

296 MINER'S AMERICAN

clustered on the combs, and stood awhile to watch the
result. At first they did not seem to notice her, but
presently, two or three workers extended their antennz
towards her, and at once appeared excited; and in a
few minutes, a dozen or more gathered around, holding
her a close prisoner. She endeavored to extricate her-
self from them, and very plainly articulated the sound of
peep, peep. I heard it as distinctly as I could hear a
chicken’s call. She soon disappeared in the mass of
bees, and I saw nothing more of her.

This was a queen that had been: reared from the
worker larvee, that | had introduced into her hive, some
three months before.

The benefit to be derived from artificial swarming, is
in cases where families send off no swarms, as often oe-
curs, from causes already narrated. |

The method of performing the operation is as follows:
take a clean empty hive, and attach at the top, in one
corner, a small piece of brood-comb, containing both
eggs and larve ; at least larvee in cells not sealed over.
The younger they are the better, and even eggs alone
are sufficient, since an egg of to-day, will become larva
to-morrow or next day. The manner of attaching the
comb is as described at page 201, and the utmost care
is requisite, in order to cement it firmly. When that is
done, on a fine day about 11 or 12 o’clock, as the great-
est number of bees are out at those hours, you then
remove the stock with surplus numbers, to a new situa-
tion, as far off as convenient, and not jess than ten feet;
and if you can brush off a portion of bees, that cluster

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 297

on its sides before it be removed, you should not fail to
do so, at the same time, having the empty hive in the
full one’s place to receive them. By such means, a
nucleus is at once formed around the brood-comb. If
there be no clustering outside, you should manage in
some way, to get about a quart of bees to enter the
empty hive at once, as your success depends upon it.
If no other way offer, you must turn the full hive bot-
tom upwards, and set the empty one over it, and with
arod strike the lower hive for a few minutes, when a
portion of its inmates will have entered the empty one,
and clustered on the comb above. The two following
days will add large numbers to the artificial swarm, be-
sides all the bees that are out in the fields when the
operation is performed. If the full hive be removed
without leaving bees enough behind to form a nucleus
around the brood-comb, the bees returning from the fields
finding an empty hive, will run around in distraction,
and perhaps depart entirely; but if they see a cluster
already in the hive, however small it may be, they will
join it; and after the first six hours, they will go to work
and rear a new queen, and in the fall there will be no
difference between this swarm and one that has issued
in the natural way. Artificial swarms must be large,
or there is a liability of their not rearing a queen, for
the want of sufficient animal heat within the hive to de-
velop her; and also on account of the delay attending
their own natural increase, from having to wait two
weeks, at least, before a queen will be ready to com-
mence laying,
13*

298 MINERS AMERICAN

TIME JF YEAR TO MAKE ARTIFICIAL SWARMS.

Artificial swarms may be made as soon as the 15th
of May, and as late as the 15th of June, with safety.
Later than this period, would be attended with some
risk of success; not only an account of the lateness of
the season for gathering honey; but also for the reason,
that there would be no certainty of a sufficient number
of drones existing when the queens mature, to effect her
impregnation as speedily as the case demands.

ARTIFICIAL SWARMS MADE WHOLLY BY DRIVING OUT.

In certain cases it may be best to drive bees enough
out at once, to form the swarm desired; and if the
queen of the old family be driven out, there is no neces-
sity for attaching a piece of brood-comb in the empty
hive. The best method of performing the operation in
this way is, to drive out about two-thirds of the bees of
the stock, and the queen is almost sure to go out with
them, before so large a portion of the family departs.
When this is effected, place the empty hive now con-
taining the queen and two-thirds of the family, in a new
situation; and the old hive where it has always rested.
The bees in the new hive, with the queen, will be con-
tent, of course, and they will commence comb-building
in a few hours. A small portion of them will return to
the old stand, enough to equalize the families, which is
just what is desired. ‘The bees in the old hive will miss
their queen, and make a great uproar about it for a few
hours, but wil. finally go to work and rear a new queen

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 299

from the larvee that was left when the old one vacated,

and the larvee left will mature at the proper season, if the
weather be warm, and thus increase the family, and at
the end of three months, both families will have filled
their respective hives with honey, wax and bees.

DIRECTIONS FOR DRIVING AND DISLODGING BEES.

Notwithstanding that I have already stated, how bees
should be driven from one hive to another, in brief, yet
I am aware, that I cannot give too plain, and explicit di-
rections for this operation, which to the inexperienced
bee-keeper, must at first be attempted, with any feelings
but those of pleasure. In the first place, you must be
perfectly protected by a bee-dress and gloves. No half-
way work in such matters. Provided the weather be
warm and favorable, it may be done at any time of day,
if you are to drive out a full swarm; and if much clus-
tering exists outside, the time when the least exists is
best. You take the full hive and turn it over carefully,
setting it down on the ground or table, on its upper end.
The empty hive is now to be set over the full one, mak-
ing a close joint, so that no bees can escape; and |
would here observe, that all hives should be of the same
diameter in every apiary, in order to effect such ope-
rations with ease and facility. Having effected the
junction, an empty hive is to be placed where the full
one stood, as a decoy, to keep the bees that return from
the fields from entering the neighboring hives, until the
operation is performed. A cloth is now to be tied
around the joint, where the two hives meet, to make it

300 MINER'S AMERICAN

as dark as possible within the hives. This done, the
lower hive should be rapped smartly with a small rod on
all sides, for the space of ten or fifteen minutes; when,
in all probability half or two-thirds of the family, with
the queen, will have ascended into the upper hive, and
clustered there in a compact and quiet body.

HOW TO CUT OUT BROOD-COMBS.

This is a job that is not coveted by the amateur apia-
rian; yet it must be done, where artificial swarms are
to be made; and when once performed, it is quite easy
todo. All that is necessary is perfect protection, that
does not obscure the vision,—a steady hand, with cour-
age and perseverance, and all obstacles dwindle into
insignificance.

In the first place, I will introduce io your acquaint-
ance, a couple of very handy instruments, that every
bee-keeper should possess.

One is a long knife, with an edge on each side, and
sharpened at the end, so as to admit severing combs
from their attachments with facility. The other is a long
steel rod, with a two-edged knife at the angle, for the
purpose of cutting combs horizontally. One edge of
the blade is turned directly towards the reader, and the
other from him. The length of the rod and handle,
should be about 18 inches, and the length of the blade
at the angle, an inch and a half. The diameter of the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 301

blade on its flat side, should not be over a quarter of an
inch, as it is often to be inserted between combs, where
the space is not over three-eighths of an inch.

These two instruments are useful in cutting out pieces
of brood-comb, as well as for various other purposes,
that every apiarian will see the necessity of, many times
in a season. If you possess nothing of the kind, you
must take the sharpest and longest knife in your kitchen.
You have a carving-knife, of course, and if it be a little
curved at the point, the better. Take this and put on
your bee-dress, and I will then tell you what todo. All
ready, I perceive. Now, take this stone, and sharpen the
point of your knife on it. Sharpen it on a whetstone ?
No: if you're going to learn how to cut out brood-
combs from me, you must doasIsay. I know it makes it
as rough as asaw, but don’t get into a passion, that is just
what I want, it will cut honey-comb better in that rough
condition, than it would if it were as sharp as a razor.
Now, sir, turn this hive over on its top. Afraid to do
it? There, now it is over—is any one hurt? Now
take your knife and run it obliquely through one of
these centre combs, cutting with the point of the knife
only. Can’t see, there areso many bees? well, feel your
way, then, but cut slowly, so as not to irritate or kill
them. Now loosen the attachment at the side, and with
your left hand, hold the comb from falling. Yes, take
hold of bees and all, they can’t sting through your glove.
There, sir, what do you think now? .The operation is
over, and you are alive.

If an ordinary knife be used, a large portion of larvee

302 MINERS AMERICAN ;

are desiroyed by cutting the comb obliquely, more than
would be by cutting vertically, and then horizontally,
with the knife with an angle, as shown in the cut.

ARTIFICIAL SWARMS FORMED BY DIVISION.

This method of making swarms at pleasure, consists
_in having hives made in two parts, to divide in the cen-
tre, somewhat on the plan of the collateral hive at page
186, with this difference, that where ooth parts are
united, they form a square hive, of the usual size. The
two parts should be so constructed, that they may be
separated at any time with ease. From necessity, they
must be like the lower section of the box-hive, as repre-
sented at page 158, that is, when joined.

After being connected, supers may surmount them as
on the box-hive, with a couple of holes through each
half. The two sides coming together should have the
greatest possible open space between them, and not ad-
mit of a union of the combs in each half. A narrow,
and very thin strip of board should be placed across, at
the top, and sunk into the hive its whole thickness ; and
in the middle, and at the bottom, place the same strips,
about two inches wide. ‘This is to be done on one side
only. The other half requires nothing. The strips
should be very thin, not over a quarter:of an inch
thick, at most. It will be necessary to insert guide-
combs, or the bees might build transversly, or narrow
combs across each part, ard in that case they would be
apt to unite them through the interstices, or passage-
way between the two parts. In order to unite them

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 303

firmly, a hook and staple should be placed on each side,
and one at the top, perhaps; and if the hive rest on
pins, a piece of sheet iron should be secured to the bot-
tom of one of the parts, on both sides where the union
takes place, and made to lap over a half an inch, so that
the bottom of the other half may catch and rest on them.

We will suppose, that we have a hive on this princi-
ple, full of bees, and we wish to make an artificial swarm.
We take another hive of the same kind, and divide it:
We then unhitch the full hive, and slowly, and carefully
remove one of its sides a few feet, and supply its place
with an empty one, corresponding in every particular.
We next unite the other empty half to the half of the
full one, that was removed, and await the result. The
queen will be in one half, but in which, must be proved
_as follows :—take a rod and beat each hive smartly,
arousing the bees as much as possible; and that part
which contains the queen will be quite tranquil after a
few minutes; but a tremendous confusion will exist in
the other, and the bees will run around, under, and over
the hive in great consternation. The part where the
bees are quiet should be removed to a new place, and
_ the other should be placed in its position. In the fall,
two prime families will exist, perhaps, equally as good
as if no division had taken place, and no swarm had
been thrown off.

ARTIFICIAL SWARMS MAY BE TRANSPOSED.

Sometimes it may happen, that one or two very large,
and also a few very smal. artificial swarms may exist

304 MINER'S AMERICAN

in the same apiary. Such swarms may, within the first
two weeks of their existence, and before the queens ma-
ture, be transposed with good results; that is, take a
very large swarm, and place it in the position of asmall
one, and vice versd. An equalization of families can be
effected in this way, as the bees mix with perfect peace
at such times. No other swarms, or stocks can be
treated in this manner, without ruinous results to both
families.

CHAPTER XXII.

CHANGING FAMILIES FROM OLD TO
NEW HIVES.

Ir is a well-known fact, that bees thrive best, during -
the first four or five years of their existence in the same
tenement. It has been often asserted, that the lack of
animation, and of the decay of families, is in conse-
quence of every generation of bees, bred in the same
tenement being smaller than their predecessors ; on ac-
count of the yearly contraction er diminishing of the
cells. It is said, that the silken shrouds, that enclose the
larvee are left behind, pressed to the sides of the cells,
_ when the young bees come forth, thus causing them to
becom» gradually smaller and smaller, until there is not

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 305

room enough for the larvee to become fully developed, in
their natural size and_vigor. This hypothesis I must
dissent to; notwithstanding it is heresy todo so. Who,
among my readers, has compared the size of bees, in
different hives, and found some a dwarf race, while the
tenants of the other hives were of the full, natural size ?
Perhaps some among you have imagined that you could
discover a difierence, and so have I, but on close in-
spection, I found that I was mistaken. I have a hive,
in which the bees have resided during ten years, and
not a particle of difference in the size of its tenants
from those of other hives, can be perceived. An ac-
quaintance of mine assured me, some few years ago,
that he had a family which had inhabited the same hive,
from generation to generation, twenty-nine years, with
no difference in the size of its occupants from those of
other domicils.

It is my opinion, that the cause of deterioration, is
not as above stated; but in consequence of the black-
ened and vitiated state of the combs, rendering the
atmosphere within impure, and having more or less
lodgments of the moth to eradicate, from year to year,
until the effluvia of the combs operates to the injury of
breeding, and through that cause, to the final destruc-
tion, in some cases, of the family. Be that as it may,
we know that on the fourth or fifth year, it is best to
effect a change. How that is to be done is the next
question. The “subtended” plan will not answer, for
reasons already given; but if we choose to take the
lives of our bees in the old way of using brimstone, we

306 MINER'S AMERICAN

can destroy our old families every fall, and leave our
young ones; but this method is a cruel and a barbarous
one; and wholly unnecessary, to say nothing of the
loss that the owner sustains by such a course. The
method pursued in dividing families by a division of the
hive, affords new combs for one-half of the tenement ;
and this mode may be pursued with tolerable success,
and two families are made where, perhaps, but one would
exist, in the case of driving out the bees into new hives.
Driving them out, makes the operation perfect, and if
not done until a swarm issues, two families are just as
certain to result from it as on the previous plan.

The operation of driving out should be performed as
follows: The bees should not be disturbed before the
fore part of June, in order to see whether any swarms
are to issue, and to give an opportunity for as many
larvee to develope as possible. Whether a swarm be
sent off or not, it isnot advisable to wait beyond the 20th
of June, as the bees must have time to lay in sufficient
honey for their winter use. At evening, or early in the —
morning, take an empty hive and surmount the full one,
as before directed, winding a cloth around the junction.
Then, as before stated, beat the sides of the hive, until
all the bees have ascended into the empty one, which
will generally be effected, in 15 or 20 minutes; if the
old hive be full of bees. If it be but partially filled, they
cannot be forced out at al. without the use of smoke.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 307

Here is a smoke-pan that may be advantageously used
at times. ‘Tobacco smoke is most effectual in forcing
the bees to depart speedily, but anything that will pro-
duce smoke may be used. A little cut, smoking tobacco
ignited in the pan, with the cover let down, would an-
wer the purpose. If the chamber-hive be used, the
boxes or drawers may be removed, and the pan set in
the chamber. The smoke will ascend through the holes,
and by this means, together with rapping the hive, the
bees will be made to ascend; or the pan may be placed
under the lower, or open end of the hive, and force the
bees up into the box in the chamber, which can be with-
drawn, and the bees emptied down at the side of the
hive, that is intended for their use, and they will readily
enter. In such a case, but one box should be inserted
in the chamber, open at the bottom, as i have directed
that they should be made. If the box-hive be used, the
super will receive the bees, and with more facility than
boxes in the chambers of other hives. When the most
of the bees are driven out with the queen, the combs of
the old hive may be cut out, and the few bees remain-
ing, will join the rest of the family, where new combs

308 MINER'S AMERICAN

will be constructed at once, the same as if the bees had
swarmed out in the natural way.

The above cut represents a fumigator, as described by
Dr. Bevan. Ido not approve of it, but I give it a place,
and they who choose can make use of it. a, is the fun-
nel, with a hole in the end to Jet out the smoke; 0b, is a
plate extending across the fumigator, perforated full of
holes to admit the passage of the smoke only; c, is a
cylindrical portion of the box, three inches in diameter,
and three and a half long, in which the tobacco is placed ,
d, is the lid, which is received into the box when the
tobacco has been lighted; e, is the tube which should
be adapted to the size of the bellows-pipe. The whole
is made of tin, having the joiings soldered. It is used
by inserting the bellows-pipe in the tube, and then the
action of the bellows drives the smoke out through the
funnel.

They who are accustomed to smoking, often perform
any operation requiring the aid of smoke, simply by di-
recting a few whiffs from a cigar or pipe, into the hive,
where the removal is to be effected.

The following cut shows a much better, and less ex-
pensive fumigator.

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL, 309

It consists of an ordinary bellows, with a tin tube,
about three inches long, and two in diameter, fitted over
the air hole. The cover to this tube is perforated with
holes; and the air hole is covered with tin, also perfo-
rated in like manner. When this apparatus is used, open
the tube, put in the tobacco ignited, close it, and the
action of the bellows carries the smoke out of the bel-
lows-pipe. This is the most simple and practical fumi-
gator in use.

UNITING STOCKS.

It often happens that the apiarian finds it necessary
to unite two of his stocks, or old families. The cause
that leads to such a necessity, is frequently from over-
swarming, or sending out more colonies than can be
safely spared; thereby weakening the parent family so
much, as not to be able to recover during the season.
When two weak families exist of this character, if they
are united, one prosperous family will be the result;
whereas, if left separate, both would be destroyed.

The difficulty attending the union of old families, lies
in their unwillingness to mix peaceably. There isa
certain peculiar scent pertaining to the bees of every
family, and especially to old ones. In order to obviate
this difficulty, and cause both families to mix without
strife, the following plan may te adopted. ‘T'ake one of

310 MINERS AMERICAN

the hives at evening, and turn it up, then spread over
it a gauze or millinet covering, or anything that will
allow a free circulation of air through it; then take the
other hive, containing the family that it is desired to
connect with the first, and place it thereon, giving the
bees of neither family an opportunity to escape; but
allowing them sufficient air for respiration. Leave them
in this position 48 hours, and at the end of that time,
the scent of the two families will have become so blen-
ded and interchanged, that they may be united with
perfect safety. The process must be by smoke applied
to the lower hive, with the use of the rod, after with-
drawing the cloth that divides them.

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE SEASONS.

FALL MANAGEMENT.

THe months of October and November ate the sea-
son when the state of the apiary will require particular
attention. The hives should be examined, and those not
containing honey enough for its occupants to sustain
them during the winter, must be fed. An ordinary
swarm or family of bees, will consume from 15 to 20
pounds of honey, from October to May. If the winter

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 311i

be very mild, more than this quantity will be required;
but not in an ordinary season. The apiarian should be
able from practice, to know at once on raising his hives,
whether the above quantity exists in them or not.
Hives that have been occupied several years, will be as
heavy without any honey, as others that have been used —
but one season, with from five to ten pounds; therefore,
an allowance must be made for the weight of old combs,
and bee-bread.

FEEDING BEES.

When it is ascertained what families are short of
honey, measures should at once be taken tosupply them,
since the cost of feeding a family, is not one-tenth of its
value. The month of October, should be selected for
this purpose. If but one or two families, out of ten or
twelve, require feeding, it is best to feed those alone;
but if there be a general scarcity or lightness of the
hives, | recommend feeding the whole in the apiary, at
the same time. Iam aware that feeding bees is gene-
rally looked upon as one of the greatest difficulties at-
tending their management; and rather than attempt it,
many bee-keepers suffer their bees to perish. The diffi-
culty is just as great as it is to carry a pail of teed to the
pig-pen, and no greater. Do not understand me, by this
comparison, that bees will take honey from a trough, as
a pig will take meal and water. It only requires a little
difference in tendering it to them, however.

312 MINERS AMERICAN

i TT if oT i ii ih TSS

a i i

mM
i

Here is a feeder, with a cover to float on the surface
of the honey, when put intoit. The box may be as
large as one chooses to make it. For an apiary of from
two to twelve hives, it should be about 18 inches long,
six inches in diameter, and four in depth. The float is
made by slitting it with a fine saw, as many times as
possible, to within an inch of the end; and the board is
half an inch thick. The other end is secured by a
clamp or bracket nailed across it. Open the interstices
with a knife, by trimming off the edges of the channels
made by the saw; then put a couple of little knobs, or
nails at each end, in the centre, to serve to raise and
lower it; and the feeder is completed. .

If honey be fed, it should be such as comes from the
W. f. Islands, which is sold at about 62 1-2 cents per gal-
lon, of 12 pounds; or by the cask at 50 cents. If it be
thick, and candied, it should be heated to the boiling
point, with a little water added to thin it. The only
thing except honey, that can properly be fed to bees, is
syrup made of sugar. This answers every purpose ol
honey, and may be made to cost from four to five cents
per pound, only. Sugar that sells for five cents per
pound, mixed with sufficient water to make the syrup
of the consistence of honey, will reduce the cost of a

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 313

pound of it to about four and a half cents; and from
five to ten pounds, will generally be sufficient for the
most destitute family ; which, at most, will not cost over
45 cents. Thus it may be seen, that for this trifling
sum, and perhaps often for half the amount, a family of
bees may be kept from famine. The method of prepa-
ring syrup from sugar, is to heat it over a fire, until it
_begins to boil, when it should be taken off, and let it
stand half an hour for the scum to settle, and harden,
in order to skim it off with facility ; and when cool, turn
it into the feeder, and put on the float, and set it before
your bees. At first, they will hardly notice it, but afew
drops should be placed about the feeder, to call their
attention to it, and when they once get a fair scent of it,
a gallon will be taken away in a few hours, and stored
in the cells. This way of feeding, is when the whole
colony are fed, rather than select here and there a fam-
ily. Mild weather in October should be selected for
this purpose, and all the food should be furnished that
they may require during the winter; and a family will
carry enough honey, or syrup into the hive in a single
day, if not disturbed by other families, to suffice for
several months. If it be desired to feed a single family,
it must be done secretly, that other families may not be
attracted ; and for this purpose a small feeder is neces-
sary. Take a small tin pan, six inches long, four wide,
and one or two deep. Make a very light, wooden float,
and perforate it full of holes, with a pointed iron heated
red-hot. Fill the feeder with honey, or syrup, and place
it in the chamber of the hive, scattering a ittle around,
14

314 MINER S AMERICAN

to attract the bees to it; at the same time capping on
the hive to cause the bees to ascend; or place it below,
and shut the bees in until it is emptied. T*amilies may
be fed at any time during the winter when the sun
shines, by having a temporary, or permanent glass door
to the chamber, or super of the hive, that will admit the
sun’s rays pretty freely upon the division board, upon
which the small feeder filled with honey should be -
placed. I once fed a very small family in this way, that
had not a drop of honey in the fall. It was no trouble.
Every day that the sun shone, the bees were up in the
super in great numbers, even in the coldest weather ; and
in the following spring they increased rapidly in num-
bers, and soon filled the hive.

Some people are in the habit of merely mixing a little
_ water with the sugar, and not heating it at all, and in this
condition feed it to the bees. This is downright ruin to
them. In a few days the water evaporates, and the
sugar hardens in the cells, so that it is of no more use
to the bees than so much flint stone, to say nothing of |
its destroying every cell that it hardens in for any
further use. I recommend honey to be fed in the fall, if
convenient, and syrup in the spring.

WINTER MANAGEMENT.

This is a critical season for bees, and their proper
management is but very imperfectly understood at this
period. The great principle that should actuate the
apiarian, is to keep his bees as coo! as possible, as I have
before inculcated. The practice of burying hives in

BEE-KEEPER 'S MANUAL. 315

the ground, and immuring them in cellars, is all wrong.
Now and then, a man will have a family pass the winter
in this way, without actual ruin; and it is forthwith
heralded as a grand discovery—the very best way to
keep bees over winter, &c. It isnot so. Ihave neither
time nor room to say much on this method of wintering
bees, but any place that is not perfectly dry, is no place
for bees in any season. In cellars, the combs will mould
to a greater, or less extent, thereby laying the founda-
tion for the ruin of every family thus circumstanced.

The passages from the lower sections of the hives, to
the chambers, or supers, should be left unclosed. This
allows the steam or vapor, arising in hives in win-
ter to pass off, and in cold climates, it prevents the
accumulation of frost within them, that would other-
Wise occur.

As I before stated, the hives should be let down in the
fall, and the bees made to pass in and out, through the
small passages.

Every strong family should have a current of air
passing under them, to prevent the bees desiring to come
out; and for this purpose, remove the slides to both the
front and rear openings. Small, weak swarms, will be
kept sufficiently cool, by opening the front entrance only.

When the ground is covered with snow, be particular
to confine your bees, if they come vut much, by closing
the entrances withthe zink slides; and as soon as an
opportunity occurs to let the bees take an airing, they
should have the priviledge of doing so. The hives may
be occasionally raised, and the bottom-boards cleaned

316 MINER S AMERICAN

off, which will aid in keeping the hives free from impu-
rities.

SPRING MANAGEMENT.

This is the season to close the rear opening, or pas-
sage-way, perfectly tight, and stop the current of air
that passes under the bees during the winter months.
All the heat that can be produced from the rays of the
sun, will be beneficial during April and May, at least,
and if March be a mild, pleasant month, then also. If
it be a raw, cold, snowy month, let the rear entrance be
open, when it is not necessary to confine the bees, as
little or no breeding will take place, if the weather be
very chilly and cold, and the cooler the bees are kept
the better.

It is supposed by many persons, that the honey-bee
passes the winter in a state of hybernation or torpidity.
This is a great mistake. I have often seengmy bees in
populous families, quite lively on turning up the hives,
when the thermometer stood at zero. There is a natural
animal heat existing all winter, in strong families, even
in the coldest weather.

When warm weather approaches, in May, the hives
may be raised to afford an opening all round. These
directions are given, on the supposition, that the hives
rest on pins, and in the fall these pins are lowered into
holes in the floor-board made to receive them. Other
kinds of hives should be managed as nearly on the same
principle as possible.

If the hives are light, the bees should be fed free y in

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 31%

the spring. A ‘ittle ale or wine, and a little fine salt mixed
with the honey or syrup, is good. A shilling spent in
feeding, often produces a dollar before the season is over.

SUMMER MANAGEMENT.

After the swarming season is over, nothing can be
done, of consequence, but to keep the apiary free of
weeds, and protect the bees, as much as possible, from
the inroads of insects. From the Ist of July, to the Ist of
September, is the season of spiders and the moth. Spi-
ders will nightly weave their webs around the hives;
and the apiarian should almost daily pass around the
apiary with a brush in hand, to destroy them. The only
enemies to bees we have to fear in this country, are spiders,
wasps, king-birds, and the bee-moth. Wasps are of little
account. Spiders make sad havoc, if left undisturbed.
King-birds will destroy thousands of bees in a season, if
no means are taken to destroy them; but all the above
enemies united, sink into insignificance, when compared
with that terrible destroyer, the wax or bee-moth.

THE BEE-MOTH—HOW ERADICATED.

This insect is of a whitish, or brown grey color,
and somewhat smaller, generally, than the ordinary mil-
lers that flit around a candle‘at evening. They are the
most nimble insect known’ They will dart among the
bees, in and around the hive; and before a bee has time
toturn her antenne towards them, they are out of reach.
If one attempts to kill a moth when resting by day, on
the outside of the hive, by quickly putting his finger on

318 MINER'S AMERICAN

her, the act must be instantaneous, or she is far away
before his hand touches tne place where she rests. The
best way to destroy them, when they can be found out-
side, is to put on an old mitten or glove, and striking very
suddenly with the flat of the hand, will generally prove
effectual. They may often be found on the outside of
hives during the day, as the only time that they enter
is in the evening, or during the night. They generally
seek some place where they can pass the day under
some board, cr any projection that affords shelter
under it.

At evening, as soon as twilight appears, they com-
mence flying around the hives, and seeking out such as
are not very populous, for their scenes of depredation.
Having gained an entrance, they run up the sides of the
hive, and at the upper end, or as near as may be, they
at first make an incision in the propolis that is used to
cement the corners and joints of hives, with their ovi-
positer, and in the orifice made, the egg is deposited, ana
so on until they have finished. The heat of the hive
keeps the propolis in a soft, pliable state, and it is ex-
actly suited to their wants. In a few days the eggs are
hatched, and small white worms emerge. These worms
grow very rapidly, and immediately search around for
food; and the combs adjoining are very acceptable,
filled, as they are, with honey, larve and pollen. The
bees have an instinctive hatred to these worms, which
prevents them from destroying them as soon as hatched.

- They do not seem to be aware of the danger that will
arise from them, until they commence the destruction of

BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 318

the combs. Having gained a position in the combs, the
worms commence weaving a silken shroud around them-
selves, to protect their bodies, leaving the head only
exposed, which is armed with a helmet impenetrable to
the sting of abee. Protected in this manner, they move
from cell to cell, eating as they move, having only to
thrust out their heads to find food in any direction.
Their course is longitudinally through the centres of the
combs, seldom appearing on the surface. Their shroud
for protection, is carried along with them. Thus it will
be seen, how very difficult it is for bees to dislodge this
enemy, when a footing is obtained by them.

There is but one way that they can be destroyed,
when fully fortified among the combs; and that is, by
cementing them in with propolis. This the bees will
sometimes do, confining them to very close quarters,
and when all the food is consumed within their reach,
they perish. On other occasions, whole segments of
combs that have become infected, are destroyed by the
bees, in order to remove the evil. When the moth gets
the upper hand, and the worms begin to increase rapidly,
the bees stop all further labors, and the condition of the
family is readily known by their inactivity, and from
the numerous particles of pollen, comb, &c., upon the
bottom-boards of the hives, caused by the progress of
this insect. These particles are of a dark color, and
are most easily discovered in the morning, before the
winds arise, and before the bees commence sallying
out. For the purpose of detecting the ravages of this
enemy, hives having an open entrance on all sides,

320 MINERS AMERICAN

either by suspending the floor-board, or resting the hives
thereon, with pins at the corners, are decidedly far pre-
ferable to those on any other plan. The moth-worm,
when having free and uninterrupted sway in a hive,
rich in wax and honey, grows to a large size, sometimes
being an inch long, and as large as a pipe-stem. A quart
of such worms will often occupy a single hive, before
all the bees will depart.

INDICATIONS OF THE MOTH—BEST COURSE TO PURSUE.

Every apiarian should closely watch his hives during
the months of July and August, and any that show
signs of the existence of the moth therein, should be at-
tended to without delay, as the whole apiary might be-
come infested by this pest, arising from a lodgment in a
single hive. Every worm, after a few days, must wind
up in a cocoon; from which, a winged moth-miller is-
sues, able to produce a thousand eggs, each egg to pro-
duce a worm, which, in turn, produces a miller, and so
on until a million of worms may exist In one season,
from a solitary insect! If the family be weak, and the
hive full of combs, where the moth exists, the quicker
the combs are cut out, and the bees dispersed the better ;
or the bees may be driven into a super, by the aid of
smoke, and then placed !n a clean hive and fed, if the
honey season be past, and they will probably survive
the winter, if there be a moderate family, and the next
season they will replenish the hive in numbers, and be as
valuable as any in the apiary. Another way, is to join
the infected family to a weak one, that is not yet sub-

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 321

jectea to the ravages of the moth; the operation to be
performed as directed before, for the union of stocks.
Do not, on any account, suffer any of your families to
become fully destroyed, before you take measures to
remove the evil. Who among you, would suffer an
animal to sicken and die of a distemper that you
know to be liable to spread to the whole herd or flock,
and take no measures to eradicate the threatened evil ?
It would be deemed insanity on the part of him who
should let such a case pass unheeded; yet the condition
of your apiary, when the moth gets the upper hand of a
family of bees, is a fair parallel.

POPULOUS FAMILIES NOT LIABLE TO BE UNDERMINED.

There is, however, this difference in the case, every
very strong and populous stock or swarm of bees is not
liable to be destroved, being able, by mere force of num-
bers, to prevent a lodgment being made; and here lies
the grand secret of success in the culture of bees; to
ever keep our hives full and populous. This is the
Alpha and the Omega of bee-keeping—the sine qué non,
without which, all other measures fail. It is the apia-

rian’s chart—his polar star—the needle that never points
but to swccess—the cornerstone, upon which the whole
fabric rests.

Reader, have you ever been importuned to pur-
chase hives that were represented to be “proof against
the moth?” Well, sir, when a perpetual motion, the
philosopher’s stone, and a north-west passage to the
Pacific are discovered, you may believe such a thing

14*

322 MINERS AMERICAN

possible—not before; and even then, will J be an un-
believer.

“ How shall we keep our hives full and populous?”
says one. I answer, by attending to the correct size of
hives to begin with,—not to allow over swarming—to
unite weak swarms and stocks, and follow the general
rules laid down in this Manual, and you will find suc-
cess easy.

Swarms are not liable to be attacked by the moth, for
the reason, that they extend their area of combs no fur-
ther than they have numbers to defend them; hence
the proof, that populous families can protect themselves.
Sweetened water or vinegar, or milk alone, put in white
vessels, and placed near the hives at evening, will decoy
the moth-miller, and be the means of destroying many.
Thus ends the duties of summer management.

CHAPTER XXIV.

PILLAGE OF BEES.

A GENTLEMAN having a field of corn adjacent to his
premises, into which his fowls daily resorted, threatening
serious ravages; and to stop such a catastrophe, he
placed a measure of corn before them, and kept it
constantly replenished; the consequence was, that his

BEE-KEEPERS MANUAL. — 323

fowls had no occasion to visit the field. Now, ihe bees
in an apiary, that commence robbing from a neighbor-
ing hive, do so from necessity, not from an innate prin-
ciple of disregard of right and justice ; and let the apia-
rian but place a trough of syrup or of honey before them,
for a few days, and all pillaging will come to an end.
Some bee-keepers think it very unreasonable, that they
should be required to feed their bees, but expect great
profits from them, without any trouble or expense what-
ever. The poor bee is not at fault when she finds her
combs empty, and herself in a starving condition. She
labors all that she can; but she cannot ward off the
storm and the cold north winds that often confine her,
when she would gladly be in the fields. But siz weeks
only, out of fifty-two, does this insect have to replenish
her hive; the rest of the summer affording but enough
for a daily supply ; therefore, he who would let his bees
perish for the want of food, when a cold and inclement
season has deprived them of support, ought to be put on
a short allowance himself.

When bees commence robbing their neighbors, the
hive attacked should be closed up immediately, on the
first evening after the discovery, and remain so a few
days. When it is opened, the entrance should be so
diminished, that but a single bee can enter at once, and
left in this manner for a while. This course will gene-
rally prove effectual. Changing the entrance from front
to rear, will sometimes cause the marauders to decamp,
and it may be necessary, in some instances, to remove
the hives robbed, to a new and distant situation; but

324 MINER'S AMERICAN

this should be the last resort. When a hive is being
robbed, it may be known by the numerous Yees that fly
around it, uttering an entirely different sound from that
of bees while gathering honey. They seem to act as if
they were guilty of a misdemeanor, and show a coward-
ice in every motion. As evening approaches, they may
be seen to leave the hive rapidly, even after twilight sets
in. This is the time to close the entrance. Robbers
generally come from one family, and they may be dis-
covered by sprinkling flour on them as they emerge,
and then watching where they enter.

CHAPTER XXV.

ODD wrwr

GUIDE PLATE, ETC.

Insteap of inserting guide-combs or bars, as Dr.
Bevan recommends, to cause the bees to build their
combs at proper distances; [ recommend the use of an
invention of mine, termed a guide-plate. It is made of
tin, and is one foot square, and sheets may be purchased
of just that size. This plate just fills my hives, that
measure a foot in diameter. Having ascertained the
natural distances of combs, I have interstices cut in this
plate to correspond therewith, and previous to my bees

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 325

swarming, I melt some bees-wax, lay the plate over the
roof of the hive on the inside, take a brush and lay on a
coat of wax, precisely as the merchant marks his bales
and boxes through a plate for the purpose. The bees
being hived, follow these traces of wax, in building their
combs. [I do not suppose that every bee-keeper will
obtain such a plate, yet it is a great advantage and
benefit; and it will repay its expence ten-fold.

DISTANCES AND THICKNESS OF COMBS.

On measuring the combs in a hive that were regularly
made, I found the following result, viz: jive worker-
combs occupied a space of five and a half inches, the
space between each being three-eighths of an inch, and
allowing for the same width on each outer side, equals
six and a quarter inches, as the proper diameter of a box
in which five worker-combs could be built. According
to this calculation, a hive twelve inches in diameter
would allow of nine worker-combs being made, and have
a little room to spare, since eleven and three-eighths
inches is all the space that would be occupied. The di-
ameter of worker-combs averaged four-fifths of an inch;
and that of drone-combs, one and one-eighth of an inch.

The tin plate should be cut for worker-combs only ;
the openings four-fifths of an inch wide, and the space
between them, three-eighths of an inch, leaving the two
outside interstices five-eighths wide, in order to fill up
the space of twelve inches with nine combs. The extra
space at the sides, will allow the bees to build two ur
three drone-combs, which is sufficient.

CHAPTER XXVI.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Iw .ensequence of having extended this work much
beyond ‘ts originally contemplated limits, | find myself
compelled to place the following subjects under one
head, instead of discussing each in separate chapters, as
I would wish to do, had I the space to spare.

VENTILATION OF HIVES.

The only ventilation that should, in any case, be af-
forded to bees, should come from the bottom of the hive:
and in warm weather, too much air cannot be admitted.
Here lies one of the principal advantages of raising the
hives to allow egress and ingress, on every side of them.
It keeps the bees healthy, and in health they are active,
and in activity they prosper, and their owner is bene-
fitted by their labors. The passages to the chambers or
supers being open, also have a tendency to benefit the
bees in the winter season, as before stated; yet I do not
consider these as legitimate sources of ventilation. No
outside tubes or air-holes should ever be made in a hive
above the bottom.

PURCEASE OF BEES.

The months of March and April ‘s the best season to

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 327

purchase bees; yet it can be done at almost any time.
If the purchase be made in the fall, all that it is neces-
sary to know in regard to the family is, whether it be
populous, and whether the hive contain honey enough
to carry the bees safely through the winter. ‘Turning
up the hive, will show if it contain a strong family; as
it should be full of combs, and the bees should crowd
the interstices down near to the bottom. A sudden rap
given to it, with the ear quite near, is an index to their
strength. A strong family make a long continued buzz,
while that of a weak one is quick, sharp, and soon over.
The weight of the hive will generally show whether
there is honey enough within for the winter supply. It
should weigh at least 20 pounds over that of an empty
one.

TRANSPORTATION OF BEES.

The transportation of bees in the fall, winter or spring,
is not attended with difficulty. The bottom-boards
should be secured firmly, with sufficient ventilation ; and
then hives may be placed in a spring-wagon, and trans-
ported almost to any distance. They should be turned
bottom upwards, if the shape of the hive will admit it.
Ordinary box-hives should have the floor-boards nailed
on, and then pry them off just enough to admit the air,
and the bees will go safely. I refer to common hives,
used by those who pay little or no regard to improve-
ment in such things; and which contain no means otf
ventilation, when the floor-boards are nailed close. In
the summer season, it is more difficult to transport bees,

328 MINERS AMERICAN

in consequence of the softness and weakness of the
combs, rendering them liable to break down. Bees
should never be removed at this season. In many parts
of Europe, the cottagers make a practice of transporting
bees from place to place, as the shepherd does his flock,
from pasture to pasture, to obtain a fresh supply of food.
The bees, in such cases, are in straw hives, which
are more easily transported than wooden ones. If hives
are to be removed to any distance within a mile, the
removal should take place before the Ist of May, if pos-
sible. If the distance be very short, they should not,
under any circumstances, be left longer than the early
part of April, as when their habits become once formed
in any particular situation, many will return to the same
place, when removed to a new situation within a mile.

COMBS LIABLE TO MELT DOWN.

During very warm weather, if bees are fully exposed
to the force of the rays of the sun, there is some danger
of combs melting. I never had any melt in the lower
sections of my hives, but | have in the supers. I gene-
rally protect every hive; but in this case, I left one ex-
posed, when the sun was most intensely powerful, and
the loaded combs fell from their attachments in conse-
quence of the heat.

DISABLED BEES.

1 ought to have mentioned in the chapter on swarm-
ing, that during the height of the breeding season, hun-
dreds of bees may be seen running to and fro upon the

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 329

ground, endeavoring to rise on the wing, but cannot.
To the experienced bee-keeper, this is no news; but I
make mention of it for the benefit of those who are inex-
perienced in bee-culture, and who might, perhaps, be
led to think, tha. a deadly strife was going on in the
apiary. Such bees as are seen under these circum-
stances, are imperfect or disabled, and come into ex-°
istence with a broken wing or leg, or possess some
imperfection, that consigns them to immediate ejection
from the hive. ;

DISEASES OF BEES.

Long epistles have been written upon this subject, and
more, as I have thought, to fill up, and swell the pages
of works on the bee, than to benefit the public, by
stating interesting facts. I shall simply say, that
we need not trouble ourselves in the least, about
“dysentery,” “vertigo,” “tumefaction of the antenne,”
“faux convain,’ &c. All we have to do is, to aflord
our bees a plenteous infusion of pure air, at the bottom
of the hives during summer and winter, and see that
famine is not at their door, and the foregoing diseases
will all vanish from our apiaries.

ARCHITECTURE OF BEES,

The skill and mathematical knowledge exhibited by
the bee in her architecture has astonished philosophers
and scientific men of every age. It has been fully demon-
strated, that the same space occupied by their cells cannot
possibly be filled with any shaped vessels, that will either

330 MINER'S AMERICAN

be of greater capacity, or take less material in the construc-
tion. There are but three ways in which cells can be
built, and have the sides of all equal, viz: square, trian-
gular and hexagonal; a fourth way is utterly impossible.
The hexagonal form is superior to either of the other
modes, in strength, capacity, and a saving of materials
in building; and this form, the bee has chosen! The
bee, did say? No: there is a greater Architect than
the bee, who has had the guidance and the direction in
this matter.

The above cut represents a few rows of cells as they
appear when constructed. These cells are not built
horizontally, but on an angle. Here, again, is the most
astonishing wisdom displayed. A celebrated philosopher |
and mathematician being asked of what form a series ot
vessels united, should. be constructed, in order to be of
the greatest possible capacity, and take the least possible
material to construct them; after a full investigation, he
answered; the shape, hexagonal, and on an inclination
of some 28°, (1 think,) with the plane of the horizon!
The cells of the honey-bee incline from 15 to 28°; that
is, the mouths of cells are so much higher than the bases.
This inclination is not wholly for the purpose of saving
material, but also for the purpose of retaining the honey

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 331

better. Ordinary brood-combs incline the least, and
store combs the most.

One of the most wonderful features pertaining to the
construction of combs is, the manner of their junction
with opposite cells. Instead of the dividing line between
them being a straight line, thus :

it is of the following form, and a pyramidical cavity
LOSE NS

is formed at the base of each cell, composed of three tri-

angular rhombs, or portions of wax, at the apex of which,

the union of three opposite cells meet.

The above cut shows the pyramidal bases of four
cells; the apex of one in a cavity, pointing from the
reader, being the centre, and the other three towards
him. If the cut were reversed, and the other side made
to appear, it would show three cavities, similar to the
centre one, and that now in the centre, would appear
like each of the other portions of the illustration. In
the apex of the cavity, the egg is deposited; being ad-
mirably adapted to receive it.

I have often closely examined cells to ascertain if I
could discover any variation ir this rule, and I have

332 MINER'S AMERICAN

ever found the union of opposite cells, to be formed in
the centre of the base of every cell thus examined !

It is said, that the hexagonal shape of cells, is not in
consequence of any pre-determined action of the bees,
so to form them; but the result of the mechanical laws
governing the natural pressure of bodies of united sphe-
rical tubes, in a pliable and soft condition, before be-
coming hardened by an exposure to the atmosphere, and
that the original form and shape of cells is cylindrical.
I must put in my veto to this assumption. I have
shaken bees out of hives while in the very act of comb-
building; and have had a fair opportunity to examine
combs, while yet warm from the internal heat generated
by the bees, and I have always found them of the regular
hexagonal shape.

The first built, are brood-combs, in order to give an
immediate opportunity to increase the family. Small
families begin at the side, and strong ones in the centre
of the hive. Sometimes a strong swarm will commence
on both sides at the same time; and if is not unfre-
quent, that while a portion of the bees are building
from frent to rear, another portion will be constructing
veombs transversely, on the opposite side of the hive,
and do not discover their mistake till they meet the
other combs, when aright angle is at once formed. This
accounts for so much irregularity in comb-building, and
it is a strong reason for the use of the guide-plate before
spoken of, or of inserting guide-combs on both sides, or
in the middle of the hive for very strong swarms, as

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 333

breeding is greatly retarded by the malformation of
combs.

The outer edges of the mouths of cells are strength-
ened and fortified by a border of wax, much thicker than
the sides, which prevents the entrance from being a
regular hexagon. This border seems to be of a diffe-
rent material from the substance that the cells are com-
posed of, and of the nature of a peculiar kind of varnish.

The depth of ordinary worker-cells is seven-sixteenth,
and that of drone-cells, nine-sixteenths of an inch; and
the depth of store-cells, from half an inch, up to three
inches. There are but two diameters for the cells of
the honey-bee, throughout the whole world! One is
for brood-comps, and the other, for drone-combs; the
store-cells alwavs being of the diameter of drone-cells.
This law is as immutable as the adamantine hills. Take
whatever countries you please, England, Russia, China,
Africa, Patagonia, Mexico, or the United States, and
not one iota difference can be found, if ten thousand
families were examined !

The cut on the next page represents a segment of
worker-comb, containing eggs and larve; also a full-
sized queen-cell, and one but partly constructed. The
nature of queen-cells having been defined at page 28, it
will not be necessary here to say much in regard to
their construction. This cut gives a better idea of the
natural appearance of royal cells, as they actually appear,
than the previous illustration.

The centre of the combs shows a row of cells, in
which the egg first appears; then the larve just bursting

304 MINERS AMERICAN

its shroud from the egg; then, as it appears one day
older, and so on, until the cells are sealed over, being
from the fourth to the sixth day after the deposit of the
egg. Adjoining this tier of cells, may be seen those in
progress of being sealed over; which operation is effected

?}BE-KEEPER S MANUAL. $35

by commencing at the outer side of each, and attaching
numerous small rings of wax, one within the other, until
the whole area is covered. Above this section of the
comb, containing cells being sealed over, may be seen
a portion of cells fully sealed, and from which the young
brood emerge, in the course of about fifteen days after
being thus imprisoned. On the outer skirts, may be
seen the vacant cells, not yet appr dpriated to any use.

There is no distinction made in a leaf of brood-comb,
in regard to what cells shall be used for honey, pollen,
or brood. The queen deposits her eggs wherever she
finds vacant cells, provided the family be populous; but
if not populous, then she takes a very different course,
_ and confines her laying exclusively to the centre of the
hive, and to the centres of combs, near the top of the
tenements, ~ |

In speaking of store-combs, I refer to combs built ex-
pressly for that purpose, of a thick, irregular form. The
whole interior of the hive is used for storing honey, when
the cells are not filled with bee-brood or larve.

INSTINCT OF BEES.

The knowledge that the bee possesses, as displayed in
her achitecture, and general economy, is not acquired
by habit, or taught her by those older than herself. She
comes into the world, as perfect’ as she govs out of it.
Many are the astonishing instances of f>resight and
knowledge, of adapting means to ends, that have come
under my personal observation; but I can give but two
or three of the most important cases on this occasion,

336 MINERS AMERICAN

which will suffice to show the general features of her
sagacity or instinctive powers.

On a certain occasion, I attached a large sheet ot
comb in a hive, for the use of a family; that I was about
driving into it. Some two or three days after the bees
had been placed therein, I discovered that a lateral
brace had been constructed, from the side of the hive,
to the lower end of the comb. This brace was built,
in consequence of my getting the comb out of its per-
pendicular position several times, while turning over
the hive toexamine the bees. The bees reasoned thus:
“Fle is turning our hive over every day, and our comb
bends, and leans over; by and by, it will break off, so
we'll build a brace across to hold it!’ On another oc-
casion, I laid a sheet of comb, filled with honey, on the
floor of the chamber of the hive, covering several of
the holes of communication with the family below. I
placed it there for the purpose of feeding the bees. A
few days thereafter, | was surprised to find this sheet
raised three-eighths of an inch, and supported on—
four pillars built of wax! This was done to give the
bees an opportunity to pass up through the holes with
facility. The honey had been taken away. But the
most astonishing performance that was ever placed on
record, as I believe, occurred as follows: Having an
entrance to one of my hives, about two inches long, and
half an inch wide, that was covered with a thin strip of
wood, with a nail at one end, to hold it in its position, I
was accustomed to turn up the door or cover, perpen-
dicularly, as I passed the hive ard found it closed. The

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 387

bees had no particular use of this passage-way, as they
had abundant egress below; yet, it being warm weather,
] kept the cover up, as much as possible. It got so
loose by turning it up, that it would often fall down of
its own gravity; and not thinking the matter of suffi-
cient importance to secure it at once, I turned it up
daily, for about a week, and every morning I would find
it down again. At last I turned it up, and out rushed
about a hundred bees, and commenced clustering around
it in a very singular manner, and I left them and went
to town. Not returning until evening, I could not see
what the result was before the next morning, when .
went out to the hive, and found the cover to the open-
ing so deeply imbedded in propolis, that *t could not be
easily removed! ! It appeared that the bees wished to
have this hole. open, and finding that it was down one
day and up the next one, they thought that they would
put astop toit at once, and they did so. I leave the
reader to his own reflections on these instances of sa-
gacity manifested in this insect. I could recount many
more astonishing operations of the bee, but I am ad-
monished to be brief.

LONGEVITY OF BEES.

The age of workers is generally under one year. This
fact is easily proved, by placing a family in a large hive,
that does not admit of swarms issuing. It will contain
no more bees during the succeeding years, than during
the first season, or but a few more, at most. Numbers
equalling the increase of each season die off before

15

838 MINER S AMERICAN

another season approaches. The drones live five or six
months, generally, when left to die a natural death; and
on some occasions longer, but not often. The queen
lives the longest of any of the family, often surviving to
sally out at the head cf several swarms. Her exact
natural age has never yet been demonstrated.

ANGER OF BEES.

The honey-bee will seldom use her sting against any
one when not molested, and children, in particular, are
exempt. When a bee is aroused to anger, she gives
immediate notice of it, and no person was ever stung,
unless in the midst of hundreds, excited to vengeance,
without having timely warning given him. Every bee-
keeper is familiar with the shrill sound emitted, when
the bee approaches in a threatening attitude. It is quite
unlike the soft song of contentment, that is sung as the
bees return from the fields laden with honey. I have
never heard of any fatal consequences arising from the
stings of bees, except in animals. If a horse or a cow,
or any other animal upset a hive, it is generally certain
death. In case of keing dangerously stung in many
places, tobacco, as before stated, is worth more than ali
other remedies in the world. The duration of the anger
of bees, is from three days to a week; and any operation
disturbing them much, will not be entirely forgotten,
short of that time. Private injuries are seldom resented
by them; that is, when molested in the fields.

LANGUAGE OF BEES.

That bees have the means of imparting information

BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 339

from one to another, is beyond doubt. By what means
it is done, has never been fully established; yet it is
pretty generally admitted, that it is by means of the an-
tenne. ‘The antenne are also the organs of smell, and
of recognition of bees of the same, or different families.
Besides the antenne as a medium of communication, a
certain noise produced by the wings, is another mode
of imparting knowledge, as | alluded to, in regard to
families finding their hive, when disiodged, and their
tenement, with a portion of the family, being removed
to a distant situation. Having a swarm that lay out
upon a sheet one night, and exposed to a drenching
shower, I found them in the morning with only the out-
side bees drenched, and the majority were in a condi-
tion to be hived. There were several clusters of them,
and having made the larger portions enter the hive, I
aroused the small ones, within a few feet of it, and as
quick as the hive was perceived by them, and a portion
of the bees entering, they commenced fluttering their
wings, and started rapidly towards it. Other clusters
that lay perfectly still, when the first one gave the sound,
instantly started from their lethargy, and followed their
companions into the hive. Here is positive proof, that
the sound emitted or produced, was a call to enter the
hive, or giving information of cne being at hand.
Although out of place, I will here give an omission
in the chapter on swarming, which led to my having a
swarm of bees lying out all night. It is said, that in ex-
tensive bee-gardens in Poland, where many swarms issue
at the same time, and preclude the possibility of hiving

540 MINERS AMERICAN

them separately that the bees are kep: ull evening in
farge boxes, and then emptied out on cioths or sheets
in different parcels; and that during the night, the dif-
ferent queens will have collected a cluster around each
of them, when the different families may be hived. This
appeared so reasonable tc me, that I attempted it the
last season, for the first time; and a heavy shower came
up suddenly, and frustrated my experiment. I had no
other opportunity to try it again, but I have no doubt of
its being practicable.

iivery person that is familiar with bees has, undoubt-
edly, seen them of a sudden commence the vibration of
their wings, standing perfectly still in the mean time.
This motion is generally supposed to be an expression
of joy, and the only manner in which they can manifest
it. Ihave carefully-watched for the cause of this mo-
tion of their wings, and my own experience leads me to
believe, that the above reason is a correct one. I will
give a single proof. Having greatly disturbed a family
by turning up the hive, and removing it, by which
means, large numbers of bees got astray, flying around
in confusion, and on returning it to the stand, the bees
immediately flocked around it, and alighting on the floor-
board, commenced the vibration of their Wings, as above
stated; and so continued some minutes. This satisfied
me, that it was a sensation of pleasure on again finding
their home. This is but one, out of many instances of
the same nature, that I have witnessed.

BEE-KE3PER S MANUAL. 341

BEES-WAX—HOW MADE.

The nature of wax has already been discussed. My
object now is, to show the inexperienced bee-keeper,
how to make the article from the combs. The combs
are cut out of the hives, the honey secured; and then,
they are ready for the kettle. Break them in small
pieces, or press them into as small a compass as possible,
and put them into a woollen bag. Put the bag into the
kettle, or vessel of water that is to be set over the fire,
and with a flat stone, or some other weight, sink the bag
to the bottom. Boil the water about half an hour, then
take out the bag, and set the water aside to cool. The
wax will rise to the surface. The cake of wax on the
surface if containing impurities, may be put intoa clean
bag, and the second process over the fire, will render 1
quite clean and pure, and by melting again in some con:
venient vessel, it may be turned into cups of any shape
first greasing them a little, and when cool, the cakes wil
come out without adhering in the least.

APPENDIX.

MINER’S PATENT EQUILATERAL BEE-HIVE.

In consequence of the improvement in the ornamental portion of
the above hive not being completed, when the original cut was
inserted in this work, at page 181, I have concluded to have it ap-
pear in an Appendix. This is precisely the same hive as that at
page 181, except in its embellishments. The size and shape are
the same; but it is drawn ona smaller scale, than the other. I
consider this the ne plus ultra of hives in every point. Nothing of
the kind can compare with it in beauty, or in practical value. I

APPENDIX. 343

do not say this because I am interested ; but I say it from a solemn
conviction of the truth of the assertion, after having either seen or
used almost every other style of hive in existence.

The great value of this hive lies in its internal arrangement.
The nine communications from the lower to the upper section, are
opened and closed at pleasure, 7n an instant, by one of the most
simple and valuable inventions imaginable. By the use of this, in
connection with other features pertaining to no other hive, the man-
agement of bees 1s divested of every difficulty. Bees in this hive
may be fed, in case of need, with as much ease as a flock of poul-
try. They must be fed sometimes, when the season has proved
unpropitious, but the expense is not as many s/zllings as they will
bring in dollars, the first good season that occurs.

This hive is intended to occupy any situation that other hives
do; either on ashelf or stool. It hasa beveled bottom-board, thus
doing away with the necessity of suspension. This kind of bottom-
board is of my own invention, as well as every part of the hive,
and as the right is secured for this, as well as for that represented
at page 181, it cannot be constructed except by virtue of a right
from me. I have made great improvements in several hives, and
which others, perhaps, would also have secured, but I place them
before the public in this work, for their free use and benefit; but
in the hive now in question, | shall claim, and defend my title
thereto; even an zmitation of it externally, will not pass with im-
punity.

Besides the advantages before stated, is that of resting the hive
on pinions during summer, and when cold weather arrives, by mov-
ing it a quarter of an inch, the whole opening is instantly closed,
except a space of two inches in front, and the same in the rear,
both of which have perforated slides, so that the bees may be en-
closed at pleasure, with a gentle current of air under them. This
mode of arrangement is or7ginal with me, and perhaps I do myself
great injustice to give publicity to it, as I have done heretofore in
this work; yet [ claim it, with the foregoing hive, as a part of my
invention, together with the beveled boitom-board, and the use of
either would be an infringement of my rights; yet in these two
pons as valuable as I consider them, I shall not expect the pub-
ic to be limited in their use of them, so long as my general rights
in the Equilateral Hive are not invaded.

This style of hive should be painted white, as that color has
much the best appearance on ornamental objects. The chocolate
color recommended for other hives, relates to cases where they are
merely painted as a protection against the weather.

844 APPENDIX.

Here is a pedestal o. corresponding architecture, and who will
say, that a hive surmounting it, and placed in the flower-garden,
would not be a beautiful ornament? If I had to live on a short
allowance of food for a year, in order to possess a hive and pedes-
tal of this kind, I would do it, if no other means would obtain them.
But let such as have no taste for the elegant and beautiful, have
hives of a more common order. This work will suit every taste
The pedestal does not go with the hive, as a necessary appendage,
neither does the urn, nor the dental course. The hive may be
made perfectly plain, if desired, at the cost of ordinary hives, and
still possess all its practical advantages.

The reader is referred to my advertiserzent for the price of this
hive, &c., in the sequel to this work.

INDEX.

CHAPTER I.

THE QUEEN.

When seen and how found, 6. Sting of the queen, 6. Her fecun.
dation, 7. Huber, the great (1 apiarian, 8. Huber’s authority doubt-
ed, 11. Huish’s opinion of Huber, 12. Queen’s flight to meet the
males, 15. Analogy proves impregnation on the wing, 16. Huber
confines queens to prove the theory of impregnation on ‘the wing, 16.
Retarded impregnation, 17.

CHAPTER II.
WORKERS.

The effects of a sudden storm on bees, 23. Sex of workers, 25.
Workers said to be sometimes fertile, 26. Fertile workers, and the
power of workers to produce queens from ordinary worker-eggs, 27.
‘Kind of eggs laid by the queen, 27. Royal cells, how constructed, 28.
How young queens are produced, the number of royal cells in a hive,
etc., 29. Different food provided for the young queens, 30. The for-
mation of a new queen in the place of one that dies, or is lost, 32.
The supposed cause of the formation of fertile workers, 33. A_case ot
zetarded impregnation in the queen, or of fertile w orkers, coming
under the author’s own observation, 34. Difficulty of effecting the
impregnation of queens at particular seasons, 40. Fertile workers
never exist, except in cases of a failure to produce a queen, 41.

CHAPTER Iil.
DRONES.

Natural uses of drones, 43. Cause of the existence of so many
drones, 45. Impregnation operative for life. 46. Visionary alleged
uses of drones, 48. Huish encounters a savan bee-keeper, 50. When
drones appear and disappear, 51. Drones go forth to meet the queen,
54. Danger of the queen being lost during her excursion, 55. Huish’s
vagaries relative to the use of drones, 55. The conflicting opinions
and theories of other writers disregarded, 56. Particular instances of
drones being allowed to live through the winter, 57. The old queen
always goes “off with the first swarm, 59. Drones said to die immedi-
ately after coition, 61. The general massacre of drones, 61.

346 INDEX.

CHAPTER IV.

EGGS—LAR ¥ &—TIME TO DEVELOP, ETC.

Drone-eggs, when laij, 69. Royal cells constructed simultaneously
with drone-egg laying, 70. The operation of laying described, 71.
Time that eggs remain in the cells, 72. Larve, how long fed, when
sealed over, etc., 72. Period of development, etc., 73. Number of
bees in a hive, 73. Relative proportion of drones, 75. Young queens
produce few or no drone-brood, 76. Position of eggs and larve, 76.

CHAPTER V.

DIVISION OF LABOR OF BEES.

Division of labor proved, 79. Pollen and propolis gatherers, etc., 81.
Bees gather from one kind of flower only during the same excursion,
8L. Sentinels, 81. The wonderful operations of ventilating bees! 82,

CHAPTER VI.
BLACK BEES.

CHAPTER VII.
POLLEN, OR BEE-BREAD.

Bee-bread injurious when stored in surplus quantities, 87. Coler of
bee-bread, different colors kept distinct, 87. How fed to larvae, 88.
Cells only partly fiiied with pollen, 88.

CHAPTER VIII.
WATER AND ITS USES.

How furnished to bees, 90. Experimental evidence of the use of
water, 91. Singular discovery in regard to the use of water on very
windy and wet days, 91. The use that bees make of water, 92. Water
used in wet weather abundantly, 93. Decrease and final termination
of the use of water, 94. A close fence around the apiary necessary in
certain cases, 95.

CHAPTER IX.
SALT—HOW TO BE USED.
Salt put under the edges of hives, 96. Salt necessary for bees, 98.

CHAPTER X.

PROPOLIS.

Huber’s opinion on propolis, !00 Propolis an elaborated substance,
101.

INDEX. 347

CHAPTER XI.

WAX.

Honey and pollen the only substance that bees gather, 103. Apia-
rians contend that wax is made of pollen, 104. Pollen admitted to be
a component part of ordinary bees-wax, 105. Bees when swarming,
go laden with honey, 106. A few bees join the swarm with pellets of
farina, 107. No pollen gathered the first day or two after swarming,
107. Chemical change of honey to wax, 107. Experiment showing
further proof that wax is produced from honey, 109, The experiments
of Huber, showing that bees work in wax when confined, and fed on
honey or sugar only, 110.

PART SECOND.

CHAPTER XII.
REMARKS.

CHAPTER XIII.

HIVES.

Size of hives, 119. Space necessary for swarms, 120. Number of
workers advantageously employed, 120. <A lack of workers disastrous
to the family, 121. Effects of too small and too large hives, 123. The
instinct and nature of the bee unchangeable, 125. Result of the Au-.
thor’s experience in large hives, 126. Hives diminished in length,
128. Small hives not appropriate for small swarms, 130. Change
from large to small hives, deceptive appearances of swarms, etc., 135.
Dr: Bevan’ s opinion on the size of hives, 137. Bevan’s cross-bar hive,
138. Subtended hive, 14t. Hobby of a portion of the itinerant bee-
hive venders, 142. Two kinds of subtended hives, 143. Rules for
management in subtended hives, 143. Case in which two or more
voxes may be used, 150. Remarks on super and nadir hiving, 151.
Box-hive and super, 153. Chamber hive, 158. Suspended cham-
ber hives, 161. Roof for suspended hives, 163. Side view of a
chamber hive, 167. Second plan of suspended hives,170. Townly’s
hive, 172. Colton’s do. 178. Gaylord & Tucker’s do. 178. Week’s
Vermont do. 175. View of de. 176. Straw hives, 180. Log do. 180.
Miner’s equilateral hive, (first style,) 1S1. Collateral hiving, etc. 185.
Relative merits of supering, etc.,, 187. Collateral hives joined, 183.
Bees remaining in collateral hives, how got rid of, etc. 189. Case in
which a transfer from old to new combs may be effected, 190. Only
one super to be put on ata time, 190. Boxes in chambers not likely
to be filled twice, 191. Time to take away supers, 191. How to drive
bees from the boxes, etc.,192. Observatory hive,193. Huber’s Obser-
vatory, do 198. Enropean hives, 203. Polish hives, 204. Directions

348 INDEX,

for making hives, 204. Directions to the joiner, 206. Painting hives,
208.

CHAPTER XIV.

BEE-HOUSES.

Shape, etc., 211. Roof, how painted, etc., 212. Size, circumfer-
ence, etc., 212. Height of hives, floor-board, etc., 213. Hives repre-
sented in cut, open bee-houses preferable, etc., 214. The heat of the
sun disadvantageous in winter, 216, Hives to be brought within the
rays of the sun at certain seasons, etc., 219. Division boards necessary
between hives, etc., 220. Cost of building, 220. Floor not necessary,
221. Brick bee-houses, 221.

CHAPTER XY.
BEE-STANDS, ETC.

CHAPTER XVI.
THE APIARY.

South-east the best point to front, 228. Morning sun necessary, 229.
Offensive smells detrimental, 229. The shade of large trees not bene-
ficial, etc., 230. Danger of hives blowing over, 231. Surrounding
protection necessary, 232. Rivers and Jakes detrimental, 234, How
situated in regard to the dwelling, 234. No walls or buildings to im-
pede the flight of bees, 235. Valleys most suitable for apiaries, 235.
Weeds around hives to be extirpated, 236. Apiaries in the rooms of
dwellings, 238. Bees thrive in large towns, etc., 239.

CHAPTER XVII.
PASTURAGE.

CHAPTER XVIII.
HONEY DEW.

CHAPTER XIX.

BEE-DRESS, ETC.
Bee stings, how cured, etc., 251.

CHAPTER XX.
SWARMING, ETC.

Hiving, 264. Hiver, 267. Clustering on the outside of the hive,
268. Ringing of bells and other noises useless, 268. Swarming pre-
vented by extra room, 269. Strong families always recommended, 270.
Different swarms apt to cluster together, 272. Time that swarms re.

INDEX. 349

main clustered, 273. The queen generally alights first, 276. Neces-
sity of preparations for hiving, etc., 276. Symptoms of swarming, 278.
Season of swarming, 286. Swarms consist of bees of all ages, 283.
Swarms issuing have no habitation selected, 284. Bees communicate
on the wing, 285. Proper mode of separating swarms, 286. Union of
swarms, 288. Bees liable to cluster on the apiarian, 289. Sambo’s
first trial at hiving, 290. Grape vines suitable to cluster on, artificial
clustering bushes, etc., 292. Appearances at the moment of issuing,
293. Time of dav to expect swarms to sally forth, 293.

CHAPTER XXI.
ARTIFICIAL SWARMS.

Time of year to make artificial swarms, 298. Artificial swarms.
made wholly by driving out, 298. Directions for driving and dislodg-
ing bees, 299. How to cut out brood-combs, 300. Artificial swarms
formed by division, 302. Artificial swarms may be transposed, 303.

CHAPTER XXII.
CHANGING FAMILIES FROM OLD TO NEW HIVES.
Uniting stocks, 309.
CHAPTER XXIII.

THE SEASONS.

Fall management, 310. Feeding bees, 311. Winter management,
314. Spring management, 316. Sumimer management, 317. The
bee-moth, how eradicated, 317. Indications of the moth, best course
to pursue, 320. Populous families not liable to be undermined, 321

CHAPTER XXIV.
PILLAGE OF BEES.

CHAPTER XXV.,
GUIDE PLATE, ETC.
Distances and thickness of combs, 325.

CHAPTER XXVI.
MISCELLANEOUS.

Ventilation of hives, 326. Purchase of bees, 327. Transportation
of bees, 327. Combs liable to melt down, 328. Disabled bees, 529.
Diseases of bees, 8329. Architecture of bees, 330. Instinct of bees, 335.
Longevity of Bees, 337. Anger of Bees, 338. Language of bees, 338,
Bees-wax, how made, 341.

APPENDIX.
Miner’s improved equilateral hive, 312. Pedestal for do. 34

MINER Se AT EN Tt.
CROSS-BAR AND EQUILATERAL BEE-HIVES.

Tue Subscriber now offers for sale, Rights to manufacture two of the best Bee.
Hives in the United States. The Equilateral Hive has been in use long enough to
fully test its qualities, and no other Hive in existence ever received such strong tes-
timonials as has this Hive. Jt is founded on principles that must succeed, and then
it is such a beautiful one, yet the ornaments may be entirely left off, and made plain
if desired, at a small cost. The Cross-Bar Hive is on a new principle, and from nee
cessity, cannot be connected with the other Hive. It has been the study of apiarians
and naturalists for ages to construct ‘“cross-bar”? Hives that shall contain bars
upon which bees will build straight, regular combs, of the same thickness and all paral-
lel to each other, but never has any one succeeded, as I believe, until by numerous
experiments, I have at last discovered the true principle. There is no mistake in
this. I only want toshow my plan to convince wny man. Not asingle swarm ina
thousand can possibly build any way but just as directed, and every comb of the same
thickness—just so far apart, and all brood combs! Beekeepers may consider this an
easy matter to effect, but let them try it. The Guide Plate in my Manual is nota
safe, nor an efficient means to produce such a result, although I supposed it was,
from a brief trial of it. Every beekeeper knows that frequently bees will build
crooked combs of all shapes and forms, and it is impossible for such families to
prosper for the want of brood combs. I cannot give the full reasons here, why bees
do thus build combs, and the general effect on their prosperity, but I have done so
in an Essay just published, and for sale by me (price 124 cents, sent by mail, post-
paid), on Fall and Winter management of bees, with fzdl rules for feeding on a new
plan ; with a certain remedy for the destruction of the Bee-Moth, by a recently dis-
covered Decoy Trap which is sure to rid our apiaries of this pest, with a mass of
highly important information, being the result of recent experiments and discoveries
since the publication of the Beekeeper’s Manual, and worth ten times its cost. The
principles of the Cross-bar Hive are there fully explained, and a large number of the
strongest testimonials of both Hives that were ever produced—all from entire strangers
to me, who had written for Rights. I also have these testimonials separate, which
i shall be happy to send free of charge to applicants. The above Essay contains mat-
ter equal to seventy-two pages of the Beekeeper’s Manual,—all of the greatest importance!

I now offer both of said Hive Rights for two dollars, including the above Essay,
the price that the Equilateral Hive alone has ever before sold for. They are in
Pamphlet form, with full Engravings of the Hives and their parts, so plain, that any
body can make them just as well as if he had models to work after. They will not
be sold separate for any less—one or both can be used. Sent any distance by mail,

osi-paid.
. For five dollars, I will send to any part of the United States or Canada, a pattern
Hive of either kind, with the Right to make both as aforesaid, for individual use.

For three dollars, I will send, post-paid, the two Hive Rights, a copy of the Bee-
keepers’ Manual, and the Essay as above, all post-paid.

All moneys at my risk. Messrs. A. B. Auten & Co., 191 Water street, New
York, are my Agents, and all orders sent to them, as well as to myself, will meet
with prompt attention.

Agents wanted in all sections of the country to sell Hive Rights, &c., and a very
liberal commission allowed. They can do well. Address the subscriber, post-paid.

T. B. MINER, Clinton, Cneida Co., N. Y,

The following are extracts from Testimonials received in favor of the Equilateral
Hive.

“Ttis better suited to the requirements of bees than any other Hive I have yet
seen. “ JACOB HEWES, Leiperville, Pa.”

“T am satisfied it is decidedly superior to any Hive I have ever seen.

“E.R. ANGELL, Almond, N. Y.”

“if | had to give up your Hive I would sive wp bee-keeping.

“CHS. KENNARD, Cooperstown, N. Y.”
And fifty more of the same tenor.

P.S.—The Cross-Bar Hive has just taken the first.Premium at the New York
State Agricultural Fair, held at Rochester, Sept. 17th, 18th and 19th, 1851, over all
other Hives; yet taere were move Hives on the ground than ever taken to any
previous Fair.

Z477.. 4

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

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