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This book may be kept out TWO WEEKS ONLY, and is subject to a fine of FIVE CENTS a day thereafter. It is due on the day indicated below:
50M — May-54 — Form 3
A PRACTICAL TREATISE
OS
HUMANITY TO HONEY BEES ;
OR
PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS
FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES,
UPON AN I3IPR0VED AND HUMANE PLAN,
BY WHICH
THE LIVES OF BEES MAY BE PRESERVED,
AND ABUNDANCE OF HONEY OF
A SUPERIOR QUALITY
OBTAINED.
BY EDWARD TOWNLEY.
NEW-YORK:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM S. DORR,
No- 123 Fulton Street.
1843.
rvy^
Entered according to tbc Act of Congress, in the year 1843, by EDWARD TOWNLEY. in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the South- ern District of New- York.
ADVERTISEMENT.
The primary object of this little compila- tioiij is the dissemination of a more system- atic method of conduct pertaining to Honey Bees, than has heretofore been practised.
When our industrious citizens are appri- sed of the most approved method of cultiva- ting BeeSj and the rational amusement and actual profit to be derived from Honey Bees, we may confidently expect that this branch will no lonorer loiter in the rear of other im- provements in rural economy.
Every possible effort has been used, to render this work, in all respects, competent to the purpose in view, that of imparting, in the clearest manner, every point of know- ledge requisite for the succ^ss^id manage-
IV ADVERTISEMENT.
merit of Honey Bees. The compiler indulges the hope that his labors will be crowned with the sanction of experienced and respectable authorities, and the approbation of the public. The destructive ravages of the Bee Moth have, in many places, almost annihilated our Bee establishments, and discouraged all attempts to renewed trials. Not less than one hundred hives have, the past season, been entirely destroyed by that enemy, with- in a few miles, in New Jersey, and in places where a single hive has yielded one hundred pounds of honey. From a particular inves- tigation of this subject, the compiler is now- able, with much confidence, to announce, that an effectual preventive of such depreda- tions will be found recorded in this produc- tion.
CONTENTS.
Introduction, Chap. I. — Anatomy of the Honey Bee. " II. The Senses of Bees. " III. Sight. " IV. Feeling or Touch. " V. Taste. " VI. Hearing. " VII. Smelling. " VII. The Inmates of a Hive. " IX. Of the Queen Bee. " X. Of the Worker Bee. " XI. The Drone Bee. " XII. Impregnation of the Queen Bee. " XIII. Retarded Impregnation. " XIV. Of the Brood. " XV. On the Formation of Swarms. " XVI. Second Swarms. " XVII. On Artificial Swarms. ♦' XVIII. On the Conversion of the Larva of a Work
er into a Queen. " XIX. On the Construction of the Hive. 1*
VI CONTENTS.
Chap. XX. Observatory Hive.
XXI. Bee Feeding.
XXII. Bee Food.
XXIII. Method of destroying or preventing the Depredations of the Bee Moth.
XXIV. On Ventilating.
XXV. Management of Bees during Winter.
XXVI. On burying Bees.
XXVII. Remedy for the Stings of Bees.
XXVIII. Measure and Weight of Bees.
XXIX. Conclusion.
INTRODUCTION.
OF THE HONEY BEE.
The domestic Honey Bee has excited a lively and almost universal interest from the earliest ages. The philosopher and the poet have each delighted in the study of an insect whose nature and habits afford such ample scope for inquiry and contemplation, and even the less intellectual peasant, while not insensible of the profit arising from its judi- cious culture, has regarded with pleasure and admiratioUj its ingenious operations and unceasing activity. " Wise in their govern- ment," observes the venerable Kirby, " dili- gent and active in their employments, devo- ted to their young and to their queen, the
Vlll INTRODUCTION.
Bees read a lecture to mankind that exem- plifies their oriental name, Deburah, she that speaketh. The study is delightful to the mind that contemplates the mysterious ope- rations of nature, and traces its wonderful phenomena up to nature's God. The indus- trious Bee has ever been viewed by intelli- gent naturalists as an interesting species of insects, and the fruits of its industry as among the choicest productions of nature." There is no branch of husbandry, the cul- tivation of which furnishes for our table a more innocent and grateful luxury, than that of the Bee, nor any part of natural history better calculated to raise our contemplation to that Divine Wisdom which creates and sustains them. If you speak of a Bee, your conversation will be a sort of demonstration of His power whose hand formed them, for the wisdom of the workman is commonly perceived in that which is of little size. He who has stretched out the heavens, and dug up the bottom of the sea, is also He who has pierced a passage through the sting of the
INTRODUCTION. IX
Bee for the ejection of its poison. So high did the ancients carry their admiration of this tiny portion of animated nature, that one philosopher, it is said, made it the sole ob- ject of his study for nearly three-score years ; another retired to the woods, and devoted to its contemplation the whole of his life ; while the great Latin poet, stating, and pro- bably adopting, a prevalent opinion, speaks of the Bee as having received a direct ema- nation from the Divine Intelligence. After all this study, however, these enthusiastic admirers have thrown but little light on the real nature of this extraordinary insect ; and while they have handed down to us many judicious precepts for its practical treatment, their disquisitions on its natural history can now only excite a smile. The chief cause of this failure may be fairly ascribed, per- haps, to the want of those facilities for disco- very, which modern science has afforded, and by which the most hidden mysteries of Bee economy are rendered clear and palpable. In fact, much has been written and pub-
X INTRODUCTION.
lished on the subject, calculated to startle a sober reader : and some of those discoveries which have been blazoned in publications, both at home and abroad, will be found, on strict examination, to have no existence but in the warm fancy or blind enthusiasm of the observers. The incontrovertible facts in the natural history of the Bee, are, in themselves, too remarkable to justify any attempt to draw upon the imagination for additional wonder ; and the naturalist who is desirous of making himself thoroughly acquainted with the instincts and habits of this interesting little creature, should be cautious in considering, as an established fact, any discovery, or supposed discovery, which has not been, again and again, verifi- ed by rigid experiment.
In the following details, embracing the Natural History and Practical Management of the Honey Bee, I have endeavored to avoid this error ; stating nothing as fact, but what I know to be so from undoubted testi- mony, or from my own knowledge and ex-
IXTRODUCTION. XI
perience. At the same time, I have not omitted to notice such alleged discoveries or results of experiments, as appear to me to be unsupported by sufficient evidence, or at variance with experiments of my own, made for the express purpose of verification, leav- ing it to the reader to receive or reject them, as his judgment may dictate.
I have availed myself of the information dispersed throughout a variety of publica- tions, both ancient and modern, with such additions of my own, as have been acquired by the observation of Bees for a period of many years. I trust that the facts detailed, will, of themselves, lead the mind of the in- telligent reader to such reflections, and thus become the source of a purer gratification than would have been derived from the sug- gestions of others.
A PRACTICAL TREATISE
ON THE
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES,
ETC.
The careful Insect, midst his works I view, Now from the flowers exhaust the fragrant dew; With golden treasures load his little thighs, And steer his distant journey through the skies. Some, against hostile drones, the hive defend, Others, with sweets the waxen cells distend; Each in the toil his destined office bears, And in the little bulk a mighty soul appears.
Gay.
The bee is small among the fowls, yet doth its fruit pass in sweetness. Ecclesiasticus, xi. 3.
CHAPTER I.
ON THE ANATOMY OF THE HONEY BEE.
The Honey Bee, Apis Mellifica, is of the
order of insects having four membranaceous
wings. Its anatomical structure presents,
even to the superficial observer, striking evi-
2
D. H. HILL LIBRARY North Carolina State College
14 TREATISE ON THE
dences of design in the All-wise Contriver, and of the admirable adaptation of its parts to their several uses. The body of the in- sect is about half an inch long, of a blackish brown color, which deepens with age, and is wholly covered with close set hairs, which assist greatly in collecting the farina of flowers. Tearing open the anthers of the plant on which it has alighted, and rolling its little body in the bottom of the corolla, the insect rapidly brushes off the farina, moistens it with its mouth, and passes it from one pair of legs to another, till it is safely lodged, in the form of a kidney-shaped pallet, in a spoon-like receptacle in its thigh, to be afterwards noticed. These hairs de- serve to be particularly remarked, on ac- count of their peculiar formation^ being fea- ther-shaped, or rather consisting each of a stem with branches disposed around it, and, therefore, besides their more effectually re- taining the animal heat, peculiarly adapted for their office of sweeping off the farina. The head, which is of a triangular shape
.J eu\^
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 15
and much flattened, is furnished with a pair of large eyes, of what is called by naturalists the composite construction, and consisting of a vast assemblage of small hexagonal sur- faces, disposed with exquisite regularity, each constituting in itself a perfect eye ; they are thickly studded with hairs, which preserves them from dust, &c. In addition to these means of vision, the Bee is provided with three small stemmata, or coronetted eyes, situated in the very crown of the head, and arranged in the form of a triangle. These must add considerably to the capaci- ty of vision in an insect whose most impor- tant operations are carried on in deep ob- scurity. As to the special or peculiar use these ocelli may serve, Reaumur and Blu- menbach were of opinion, that, while the larger compound organs are used for view- ing distant objects, the simple ones are em- ployed on objects close at hand. It is not improbable, however, that these last, from their peculiar position, are appropriated to upward vision. The antennae present us
16 TREATISE ON THE
with another remarkable appendage of the head. These are two tubes, about the thick- ness of a hair, springing from between the eyes, and a httle below the ocelli ; they are jointed throughout their whole length, each consisting of twelve articulations, and there- fore capable of every variety of flexure. Their extremities are tipped with small round knobs, exquisitely sensible, and which, from their resemblance to the stemmata or ocelli, have been supposed by some to serve as or- gans of vision ; by others, as connected with the sense of hearing ; and by others, as or- gans of feeling or touch. This last seems the most probable conjecture, as on approach- ing any solid object or obstacle, the Bee cau- tiously brings its antennae in contact with it, as if exploring its nature. The insects use these organs, also, as a means of recog- nizing one another, and an interesting in- stance is stated by Huber, in which they were employed to ascertain the presence of their queen. The mouth of the Bee com- prehends the tongue, the mandibles or upper
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 17
jaws, the maxillae or lower jaws, the labrimi or upper lip, the labium or lower lip, with the proboscis connected with it, and four palpi or feelers.
The tongue of the Bee, like that of other animals, is situated within the mouth, and is so small and insignificant in its form, as not to be easily discernible. In most anatomical descriptions of the Bee, the real tongue, now described, has been erroneously confounded with the ligula or central piece of the pro- boscis, afterwards to be described. The up- per jaw of the Bee, like that of all other in- sects, is divided vertically into two, thus forming, in fact, a pair of jaws, under the name of mandibles. They move horizon- tally, are furnished with teeth, and serve to the little laborers as tools, with which they perform a variety of operations, as manipu- lating the wax, constructing the combs and polishing them, seizing their enemies, de- stroying the drones, 6cc. The lower jaws or maxillae, divided vertically as the others, 2*
18 TREATISE ON THE
form, together with the labium or upper lip the complicated apparatus of the proboscis.
This organ, beautiful in its construction, and admirably adapted to its end, serving to the insect the purpose of extracting the juices secreted in the nectaries of flowers, consists, principally, of a long slender piece, named, by entomologists, the ligula, and erroneous- ly, though, considering its position and use, not unnaturally, regarded as the tongue. It is, strictly speaking, formed by a prolonga- tion of the lower lip. It is not tubular, as has been supposed, but solid throughout, consisting of a close succession of cartilagi- nous rings, above forty in number, each of which is fringed with very minute hairs, and having also a small tuft of hair at its ex- tremity. It is of a flattish form, and about the thickness of a human hair, and, from its cartilaginous structure, capable of being ea- sily moved in all directions, rolling from side to side, and lapping or licking up, by the aid of the hairy frmges, whatever adheres to it. It is, probably, by muscular motion, that the
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. 19
fluid which it laps is propelled into the pha- rynx or canal, situated at it root, and through which it is conveyed to the honey bag.
The trunk of the Bee, or thorax, ap- proaches in figure to a sphere, and is united to the head by a pedicle or thread-like liga- ment. It contains the muscles of the wings and legs. The former consist of two pair, of unequal size, and are attached to each other by slender hooks, easily discernible through a microscope, and thereby their mo- tion, and the flight of the insect, are render- ed more steady. Behind the wings, on each side of the trunk, are situated several small orifices, called stigmata or spiracles, through which respiration is efiected. These orifices are connected with a system of air vessels, pervading every part of the body, and serv- ing the purpose of lungs. The rushing of the air through them against the wings, while in motion, is supposed to be the cause of the humming sound made by the Bees. To the lower part of the trunk are attached three pair of legs. The anterior pair, which
20 TREATISE ON THE
are most efficient instruments, serving to the insect the same purpose as the arms and hands to man, are the shortest, and the poste- rior pair the longest. In each of these limbs there are several articulations or joints, of which three are larger than the others, serv- ing to connect the thigh, the leg or pallet, and the foot or tarsus, the others are situated chiefly in the tarsus.
In the thigh of each of the hinder limbs, there is an admirable provision made for en- abling the Bee to carry to its hive an impor- tant part of its stores, and which neither the queen nor the male possess, they being ex- empted from that labor, viz., a small trian- gular basket or cavity of a spoon-like shape, the exterior of which is smooth and glassy, while its inner surface is lined with strong close set hairs. This cavity forms a kind of basket, destined to receive the pollen of flowers, one of the ingredients composing the food of the young. It receives also the propolis, a viscous substance, by which the combs are attached to the roof and walls of
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 21
the hive, and by which any openings are stopped that might admit vermin or the cold. The hairs with which the basket is lined, are designed to retain firmly the materials with which the thigh is loaded. The three pair of legs are all furnished, particularly at the joints, with thick set hairs, forming brushes, some of them round, some flattened, and which serve the purpose of sweeping off the farina. There is yet another remarka- ble peculiarity in this third pair of limbs. The junction of the pallet and tarsus is ef- fected in such a manner as to form, by the curved shape of the corresponding parts, a pair of real pincers. A row of shelly teeth, proceed from the lower edge of the pallet, corresponding to bundles of very strong hairs, with which the neighboring portion of the brush is provided. When the two edges of the pincers meet — that is, the under edge of the pallet, and the upper edge of the brush — the hairs of each are incorporated together. The extremities of the six feet terminate each in two hooks, with their points oppo-
22 TREATISE ON THE
sed to each other, by means of which the Bees fix themselves to the roof of the hive, and to one another, when suspended, as they often are, in the form of curtains, inverted cones, festoons, ladders, &c. From the mid- dle of these hooks proceeds a little thin ap- pendix, which, when not in use, lies folded double through its whole breadth ; when in action, it enables the insect to sustain its body in opposition to the force of gravity, and thereby adhere to and walk freely and securely upon glass and other slippery sub- stances, with its feet upwards.
The abdomen is attached to the posterior part of the thorax by a slender ligament, like that which unites the thorax and the head, and consists of six scaly rin^s of un- equal breadth. It contains two stomachs, the small intestines, the venom-bag, and the sting. An opening, placed at the root of the proboscis, is the mouth or gullet, which tra- verses the trunk, and leads to the anterior stomach. This last named vessel is but a dilatation of the gullet, and, in fact, forms the
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 23
honey-bag. When fall, it exhibits the form of a small transparent globe, somewhat less in size than a pea. It is susceptible of con- traction, and so organized as to enable the Bee to disgorge its contents. The second stomach, which is separated from the first, of which it appears to be merely a continua- tion, only by a very short tube, is cylindri- cal, and very muscular. It is the receptacle for the food, which is there dio^ested, and conveyed by the small intestines to all parts of the body for its nutriment. It receives also the honey from which wax is elabora- ted. Scales of this last mentioned substance are found ranged in pairs, and contained in minute receptacles under the lower segments of the abdomen. No direct channel of com- munication between the stomach and these receptacles or wax-pockets has yet been dis- covered, but Huber conjectures that the se- creting vessels are contained in the mem- brane which lines these receptacles, and which is covered with reticulations of hex- agonal meshes, analagous to the inner coat
24 TREATISE ON THE
of the second stomach of ruminating quad- rupeds. The scales of wax are deposited in these two areas, and assume the same shape, viz., an irregular pentagon. Only eight scales are furnished by each individual Bee, for the first and last ring, constituted differently from the others, afford none. The scales do not rest immediately on the body of the insect, a slight liquid medium is interposed, which serves to lubricate the junctures of the rings and facilitate the extraction of the scales, which might otherwise adhere too firmly to the sides of the receptacles.
The sting, with its appendages, lies close to the last stomach, and, like the proboscis, may seem to the naked eye, a simple instru- ment, while it is, in fact, no less complex in its structure than the former apparatus, hi- stead of being a simple sharp-pointed wea- pon, like a fine needle, it is composed of two branches or darts, applied to each other lon- gitudinally, and lodged in one sheath. One of these darts is somewhat longer than the other ; they penetrate alternately, taking
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES.
25
hold of the flesh, till the whole sting is com- pletely buried. The sheath is formed by two horny scales, along the grooves of which, when the sting is extruded, flows the poison, from a bag or reservoir in the body of the insect, near the root of the sting. The darts composing this weapon, are each furnished with five teeth or barbs, set obliquely on their outer side, which give the instrument the appearance of an arrow, and by which it is retained in the wound it has made, till the poison has been injected ; and though it is said the insect has the power of raising or depressing them at pleasure, it often happens that when suddenly driven away, it is unable to extricate itself, without leaving behind it the whole apparatus, and even part of its in- testines, death is the inevitable consequence. Though detached from the animal, this for- midable weapon still retains, by means of the strong muscles by which it is impelled, the power of forcing itself still deeper. On the subject of the sting, Paley ingeniously remarks : " The action of the sting aftbrds 3
26 TREATISE ON THE
an example of the union of chemistry and mechanism ; of chemistry, in respect to the venom which in so small a quantity can pro- duce such powerful eifects ; of mechanism, as the sting is not a simple, but a compound instrument. The machinery would have been comparatively useless, had it not been for the chemical process, by which, in the insect's body, honey is converted into poison, and on the other hand, the poison would have been ineffectual without an instrument to wound, and a syringe to inject the fluid." Having noticed these particulars in the anatomical structure of the working Bee, as the general representative of the species, we shall next point out in what it differs from the conformation of the queen, and the male or drone. The queen is frequently styled by the naturalist, the mother Bee, and with great propriety, as it seems now ascertained that her distinguishing qualities have a closer reference to the properties of a parent, than to the province of a sovereign. Her body differs from that of the workers, it being con-
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. >i7
siderably larger, and of a deeper black in the upper parts, while the under surface and the limbs are of a rich tawny color. Her pro- boscis is more slender, her legs are longer than those of the worker, but without the hairy brushes at the joints, and as she is ex- empted from the drudgery of collecting fa- rina or propolis, the posterior pair are with- out the spoon-like cavity found in those of her laboring offspring. When about to be- come a mother, her body is considerably swollen and elongated, and her wings in con- sequence appear disproportionally short. The abdomen of the queen contains the ova- rium, consisting of two branches, each of which contains a largfe assemblasre of ves- sels filled with eggs, and terminating in what is called the aviduct. This duct, when ap- proaching the anus, dilates itself into a larger receptacle, into which the eggs are dis- charged, and which is considered by natural- ists, as the sperm reservoir, or depository of fecundating matter, from thence they are ex- truded by the insect, and deposited in the
28 TREATISE ON THE
cell prepared for their reception. The sting possessed by the queen is bent, while that of the workers is straight ; it is seldom, how- ever brought into action, perhaps only in a conflict with a rival queen.
The male is considerably more bulky than the working Bee. The eyes are more pro- minent, the antennas have thirteen articula- tions instead of twelve, the proboscis is short- er, the hind legs have not the basket for con- taining farina, and he is unprovided with a sting. The cavity of the abdomen is wholly occupied with the digestive and reproductive organs. The very loud humming noise he makes in flying, has fixed upon him the ap- pellation of Drone.
CHAPTER II.
THE SENSES OF BEES.
Much uncertainty has prevailed on the subject of the senses possessed by this insect,
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 29
not SO much, perhaps, in regard to their ex- istence, as to the locahty of the organs. Most naturalists admit their possession of five senses, analogous to those of man, though the celebrated Huber seems to have some doubt as to the existence of the faculty of hearing in Bees, at least without some im- portant modifications. Greater diversity of opinion, however, prevails as to the situation of those organs by which the impression of sight, touch, taste, sound, and smell are pro- duced on their sensations, and many curious experiments, by different naturalists, have been made with a view to ascertain the truth, but which have not always led to the same results. In researches so minute, it is, per- haps, vain to look for perfect accuracy in our conclusions, and we must be satisfied with any thing like a reasonable approximation to the truth.
30 TREATISE ON THE
CHAPTER III.
SIGHT.
In my remarks on the anatomical struc- ture of the head of the Bee, I observed that, besides the large reticulated eyes, placed, as in other animals, on the sides of the head, this insect possessed three stemmata or coro- netted eyes, arranged triangularly on its cen- tre, between the antennae. That these little specks are, in reality, organs of vision, has been made apparent, from accurate experi- ments, in which, when the reticulated eyes were blindfolded, the insect was evidently not deprived of sight, though the direction of its flight being vertical, seemed to prove that the stemmata were adapted only or chief- ly to upward vision. This additional organ must, doubtless, add considerably to its power of sight, though, probably, its aid may be confined chiefly to the obscure recesses of the hive. As the internal operations of the
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 31
insect, in the honey season, are carried on during the night as well as the day, the co- ronet eyes may, as Reaumur conjectures, serve to it the purpose of a microscope. As to the general power of vision in the Bee, its organs appear better adapted to distant ob- jects, than to such as are close at hand.
When returning loaded from the fields, it flies with unerring certainty, and distin- guishes at once its own domicil, in the midst of a crowded apiary. Yet every person, who has at all made this insect the subject of observation, must have seen it often at a loss, in returning to its hive, to find the en- trance, especially if its habitation has been shifted, ever so little, from its former station ; nay, if, without moving the hive, the en- trance has been turned round a single inch, from its former position, the Bee flies, with unerring precision to that point on the alighting board where the door formerly stood ; and, frequently, after many fruitless attempts to find the entrance, it is forced to rise again into the air, with a view, I may
32 TREATISE ON THE
suppose, of removing to such a distance from the desired object as is suited to the proper- ties or focus of its visual organ. I am led to conclude, therefore, from these well known facts, that the eye of the Bee has a lengthen- ed focus, and that it must depend on the aid of other organs in those operations wherein its attention is directed to objects close at hand.
CHAPTER IV.
FEELING OR TOUCH.
The organs of this sense are supposed, with reason, to reside in the antennas and palpi or feelers, particularly in the former. Huber concludes that the antenna3 supply the want of sight in the interior of the hive, and that it is solely by their means they are enabled to construct their combs in darkness, pour their honey into the magazines, feed
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 33
the young, judge of their age and necessi- ties, and recognize their queen.
Though it does by no means appear clear that the Bees are devoid of sight when em- ployed in their in-door operations, but, on the contrary, their is reason to believe, as already stated, that the stemmata or ocelli serve as orbs of vision, yet this naturalist is probably not wrong in ascribing to the an- tennae an important share in these operations. That the Bees use them as means of com- munication and recognition, seems readily admitted by apiarians. When a hive has lost its queen, the event, as may well be sup- posed, causes a high degree of agitation in the colony ; the disturbed workers, who have first, by some unknown means, acquired the knowledge of this public calamity, soon quit their immediate circle, and, meeting their companions, says Huber, their antennae are reciprocally crossed, and they slightly strike them.
The communication made by these means is quickly disseminated, and in a few minutes
34 TREATISE ON THE
the whole colony is in a state of agitation and distress. Of the antennse being employ- ed as instruments of recognition, the same naturalist gives a striking instance, which our limits prohibit from giving in his own words. Suffice it to say, that by means of a wire grating, wide enough only to admit the circulation of air, inserted in the middle of the hive, he separated the queen from half of her subjects and ascertained that neither sight, hearing, nor smell made the near neigh- borhood of their sovereign known to them, for they proceded to rear a new queen from the larva of a worker, as if the other were irrevocably lost. But when a grating wide enough to allow the transmission of the an- tennae was discovered, all went on as usual, for the bees soon ascertained by these organs the existence of their queen.
Another important use which the Bees make of this organ of touch deserves notice. Let us follow their operations by moonshine, when they keep watch at the opening of the hive to prevent the intrusion of moths then
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. 35
on the wing. It is curious to observe how artfully the moth knows how to profit to the disadvantage of the Bees, which require much hght for seeing objects, and the pre- cautions taken by the latter, in reconnoiter- ing and expelling so dangerous an enemy. Like vigilant sentinels, they patrol around their habitations with their antennae stretch- ed out straight before them, or turning to the right and left ; woe to the moth, if it cannot escape their contact ; it tries to glide along between the guards, carefully avoiding their flexible organs, as if aware that its safety depended on its caution.
CHAPTER y,
TASTE.
In Bees, taste appears, on a slight view, to differ most materially from that sense in man, and because, with all their eager fondness
36 TREATISE ON THE
for the rich nectar of flowers, they are frequent- ly detected lapping the impure fluid from cor- rupted marshes, it has been hastily conclu- ded, that their sense of taste is very defective. Huber thought it the least perfect of the bee- senses, and instances their gathering honey even from poisonous flowers, and regaling themselves with fetid liquids. Now, with de- ference to this distinguished observer, it may be permitted, perhaps to defend our favorites from so injurious an imputation. We have prima facie evidence of the delicacy of their taste, in their eager activity in collecting their delicious stores of honey, secreted by the most fragrant flowers ; and such is their ar- dor in these operations, that they defy the elements when the honey season is at its height, and, laying aside their usual fears of bad weather, boldly encounter wind and rain to get at their favorite fluid. Huber ac- knowledges, that when the lime-tree and black grain blossom, they brave the rain, de- part before sunrise, and return later than or- dinary. But their activity relaxes after the
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 37
iiowers have faded, and when the enamel adorning the meadows has fallen under the scythe, the Bees remain in their dwelling, however brilhant the sunshine. Wherefore have they not, in this decline of the flower- ing season, recourse to the foul marsh and slimy pool, which they are charged with fre- quenting ? Simply because the purposes for which they did frequent these unwholesome liquids have already been answered. The truth is, the Bees have recourse in spring, but, generally speakins:, in spring only, to dunghills and stagnant marshes, for the sake of the salts with which they are impregnated, and which -their instinct teaches them are advantageous to their health, after their long winter confinement. If we place before the Bees a portion of honey, and a portion of liquid drawn from a corrupt source, their choice will completely vindicate the purity of their taste, and their power of discrimina- tion in the selection of their food.
It is not meant to be denied, however, that the sense of taste in Bees is ever at fault. 4
38
TREATISE ON THE
This would be going in the face of some well authenticated instances of honey being in- jured, and even rendered dangerouS; in con- sequence of the Bees feeding on noxious plants. Towards the close of the year, when flowers become scarce, and in those parts of the country where alders abound, and where onions and leeks are cultivated on a large scale, and allowed to run to seed, the Bees, from taste, or from necessity, or from anxiety to complete their winter stores, are seen to feed on these plants, which communicate to the honey a very disagreeable flavor. Fa- ther Lamberti also assures us, that a shrub of Mingrelia produces a kind of honey which causes very deleterious eff'ects. It is quite possible that the poisonous juices extracted from these plants might be innoxious to the Bees themselves, and thus the correctness of their taste might be so far vindicated. Sir J. E. Smith asserts, that the nectar of plants is not poisonous to Bees, and an in- stance is given in the American Philosophical Transactions, of a party of young men, who,
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 39
induced by the prospect of gain, having re- moved their hives from Pennsylvania to the Jerseys, where there are vast savannahs, fineh- painted with the flowers of the Kalmia angustipolia, could not use or dispose of their honey, on account of its intoxicating quality ; yet the. Bees increased prodigiously, an in- crease only to he explained, says Dr. Be van, in his Honey Bee, by their being well and harmlessly fed. Nor is this defence of the taste of Bees successfully controverted by the following occurrence, stated in Nicholson's Journal. A large swarm of Bees having set- tled (observe, that they had merely alighted upon it, to rest, perhaps, after a long flight,) on a branch of the poison ash, in the county of Westchester, in the province of New- York, was put into a hive and removed to the place where it was to remain. Next morning the Bees were found dead, swelled to double their natural size, and black, except a few, which appeared torpid and feeble, and soon died on exposure to the air. This was at-
40 TREATISE ON THE
tributed to their being poisoned, not by their having fed upon, but by the effluvia of the Rhus vernix.
CHAPTER VI.
HEARING.
Considerable difference of opinion has prevailed among naturaUsts, both as to the existence of this sense in Bees, and the situa- tion of the organ. Aristotle was doubtful whether Bees possess this sense. Linnaeus and Bonnet denied them this faculty ; and Huber seems undecided on the point, while a host of others, among whom are ranked Kirby and Spence, maintain its existence, and place the organ in the antennae.
We know that Bees dislike noise, for an apiary situated near mills, smithies, or other noisy work-shops, is seldom prosperous. The different modulations of sound, produ-
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEE3. 41
ced by the wings in flying, seem intended as a means of communication addressed to an organ of hearing, as signals of attack, of re- call, of departure, (fee. In consequence of a belief in the reality of this sense in Bees, the practice is common of beating sonorous bo- dies at the moment of swarming, in order to prevent them from communicating with one another, and thus to present an obstacle to their flying away. We know also that many other insects possess this faculty ; and, as we observe «n the proceedings of Bees, the same effects which, in other insects, unquestion- ably proceed from the sense of hearing, we regard these effects as presumptive evidence of the former possessing the same faculty.
Huber set out with intimating a doubt of its existence, — possibly, in deference to his friend Bonnett, to whom his letters are ad- dressed, and who was an unbeliever in its reality, —yet, in the end, confesses that he is strongly tempted to believe in it, or at least, to admit a sense in Bees analogous to hearing, observing that certain sounds, as produced 4*
42 TREATISE ON THE
by Bees, apparently serve as a signal to their companions, and are followed by regular consequences, and that, therefore, they may be additional means of communication to those afforded by the antennae. He mentions particularly a sound emitted by the queen, which produces paralyzing effects on the Bees in certain circumstances. Describing the attempts of a reigning queen to destroy her rivals, while yet in their cells, he tells us, that the Bees on guard pulled and bit her, and drove her away, in these circumstances she emitted the sound alluded to, standing, while doing so, with her thorax against a comb, and her wings crossed on her back, in motion, but without being unfolded or far- ther opened.
Whatever might be the cause of her as- suming this attitude, the Bees were effected by it, all hung down their heads, and re- mained motionless. On another occasion, after a queen had put her rival to death, she approached a royal cell, and took this mo- ment to utter the sound, and assume that
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 43
posture which strikes the Bees motionless. This discovery of Huber has been brought forward on his authority, by naturahsts, as a conchisive evidence of the existence of the auditory faculty in Bees. And so it would be, if Huber was not mistaken in his supposed discovery. A voice of sovereignty produ- cing such powerful and instantaneous effects on her subjects, is so remarkable a property of her Bee-majesty, that it would be desirable to have its existence proved beyond a doubt by succeeding experiments. With much con- fidence in the accuracy of this distinguished naturalist's observations, I entertain some hesitation on the subject of this magical sound. By my observatory hive, I have seen the queen in all the circumstances, and in all the positions observable within a hive, and have seen her combating with a rival queen, and have observed her very frequent- ly in the particular situation described by Huber, when he first heard the commanding voice, endeavoring to tear open the cell of a rival, and angrily repulsed by the workers,
44 TREATISE ON THE
then standing at a little distance on the sur- face of the combj with her wings crossed over her back, and in motion, though not fuily unfolded, and emitting the clear dis- tinct sound, which is heard in a hive for a day or two before the departure of a second swarm, and certainly I never witnessed any •such effect produced on the Bees as Huber -speaks of, and which, had it taken place, •could not possibly have escaped my obser- tion. On the contrary, the Bees seemed not in the slightest degree affected by her wrath, for she was evidently in a state of great irri- tation, but continued to giiard the cell of the captive queen with a dogged-looking obsti- nacy, apparently expecting and prepared for another attempt on it by the enraged sove- reign, Huber may be in the right, and his general accuracy affords a presumption in his fevor : nevertheless, it would be very satisfactory to have his acuracy, in this par- ticular point, confirmed by some other ob- server. Taking it for granted, that the sense of hearing does exist in Bees, where are we
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 45
to look for the situation of the organ. Na- turahsts are not agreed on this point, but the majority vest it in the antennae. Kirby and Spence notice the analogy borne by the an- tennae to the ears of vertebrated animals, such as their corresponding in number, and standing out of the head, and observe that no other organ has been found which can be supposed to represent the ear. In that case, this appendage of the head of the Bee, must be regarded as a compound organ, exercising the functions of both hearing and touch. It has already been hinted that some observers have regarded it as the organ of vision ; and we shall afterwards find that there are those who look upon it as the organ of smell. In this deficiency of precise knowledge on the subject, we may perhaps rest satisfied with the opinion of Kirby, that, the antennae, by a peculiar structure, may collect notices from the atmosphere, receive pulses or vibrations, and communicate them to the sensorium, which communication ,though not precisely to be called hearing, may answer the same
46
TREATISE ON THE
purpose. The same author gives an anec- dote of another insect, which goes to prove that the antennae aie indeed the organs of this sense : " A Httle moth was reposing on my window ; 1 made a quiet, not loud, but distinct noise ; the nearest antennae imme- diately moved towards me ; I repeated the noise at least a dozen times, and it was fol- lowed every time by the same motion of that organ, till at length the insect being alarm- ed, became agitated and violent in its motions. In this instance it could not be touch, since the antennaae were not applied to a surface, but directed towards the quarter from which the sound came, as if to listen."
CHAPTER VII.
SMELLING.
Of all their senses that of smell in Bees is the most acute. Attracted by the fragance
MANAGEMENT OF HCTNEY BEES. 4.T
of the flowers, we see them winging their eager way to a very considerable distance, in a straight undeviating course,, and in the very teeth of a strong wind, in search of those plants which promise an abundant honey-harvest. Very striking proefs of the acuteness of this sense may be observed within the limits of the apiary. Early in springs when the bee-master begins feeding his colony^ he has reason to marvel at the instantaneous notice which this organ gives them, of his approach. Arriving amongst his hives, though frc-m the chillness of a spring morning, not a Bee is seen stirring out of doors, he has not time to fill the feeding- troughs from the vessel in his handy before he is surrounded by hundreds, and in the space of five minutes or less^ the float-board of every trough is covered with a dense mass of eager feeders. In feeding a newly-lodged swarm, during unfavorable weather in sum- mer, it is curious to observe, through the glass, the motionless hemispherical mass at the ceiling of the hive, becoming instantane-
48 TREATISE ON THE
ously elongated, and changed into the form of an inverted Uving pyramid, having its apex resting on the sides of the hive, while a score or two of stragglers, who have in the confusion been separated or have fallen from the mass above, hasten along, snuffing the grateful fragrance, ranging themselves in a line on the edge of the trough, and eagerly plunging their probosces into the liquid. It is to their exquisite sense of smell also, in all likelihood, that we must attribute their capability of distinguishing friend from foe, among their own species. If a stranger Bee by mistake enter a hive, and this sometimes happens, in consequence of some slight alte- ration in the arrangement of the apiary, his close resemblance to his fellow-insects will not secure him from an immediate attack from all quarters ; he is detected by a more subtle sense than vision, and instant flight alone can save him. Huber, to whose re- searches we are so much indebted in regard to the senses of Bees, has made some very conclusive experiments on that of smell, all
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 49
of which I have repeated with precisely the same resuUs. Like his, our first experiment was to ascertain the acuteness of the sense. He concealed a vessel with honey behind the shutters of an open window, near the apiary. In my experiment, a small box, containing a portion of honey mingled with water, and covered with a piece of wire-gauze, was placed at a distance of one hundred yards from the apiary, where it was by no means conspicuous. In a quarter of an hour a Bee alighted on the box, and in a few minutes more, while this Bee was eagerly exploring and striving to gain an entrance, several more joined it. The cover was then raised, and admission given ; and after the first visi- tors had gone off with a belly-full, the feeders increased in the space of an hour to hun- dreds. In another instance, a neighbor of mine living on the next block from me, bought a hive of honey for his own consump- tion, and kept it in the back part of his yard, covered up, and they would go and cut out a piece as they wished it for their own use,
50 TREATISE ON THE
and ill the spring my Bees got access to if^ took all the honey and left them the empty comb. To diversify the trial, Huber pro- cured four small boxes, to the apertures of which, large enough to admit a Bee, he fitted shutters or valves, made of card-paper, which it was necessary should be forced open in order to gain admission. Honey being put into them, they were placed at the distance of two hundred paces from the apiary. In half an hour, Bees were seen arriving, care- fully traversing the boxes ; they soon disco- vered the openings, pressed against the valves, and reached the honey. This is a striking instance of the delicacy of smell in these insects, as not only was the honey quite concealed from view, but its odorous effluvia, from its being covered and disguised in the experiment, could not be much diffused. I repeated successfully similar experiments. In fact, after the first trial, I had no doubt of the issue of the second ; for if once the sense of smell in the Bees ascertained the ex- istence and situation of the honey, I had seen
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 51
enough of their ingenuity in other cases, not to doubt their success in obtaining entrance. In endeavoring to ascertain the precise situation of the organ, there is considerable difficuhy. Ruber's experiment to ascertain this point, is full of interest, and we recom- mend a perusal of the account of it as de- tailed in his work. He dipped a pencil in oil of turpentine, a substance very disagree- able to insects, and presented it to the thorax, the stigmata, the abdomen, the antennae, the eyes, and the proboscis, without the Bee be-' traying the slightest symptom of uneasy feel- ing. It was otherwise when he held it to the mouth ; it started, left the honey by which it had been enticed, and was on the point of taking flight, when the pencil was with- drawn. He next filled the mouth with flour- paste, when the insect seemed to have lost the sense of smell altogether. Honey did not attract it, nor did offensive odors, even the formidable turpentine, annoy it. The organ of smell, therefore, appears to reside in the mouth, or in the parts depending on
52 TREATISE ON THE
it. To those who may wish to repeat this experiment, I would recommend that they previously deprive the Bee under operation of a portion of its sting, which may be easily done, by forcing the insect to extrude it, and then snipping it off, about the middle, with a pair of scissors ; the excision will not vitally injure the insect, and will give confidence to the experimenter.
I cannot conclude this disquisition on the sense of smell in Bees, without gratifying my readers by extracting from Dr. Bevan's work, a remarkable instance of its acuteness and delicacy ; and which had been communica- ted to him, by the son of the gentleman who is the subject of it. It is generally believed that Bees have an antipathy to particular in- dividuals, arising, probably, from some pe- culiar odor about them, which, though not discernable by, or unpleasant to man, may be so to this sensitive insect. Mr. Wildman had for years been a proprietor and admirer of Bees, and would approach them with impu- nity. He would at any time search for the
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 53
quoeiij and taking hold of her gently, place her on his hand. But he was unfortunately attacked with a violent fever, and long con- fined by it. On his recovery he attempted to resume his favorite amusement among the Bees, returning to them with all that con- fidence and pleasure which he had felt on former occasions; when, to his great sur- prise and disappointment, he discovered that he was no longer in possession of their fa- vor ; and that, instead of being received by them as an old friend, he was treated as a trespasser; nor was he ever able after this period to perform any operation with them, or to approach within their precincts, with- out exciting their anger. Here then itispretty evident, that some change had taken place in the counsellor's secretions, in consequence of the fever, which, though not noticeable by his friends, was offensive to the Bees.
54 TREATISE ON THE
CHAPTER VIII.
THE INMATES OF A HIVE.
A HIVE consists of the queen or mother- Bee, the workers or neuters, varying in num- bers from 10,000 to 20,000, or 30,000, and the males or drones, from 5 to 700, and dou- ble that number.
CHAPTER IX.
OP THE aUEEN BEE.
The queen Bee is easily distinguished from other Bees by the form and size, and her color tends to a deeper yellow. The slowness, or even gravity of her march, her stature, and above all, the various homage paid her by the Bees, characterize her in a distinguished manner. She is larger, longer
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 55
at least, and her wings are shorter in pro- portion to her size, than those of other Bees. The wings of drones and of common work- ing Bees cover their bodies, but those of the queen scarcely reach beyond the middle. Her hinder part tapers more than the corres- ponding part of other Bees, something in the shape of a sugar loaf, and is admirably adapt- ed for the purpose of being introduced into the cells to deposit her eggs, which she does without being incommoded by her wings, as she no doubt would be were they long in proportion to the length of her body. Con- sidering then the office she has to perform, the shortness of her wings, and the length and tapering of her body are alike conveni- ences to her, her belly and legs are yellower, and her upper parts darker than those of other Bees. Though furnished with a sting, she very rarely uses it, only at the approach of another queen, and will bear being hand- led without being provoked. A young queen is smaller than a full grown one. When three or four days old she is quick in her motions j
56 TREATISE ON TPIE
but when impregnated she becomes heavy. The queen is the parent of the hive, and her sole province and occupation consist in lay- ing eggs, from which originate those prodi- gious multitudes that people a hive, and emi- grate from it in the course of one summer. In the height of the season her fertility is truly astonishing, as she lays from 100 to 200 eggs per day, and even more when the sea- son is particularly warm and genial, though at a gradually diminishing rate, till the ap- proach of cold weather in October.
So early as February, she resumes her la- bors in the same department, and supplies the great blank made in the population by the numerous casualties that take place be- tween the end of summer and commence- ment of spring. Her great laying of the eggs of workers, begins generally about the fifth day of her age ; and she continues to deposit eggs of the same kind for the succeeding eleven months, after which she commences laying those of males. It is during the de- positing of these last, that the Bees are led
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 57
by their instinct to lay the foundation of royal cells, in which, if the population be abundant, the queen deposits eggs at inter- vals of one or two days between each. In the operation of laying, which I have a thou- sand times witnessed in my Observatory hive, the queen puts her head into a cell, and remains in that position about a second or two, as if to ascertain whether it is in a fit state to receive the deposit. She then with- draws her head, curves her body down- wards, inserts her abdomen into the cell, and turns half round on herself Having kept this position for a few seconds, she with- draws her body, having in the meantime de- posited an egg. She thus keeps on laying eggs, day and night ; and I have shown her to hundreds of people, laying eggs, some- thing which they never before saw. The egs: itself, which is attached to the bottom of the cell by a glutinous matter with which it is imbued, is of a slender oval shape, slightly curved, rather more pointed in the lower end than in the other. She passes on from cell
58 TREATISE ON THE
to cell, furnishing each with the germ of a future inhabitant ; and during these proceed- ings she receives the most marked and affec- tionate attention from the workers. Wher- ever she stops, she is seen continually sur- rounded by a circle of them, from ten to twelve, who caress her fondly with their an- tennas, and occasionally supply her with food from their probosces. This appearance has given rise to the notion commonly en- tertained, and asserted even by some natu- ralists, that the queen is followed in her pro- gress through the hive by a number of her subjects formed in a circle round her, and these of course have been regarded as the queen's body guards. The truth is, how- ever, that her Bee-majesty has no attendants, but wherever she moves the workers whom she encounters in her progress, instantly and hurriedly clear the way before her, and all turning their heads towards their approach- ing sovereign, lavish their caresses upon her with much apparent affection, and touch her softly with their antennae ; and these circum-
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 59
Stances, which may be observed every hour in the day, in a properly constructed glass hive, have given rise to the idea of guards. The moment she has left the circle the Bees who had surrounded her instantly resume their labors, and she passes on, receiving from every group in her way the homage due to a mother and a queen. There is a fact connected with the instinct of the queen in laying her eggs, which deserves particular notice, and which I have not seen stated by any other writer on the subject of Bees. When she has laid a cluster of eggs, to the number of thirty or forty, more or less ac- cording to circumstances, on one side of the comb, instead of laying in all the empty cells in the same quarter, she removes to the other side, and lays in the cells which are directly opposite to those which she has just supplied with eggs, and, generally speaking, in none else. This mode of proceeding is of a piece with that wise arrangement which runs through all the operations of the Bees, and is another effect of that remarkable instinct
60 TREATISE ON THE
by which they are guided ; for as they clus- ter closely in those parts of the comb which are filled with brood, in order to concentrate the heat for their being hatched, the heat will of course penetrate to the other side, and some portion of it would be wasted if the cells on that side were either empty or filled only with honey. But when both sides are filled with brood, and covered with hive Bees, the heat is confined to the spot where it is necessary, and is turned to full account in bringing the young to maturity.
The mutual aversion of queens is a stri- king feature in the natural history of this in- sect ; and though not perhaps strictly in place, one extraordinary eflTect of it may be mentioned here. Their mutual enmity may be truly said to be an inborn disposition with them, for no sooner has the first of the race in a hive about to throw off a second swarm, escaped from her own cradle, than she hur- ries away in search of those of her rivals, and, as will be afterwards described, exerts herself with the most impetuous eagerness to
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 61
destroy them. I have witnessed this inter- esting exhibition of Bee warfare, as descri- bed by Huber : I have seen two queens that happened to emerge from their cells at the same time, and saw them come in contact with each other, when a pitched battle took place, which generally ends in the death of one of the combatants.
CHAPTER X.
OF THE WORKER BEE.
The workers, to the number of 10,000; 20,000, 30,000, and even 40,000, constitute the great mass of the population, and on them devolve the whole labors of the estab- lishment. Theirs is the office of searching for and collecting the precious fluid, which not only furnishes their daily food, as well as that of their young, and the surplus of which is laid up for winter stores, but also the materials from which they rear their beautiful combs. In the little basket-shaped 6
62 TREATISE ON THE
cavity ia their hind legs, they bring home the pollen or farinaceous dust of flowers, kneaded by the help of the morning dew in- to tiny balls, which form an important in- gredient in the nourishment of the brood ; and also the propolis or adhesive gum ex- tracted from willows, &c. with which they attach their combs to the upper part and sides of the hive, and stop every crevice that might admit the winter's cold. Exploring a glass hive in a soft spring morning, and fol- lowing with your eye a Bee loaded with fa- rina, the observer will perceive the little ac- tive forager on her arrival in the interior, hurrvinof over the surface of the comb in search of a proper cell in which to deposit her burden ; and having found one, fasten- ing herself by the two fore feet on its supe- rior border, then bending her body a little forward, that her hinder feet may catch hold of the opposite edge of the cell. In this po- sition she is next seen thrusting back her second pair of feet, one on each side, and sweeping with them from top to bottom
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. G3
along the two hinder legs, where the farina balls are fixed, and by this means detaching them from the hairy linings of the cavities, and depositing them in the cell. To the workers, also, are committed the various of- fices of guarding the entrance of the hive by night and day, during the honey season, of repulsing marauders, of keeping their abode free from all ofiensive matters, of renewing the air within by an ingenious mode of ven- tilation, of replacing a lost queen, and of de- stroying the drones at the decline of the honey season.
Receiving from nature these weighty charges, they labor assiduously to fulfil them ; and, while each member of the com- munity acts by the impulse of its individual instinct, it works less for private than for the general good. These labors appear unceas- ing ; yet do the weary laborers sometimes snatch an interval of repose. During the busy season I have seen hundreds of the workers retiring into the cells, and exhibit- ing all the marks of profound sleep. This
64 TREATISE ON THE
fact is very easily observable, especially in those cells which are constructed, as some- times happens, against the glass, and where that substance forms one side of the cell. There they are, the fatigued laborers, stretch- ed at full length, with their heads at the bot- tom, and every limb apparently in a relaxed state, while the little body is seen heaving gently from the process of respiration. Ru- ber thinks he has ascertained that there are two kinds of workers in a hive, one of which he calls wax workers, and the other nurses. It does not appear, however, that naturalists were acquainted with the different functions, if the difference really does exist, of the two classes. The office of the jfirst class, accord- ing to Huber, is not only to collect honey, which both kinds do, but also to elaborate the wax and construct the combs. The par- ticular function of the other, is to take care of the young. They may be distinguished in entering the hive by carefully examining their shape, the wax workers having their bellies somewhat cylindrical, while those of
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. 65
the nurses retain their ovoidal figure. The anatomical structure of the two is said to be different, and the capacity of stomach not the same ; so that the one species is incapa- ble of fulfilling all the functions of the other. Huber has also directed our attention to a class of workers, which he calls black Bees. In every thing they bear a perfect resem- blance to their fellow-workers, except in co- lor, which in them is a deep black. He describes them as persecuted by the other workers, and finally expelled the hives or destroyed.
I have noticed them, though rarely, per- haps not more than ten or twelve in a season. The other Bees did not molest them, as far as I observed, nor indeed seem in any way sensible of their presence. It is not impro- bable that they are merely aged Bees, and that their deeper color arises from the hair or down with which the young are so thick- ly clothed, being worn off their bodies. In describing the functions of the working Bee, it would be improper to pass over unnoticed
66 TREATISE ON THE
the fact, that it sometimes exercises the func- tions of a mother. To account for this ap- parent anomaly, we must remember that it has been ascertained by minutely accurate dissection, that all the workers are females, though of imperfect organization, a fact con- firmed by the very circumstance I am now discussing. We must also keep in mind, that the larva of a queen is nourished with food of a different kind from that of common Bees ; and this difference, in conjunction with a more roomy cell, has, in the opinion of na- turalists, the effect of expanding the ovarium, ■and qualifying her to become a mother. It is evident, therefore, that, if the larva of a common Bee were fed with the royal jel- ly, the imperfection in her bodily organs would, as far at least as depended on the nature of the food, be removed, and she would become capable of laying eggs. Now this does occasionally take place ; some of the royal food is dropped, probably by acci- dent, into some of the cells adjoining that of the queen, and the Bees therein reared ac-
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. 67
quire the power of laying eggs. This fact was discovered by the naturalist Riem, and has been confirmed by Huber. There is, however, a very material and hitherto unac- counted for ditference between these fertile workers and perfect queens, the former lay the eggs of males only. I would certainly have expected, a priori^ that a difference be- tween them should exist, because the work- ers have fed on the royal jelly only for a short time, and because their birth-place is so much smaller. But I cannot easily con- ceive how these circumstances should be the cause of their laying only male eggs. In truth, it appears to be one of those mysteries in Bee-economy which, with all my re- searches on the subject, I cannot yet unra- vel. These fertile workers are never found in any hives but such as have lost their na- tural queen. The natural term of the work- er's existence does not extend, 1 think, be- yond from twelve to eighteen months. But many never reach that period. Showers of rain, violent blasts of wind, sudden changes
68 TREATISE ON THE
of atmosphere, destroy them in hundreds. In the clear cold mornings and evenings of autumn, their eagerness for foraging entices them abroad early and late ; when, alighting on the ground, many are chilled and quickly perish ; and should they escape the blight- ing atmosphere of the close of autumn, a bright sunshine in a winter day, when the ground perhaps is covered v/ith snow, brings them abroad in multitudes, and the half of them never return. From these causes, in- dependent of the numbers which fall a prey to enemies, a swarm which, in July amount- ed to fifteen or twenty thousand, will, by the following February or March, have dwin- dled to a mere handful It is otherwise with the queen; going seldom abroad, she is little exposed to accidents. Her natural life is prolonged to several years, though the precise extent has not been accurately ascer- tained ; yet they have been known to live three or four years.
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 69
CHAPTER XI.
THE DRONE BEE.
The drones are larger than the others ; their heads are round, eyes full, and their tongues short, they are also much darker and differ in the form of the belly ; they have no sting and they make a greater noise in flying than the common Bees. The sole office of the male, or at least the primary one, is to pair with the queen. He is the fa- ther of the hive. Indolent and luxurious, he takes no part in the internal operations of the domicil, and never leaves it with a view of sharing in the labors of the field. When he does venture abroad, it is only in the fi- nest weather, and during the warmest part of the day, at which time the young queens are instinctively led to go out in search of the male. The life of the drone is extreme- ly short ; the favored lover perishes soon after his union with the female, and thus an-
70 TREATISE ON THE
ticipatssj though only by a short period, the destruction which awaits his race. So early as the beginning of August, the Bees, as if wishing to apply the preventive check, to a superabundant idle population, begin to ma- nifest deadly intentions towards them ; and the unfortunate victims, as if to derive con- solation from one another's society, or per- haps driven together by their irascible supe- riors, may be seen about that period cluster- ing closely together in some corner of the combs, where they remain without motion, and without once venturing to approach the provision cells.
Thus weakened by hunger and captivity, and disqualified for resistance by the want of a sting, they fall an easy prey to their mer- ciless assailants; and a scene of carnage takes place which it is diificult to describe. The unhappy wretches are seen driven to the bottom of the hive, and pursued with such fury, that, in spite of their strength, which is greatly superior to that of their persecu- tors, and which enables them to drag two or
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 71
three of their assailants along the board, and even to fly off with them, they are unable to avoid the mortal thrust of their formidable stings, and expire instantaneously from the effects of the poison. But death overtakes them in various forms ; for their enemies sometimes seize them by the wings, and with their strong mandibles gnaw them at the roots, and disable them from flying. They may then be seen in numbers crawling on the ground, where they perish from the cold, or are trampled under foot, and devoured by birds or frogs. Such as escape for a while, may be seen flying from destruction, lighting on the shrubs and flowers to enjoy a moment's respite from their terrors ; or buzzing about from hive to hive, into one of which they no sooner enter, than certain death awaits them. Nay, so bitter is the fury of their tormentors, that, not satisfied with destroying these un- happy beings themselves, they tear from the cells such of the doomed race as are yet in the state of larvae, and sucking from their bodies, with instinctive economy, the fluids
72 TREATISE ON THE
they contain, cast the lifeless remains out of the hive. There are cases, however, in which this destruction of males does not take place. " In hives that have lost their queen," says Huber, " the males are spared, and, while a savage massacre rages in other hives, they here find an asylum. They are tolerated and fed, and many are seen even in the mid- die of January. The cause of this may per- haps be looked for in the additional heat which they would generate in winter ; or, perhaps, they may be preserved for the pur- pose of pairing with a new queen.
CHAPTER XII.
IMPREGNATION OF THE QUEEN BEE.
In looking into a hive in spring or sum- mer, the queen will be seen laying eggs in the cells; in the smaller cells, those of work- ers, and in the larger, those of males or drones.
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 73
These eggs, if examined on the fourth day from their being deposited, will be found hatched, and a small worm produced, which is floating in a whitish liquid, ascertained to be food introduced for the nourishment of the infant brood ; and in due time a perfect Bee emerges from the cell. But how is this living animal generated ? The queen lays the egg, without doubt, and the insect is evolved from it ; but how is the egg fecun- dated or rendered fertile ? Has the queen had personal union with the male ? No one can speak positively to such a fact ; by what other means, then, is this eflect produced? The impregnation of the Queen Bee is a branch of natural history which has given rise to more discussion, than almost any other fact connected with the nature of the insect. And indeed the difiiculty, we might almost say impossibility, of obtaining any thing like ocular evidence on the subject, will readily account for the diversity of opin- ion that has hitherto prevailed. And we should hope that this difficulty alone, and not
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any preconceived theory or unreasonable prejudice, is the cause of that determined pertinacity with which the discoveries and conclusions of Huber, on this subject, are still in some instances rejected. That justly celebrated naturalist instituted a set of ex- periments on the subject of the queen's im- pregnation, the result of which leads to the conclusion that it takes place in the air. Though I was once inclined to differ in opinion with Huber on the subject, from what I have seen in my observatory hive, this summer, (1841), I am led to conclude the accuracy of that remark. I had a queen, which left the hive about the third day of her ao"e, as I supposed, for impregnation, but she never returned to the hive again, and so left it without a queen. I had to supply them with a queen from another hive. I condemn no man who differs from me on this nice subject, as I have no direct proof. My great object is not to dispute with the naturalist, the philosopher, or with the apiarian, how the Q,ueen Bee becomes impregnated : be-
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 75
cause, be that as it may, it is^ no doubt, con- sistent with the law of nature ; it is, no doubt, a part of that all prevailing law, and though hitherto undiscovered, I do cherish strong hopes that the observatory-hive I have constructed, will, on some auspicious future day, disclose such facts as will set the matter to rest for ever.
CHAPTER XIII.
RETARDED IMPREGNATION.
There is a fact connected with this part of the natural history of the Mother Bee, which involves great difficulties. The fact itself was discovered by Huber, but its cause he was unable to develop, and no succeeding naturalist has been able to free it from the obscurity in which he has left it ; I mean the effects of retarded impregnation. These effects are sueh as I could hardly credit, were
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not the fact confirmed by numerous experi- ments. If impregnation be delayed longer than twenty days from the queen's birth, the consequence is that none but male eggs are laid, even during the whole of the queen's life. This phenomenon has baffled every at- tempt to explain its cause. There are mys- teries in the operations of nature, both in reference to the rational and irrational crea- tion, which will, probably, for ever remain inscrutable to man. In the natural state of things, that is, when fecundation has not been postponed, the queen lays the eggs of work- ers' in forty-six hours after her union with the male, and continues for the subsequent eleven months to produce these alone; and it is only after this period that a considerable laying of the eggs of drones commences. Huber asserts that before a queen com- mences her great laying of male eggs, she must be eleven months old. But he ac- knowledges that a queen, hatched in spring, will perhaps lay fifty or sixty eggs of drones in the whole, during the course of the ensu-
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 77
ing summer. I know this to be true, from my own experience, and also, as the usual consequence of this appearance of male eggs, that the Bees commence building royal cells, the queen lays in them, and swarming takes place. Now this partial laying of drones' eggs takes place only in the case of very early swarms, and if the weather be unfavorable, it does not happen even in them.
CHAPTER XIY.
OF THE BROOD.
In forty-six hours after impregnation, the Q,ueen Bee. as already noticed, begins to lay the eggs of workers, and continues to do so, without intermission, throughout the season, at the rate of between 100 and 200 a day, unless cold weather intervene, when her operations are suspended, as well as the hatching retarded of the eggs already laid. 7*
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The fruitfulness of the Mother Bee is in- deed astonishing. It has been computed that the numbers produced in a hive by one queen, during the laying season, amount to 100,000, and I am satisfied the computation is correct. In the beginning of the year it is a tolerably good stock hive which possesses a population of 2000 or 3000. Yet that same hive shall, in June, throw ofFswarms amount- ing to 40,000 or 50,000 ; in many cases the first swarm itself, and in some even the cast or second swarm throws off a colony of 10,000 or 12,000, and still, at the end of harvest, this original stock hive shall exhi- bit a population ^of 18,000 or 20,000. Add to all this, in some instances, though rare, a first swarm throws off two colonies.
Before depositing her eggs, the queen care- fully examines the cell, inserting her head into it and keeping it there for a second or two, and, as already stated, after having laid a few eggs on one side, and with a view probably of economizing heat, supplies the corresponding cells on that side. Her im-
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. /^
patience or necessity to commence laying is such, that in a newly established hive, eggs will be found before there are three inches square of comb constructed, and even before the cells have attained the full depth ; and in a well peopled hive, even during winter, and while the temperature is chilled by the frosts and snows of January, and the bleak winds of the following month, the indefati- gable Mother Bee is found busied in deposit- ing eggs.
I have said that the queen begins laying eggs forty-six hours after impregnation. This does not hold true invariably. A sud- den change of temperature may prolong the interval to a very considerable extent. Ru- ber had a queen impregnated in Octoberj which, on account of the inclemency of the season, did not begin laying till the follow- ing spring. The eggs, when laid, remain fixed on the superior angle of the cell, to which they are attached by a viscous matter covering them, for three days ; on the fourth, the shell, or thin enveloping membrane,
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bursts, and a small lively worm is deposited at the bottom. The nursing Bees instantly enter upon their vocation, and administer a copious supply of liquid food, of which fa- rina, honey, and probably water, are the in- gredients. As the larva increases in growth, the attention of the Bees in nourishing it is augmented and indeed unremitting, for at whatever time we inspect a brood-comb, we shall observe hundreds of nurses with their bodies inserted in the supplying of the wants of the infant progeny. Although in the ver- micular state, and consequently without feet, the larvae are capable of moving in a spiral direction. During the first three days, their motion is so slow as to be scarcely percepti- ble, and they have been observed to perform two complete revolutions in not less than two hours. The slightest movement of the nurse Bees, approaching to minister to their wants, is sufficient to attract them to their food, which they devour most voraciously, and it is unsparingly lavished upon them. At first the liquor is nearly insipid, but acquires gra-
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. SI
dually a perceptible flavor of honey, and be- comes more and more saccharine and trans- parent, in proportion as the larva advances in growth. It is indescribable, the care which the workers lavish on these little nurslings, towards whom they seem to cherish the ten- derest attachment. A comb filled with brood, and placed in an empty hive, never fails to retain them there, to the utter disregard of the loss of their stores. The tenderest mo- ther could not watch over her children with more affection, nor supply them with nourish- ment more impartially, or in greater abun- dance ; at the same time it is done without waste, for the quantity is so proportioned to the demand, that none of it remains in the cells where the larvae undergo their trans- formation to the nymph state. At the mo- ment of being hatched, the insect presents the appearance of a small straight worm ; it quickly grows so as to touch the sides of the cell, when it contracts its body, and coils itself into a semi-circular figure, and conti- nues enlarging its dimensions till the extre-
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mities meet, and forrti a complete ring. In this state it continues, receiving food from its nurses, for five days, when it ceases to eat ; its supplies are, of course, cut off, and the Bees proceed to seal up the sell with a waxed cover, of a brownish color, and slight- ly convex. Thus left to itself, the larva be- gins spinning around its body, after the man- ner of the silk- worm, a fine silken film or cocoon, which completely envelops it. The silken thread employed in forming this co- vering, Kirby and Spence tells us, proceeds from the middle part of the under lip, and is, in fact, composed of two threads, gummed together as they issue from the two adjoin- ing orifices of the spinner. In the formation of its cocoon, the larva occupies thirty-six hours, and in three days after, it is metamor- phosed into a nymph or pupa, terms applied to the mummy-like state to which the larva is subjected, previous to its becoming a per- fect insect. During this state of conceal- ment, various changes happen to the enclo- sed insect. The first change in its situation
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 83
is its ceasino^ to continue in that coiled posi- tion in which it originally lay at the bottom of the cell, and extending itself along its whole length, with its head in the direction of the mouth of the cell. The head begins to appear from the inert looking mass, having a small protuberance, probably the rudiment of the proboscis ; the first lineaments of the feet also appear, thoutrh of diminutive size. After the head is formed and the proboscis prolonged, all the other parts display them- selves successively, and the worm is changed to the perfect insect, except that its outer covering is yet white and soft, and has not that dark scaly texture which, as a proper coat of defence, it afterwards acquires. By this transformation the larva becomes divest- ed of its cocoon, which is attached so closely to the internal surface of the cell, that it ap- pears to form part of its substance, and adds considerably to its thickness. These linings are sometimes found, to the number of seven or eight, adhering to the sides of the cell, and often have an injurious eifect, diminish-
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ing, as they do, the cell's capacity, and ex- citing, by their strong smell, the attacks of moths and other enemies. The number of linings found adhering to a cell, and which may be disjoined by soaking the comb in water, indicates the number of Bees to which it has been the birth-place. The Bee, thus stripped of its silken envelop, and having all its parts unfolded by degrees, and changed, through a succession of colors, from a dull white to black, arrives at the state of a per- fect insect on the 20th day, counting from the time the egg is laid. She then eagerly com- mences the operation of cutting through, with her mandibles, the cover of her cell, and in half an hour succeeds in escaping from her prison. On quitting her cradle, she appears, for a few seconds, drowsy and listless, but soon assumes the agility natural to the race, and on the same day on which she has emerged from her prison, sets out with her seniors to engage in the labors of the field. Some of the ancient bee-masters enlarge on the attention paid by the seniors
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 85
to the young worker on emerging from her prison, describing them as licking her body, supplying her with food, and seeming to in- struct her in what is necessary to render her ti useful member of the community. These descriptions have been repeated by succeed- ing writers on the subject, and the existence of these amiable traits in the kind nurses of the young is taken for granted, as an indubi- table fact in their natural history. I have reason, in consequence of repeated observa- tions, in my observatory hive, to disbelieve the alleged fact, and must, in accordance with the truth, withhold from my favorites the unmerited eulogiums they have received on this head. They are, in fact, in this par- ticular, harsh and unfeeling in the extreme. In hundreds of instances, I have seen and pi- tied the infant insect, when, after having long struggled to get out of its cradle, it has at last succeeded so far as to extrude the head, and when laboring with the most eager impa- tience, and on the very point of extricating the shoulders also, which would at once secure S
86 TREATISE ON THE
its exitjadozenor two of workers, in following their avocations, trample without ceremony over the strugglins: creature^ which is then forced, for the safety of its head, to pop quick- ly down into its cell, and wait till the unfeel- ing crowd pass on, before it can renew its efforts to escape. Again and again are the same impatient exertions repeated by the same individual, and with similar mortifying interruptions, before it succeeds in obtaining its freedom. Not the slightest attention or sympathy is observable on the part of the workers in these circumstances, nor did I ever, in a single instance, witness the kind parental cares which seem to owe their ex- istence to the fancy of the writers alluded to. During the larva-stage, as I have shown^ the solicitude of the workers about the wel- fare and nourishment of their infant charge is extreme ; but from the moment they have sealed up the cell, and while the larva is un- dergoing its transformation, they seem to cease from every thing like individual atten- tion, and though when a brood-comb is med-
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 87
died with their utmost ire is kindled against the invader, as far as concerns the reception of the newly hatched insect, and its intro- duction to the duties and avocations of the Bee community they appear altogether self- ish and indiiferent. There is another case in which this indifference appears very striking : a sudden change of weather, about the end of autumn, from a mild temperature to raw frost, has such an immediate effect on the brood, that it is not uncommon to ob- serve a young Bee, which shall have so far succeeded in breaking its prison, as to extri- cate its head, and nearly its shoulders, yet perishing from the cold in this situation, without the slightest effort on the part of the workers to save the life of a companion whose rearing has already cost them so much labor.
Immediately after the young Bee has issu- ed from the cell, the workers hasten to clean it out, clear away the ragged remains of the cover, fortify it anew with the usual strong bordering of wax, and thus prepare it for the
88 TREATISE ON THE
reception of another esfg, or for honey or fa« rina.
I have hitherto confined my observations to the progress of a worker, from the egg to the state of the perfect insect. The same process takes place in the case of the males and of the queen, though with some differ- ence as to the time occupied in the trans- formation. Like those of the common Bees, the eggs of the males are hatched in three days, the larva state continues six and a half days, and after having formed their cocoons and been metamorphosed into nymphs, they attain to the state of perfect insects on the twenty-fourth day. I may briefly notice here the statement of Huber respecting the order in which the diff'erent kinds of ecrcrs are ar- ranged in the ovarium of the queen, and the law which regulates her laying. He says, that nature does not allow the queen the choice of the eggs she is to lay, that, it is or- dained she shall, at a certain time of the year, produce those of males, and. at another time, the eggs of workers, an order which cannot be inverted ; that the eggs are not indiscri-
MANAGEiMENT OF HONEY BEES, 89
minately mixed in the ovaries of the queen, but arranged so that at a particular season she can lay only a certain kind ; that she can lay no male eggs until those of the workers, occupying the first place in the oviducts, are discharged. I do not mean to question this statement, as holding true generally, but I think it made in terms too unqualified, and that there are palpable and frequent excep- tions. He has himself acknowledged, else- where, that a queen hatched in spring will sometimes lay fifty or sixty eggs of males during the course of the ensuing summer, and I have repeatedly witnessed the fact. Now, this takes place in certain circum- stances, and under certain conditions, name- ly, that the family of the queen so laying shall have been a very early swarm, that it shall abound in population, and that the sea- son shall be genial, and the secretion of honey in the flowers plentiful. In such a favorable juncture of circumstances, it almost invariably happens that the queen lays male eggs, and that, as the natural consequence, 8*
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royal cells are built, in which she lays, and, in due time, she leads off a swarm. Now, does not this fact seem to imply that there is no such arbitrary arrangement of the several kinds of eggs as Huber imagines, and if it would be stretching the inference too far to say, that the queen has the power of laying those of males or of workers, as circum- stances may require ; does it not imply that the statement of Huber may admit of very important and frequent exceptions ?
About the twentieth day from the com- mencement of the laying of male eggs, the Bees begin to lay the foundation of royal cells, and the queen having resumed laying female eggs, deposites them, at intervals of one or two days, in these cells, from which are hatched, in due time, other queens. This regular process is, howiever, sometimes in- terrupted : — if the queen be not a fertile one, and the colony is, in consequence, weak in population, if the hive or domicil itself be large in proportion to the number of its in- habitants, or if the temperature of the season
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. 91
has been such as to interfere with the copi- ous collection of honey or farina, in these circumstances no male eggs will be laid, no i-oyal cells founded, and no swarms will issue. But in favorable circumstances, the laying of royal eggs takes place regularly during the laying of those of males, and swarming as the consequence. The royal cell is an inch in depth, and it has been considered difficult to comprehend how the body of the queen can reach to the bottom, so as to at- tach the egg to it ; but, in fact, the queen lays when the cell is merely founded, and not deeper than that of a common Bee, and it is not until the precious deposit has been made, that the workers lengthen it to the full size. The egg destined to produce a queen, like that which is laid in a drone cell and that of a worker, is three days old before it is hatched. As soon as this takes place, the royal larva becomes an object of devoted at- tention to the Bees, who watch over and feed it with unremitting attention and care. It is difficult io form an idea of the anxious care
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and attention bestowed by the Bees on the royal larva. The comparison of the affec- tion of a mother for an only child can alone furnish any thing like a conception of it. They seem to feel that their own fate is in- volved in that of their young sovereign. They feed her with a jelly different from that which is destined for the workers and males ; it is more pungent, and moderately acidj and they supply it in such profusion that she is unable to consume it all ; for, after her transformation, some remains of it are found at the bottom of the cell. At the end of the fifth day of the larva state, the royal ceil is closed, and the inhabitant begins spinning her cocoon. It is worthy of remark, that this covering is left incomplete, unlike those of the workers and males, which en- close the whole body. This fact beautifully demonstrates the admirable art with which the Author of nature has connected the va- rious characteristics of this interesting tribe of his creatures. And the fact now under consideration is one of no small importance
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 93
in Bee economy ; for, were the queen's co- coon completely to envelop her body, her de- struction by her rivals would be rendered ex- tremely difficult, the texture of the covering is so close, that the sting would be unable to penetrate it ; or, if the attempt were made, it might be entangled by its barbs, in the meshes of the cocoon, and the struggling fe- male, unable to disengage it, would become the victim of her own fury. In spinning the cocoon, the queen spends only twenty-four hours, she remains in a death-like torpidity between two and three days, is then meta- morphosed into a nymph, and, after remain- ing in that state four days and a half, she comes forth a perfect queen on the sixteenth day. In the case of the workers and males, the transformation is no sooner completed than they are at liberty to abandon the con- finement of the cradle, and hasten, — the former, at least, to partake of the labors of the community, and to range the fields and flower gardens in the very plenitude of Bee enjoyment. But the case is different with
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the young qaeens. Like other sovereigns, they pay the tax of their high estate, in hav- ing their inclinations put under restraint for the pubhc good. The royal insect is not permitted to leave the cell, and, as generally happens, to lead off a swarm, unless the weather be very favorable. Were she to ob- tain her liberty, while, at the sam_e time, emigration was prevented by the state of the external atmosphere, or other circumstances, there would be a plurality of queens in the hive, and mortal strife would ensue. The young queen, therefore, is detained a captive, and the workers, piercing a hole in the cover of the cell, insert their probosccs, and supply her with food during her captivity.
CHAPTER XV.
ON THE FORMATION OP SWARMS.
The swarming season is to the amateur in Bee economy, a most interesting period
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 95
in the life and operations of these extraordi- nary insects, and affords, perhaps, fully as much gratification as any other part of their proceedings. By the mere practical Bee- master, who looks almost exclusively to the return of profit arising from their culture, the honey harvest will of course be regarded as the period of most interest. But by the naturalist, the season of swarming, by bring- ing into view some of the most striking fea- tures of their marvellous instincts, and thus affording additional scope for his favorite studies, will ever be hailed with the most in- tense delight.
I have already observed, that the breeding season commences about the end of January, or early in February, unless the temperature be unusually severe, and continues with constantly increasing progress and activity throughout the summer. The addition thus made to the population is almost incredible. At the beginning of the year a hive which, in the preceding October, contained no less than 12,000, 15,000 or 20,000 inhabitants,
96 TREATISE ON THE
will be reduced below as many hundreds } and yet by" the beginning or middle of June, the numbers, provided the queen be an ordi- narily fertile one, and the season not unfa- vorable, will be augmented to more than the original amount, exclusive of an immense quantity of brood in progress in the combs. It is not surprising, therefore, that about midsummer^ or even before it, there seems a want of room in the hive, and a determina- tion on the part of the Bees to desert their crowded habitation, and to seek for a new one elsewhere.
A crowded population may not be the so]e cause of this periodical emigration of the Bees, but it seems to be the usual course of nature that it should be the principal cause^ and that others which may be alleged are but subservient to it. No royal brood is reared, unless the population fill the hive almost to overflowing. This takes place sooner or later, according to the size of the domicil, and hence we find that, generally speaking, small hives swarm sooner than
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 97
large ones. The heat in a full hive is ex- cessive, the thermometer often rising above 100 degrees, and may doubtless have its ef- fect in hastening the swarming. But the increased temperature is the consequence of the overgrown population in- relation to the size of their dwelling. The uneasiness of the queen is usually stated as one of the causes of swarming, arising from the sight of so many royal cells, each containing, as a sure instinct teaches her, a future rival.
However this may hold true in after swarms, it seems at least doubtful whether it be applicable to the first. In respect to after swarms, the then queen, prompted by jealousy, is desirous to destroy her rivals, and being prevented by the Bees from doing so she becomes agitated and restless, and final- ly forsakes a hive where she meets with so much to annoy her. But in the case of a first swarm, the queen mother meets with nothing but respect and attention to her wishes from every member of the communi- ty. She is their common mother, and is 9
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never opposed by them, and might destroy all the embryo queens without any opposi- tion ; and this in fact does sometimes take place, for the old queen destroys the whole of the royal brood. But it is otherwise in ordinary circumstances, and while she is left at perfect liberty to act as she pleases with regard to the unhatched queens, we are led to believe that she is induced to emigrate, not on account of the presence of her embryo rivals, but in obedience to the wise provision of nature for the increase of the species. Whatever may be the real cause, the pro- ceedings of the queen and the workers at the approach of summer evidently show that matters are ripening for some great internal movement.
About the beginning or middle of May, the Bees, as if aware of the necessity, begin to form large cells, in which the queen imme- diately deposits the eggs of males, and con- tinues to do so for about thirty days ; at the same time royal cells are formed, for there appears to be a secret relation between the
Management op honey bees. 99
production of the eggs of males and the con- struction of royal cells, and about the twen- tieth day of her laying this species of eggs, the queen discovering the royal cells, depo- sits an egg in one of them, and at intervals of a day between each, in all the other cells of this description. The Bees know to close them at the time when the larvai are ready to be transformed into nymphs, and as they in part close all the royal cells at different periods, it is evident that the inclosed larvse are not all of an equal age. The laying of drone eggs having terminated, the queen, previously large and unwieldy, becomes slender in her figure and more able to fly, and begins to exhibit signs of agitation. She traverses the hive impatiently, abandoning the slow and stately step which was her wont, and in the course of her impetuous progress over combs, she communicates her agitation to the workers, who crowd around her and evidently share in her impatience. A loud confused noise is heard throughout the hive, and hardly any of the workers are
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observed going abroad to forage, numbers are whirling about in an unsettled manner in front of the hive, and the moment is come to a considerable portion of the family, for bidding adieu to their ancient abode. All at once the noise in the interior ceases, and the whole of the Bees about the doors re-enter, while those returning loaded from the fields, instead of hurrying in as usual, hover on the wing, as if in eager expectation. In a second or two, some workers present them- selves again at the door, turn round, re-en- ter, and return instantaneously in additional numbers, smartly vibrating their wings, as if sounding the march, and at this signal the whole swarm rushes to the entrance in an overwhelming crowd, streaming forth with astonishing rapidity, and filling the air in an instant, like a dark cloud overhanging their late habitation. There they hover for a mo- ment, reeling backwards and forwards, while some of the body search in the vicinity for a tree or bush which may serve as a rallying point for the emigrants. To this they repair
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 101
by degrees, and provided their queen has aUghted there, all, or at least the greater part, crowd around, and form a dense group, sometimes round like a ball, sometimes clus- tered like a bunch of grapes, according to the nature of the resting-place they have fixed on.
The queen is not always foremost ; it is frequently, or rather generally, not till after the departure of a considerable number of workers that she makes her appearance, and when she does come, it is with a timid irre- solute air, as if she were borne along almost against her will, by the torrent that streams out of the hive, for she often turns on the threshold, as if about to re-enter, and in fact frequently does so, but cannot long resist the opposing crowd. The first swarm is inva- riably led off by the old queen. This I have ascertained by actual observation. The queen leading ofi" a first swarm in one year, has been marked, and has been found at the head of a first swarm in the following year. I saw a swarm that left the hive with the 9*
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old queen, and left the young queen in the cell, which came out the next day and took possession of the old hive. This experiment has been so often repeated, and with results so uniform, as to put the fact beyond all doubt. Besides, in examining those hives in which first swarms have been placed, eggs will be found in the cells on the second day, which could not have been the case had the leader been a virgin queen. The reason for the departure of the old queen with the first swarm, is to be found in the fact, that a plurality of queens cannot exist in a hive. Were no swarm to depart, there- fore, until a young queen could put herself at the head of it, this plurality must exist for a time, and the danger arises of a combat be- tween the two sovereigns, and the death of one, at least, and probably of the younger and weaker, would be the consequence. By this means swarming would be prevented al- together. A swarm, especially a first one, never departs but in fine weather, and at the warmest time of the day. The passing of a
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 103
cloud over the face of the sun, causing a sudden diminution of the light, is sufficient to stop the emigration for a time, although all is in perfect readiness.
The same effect is produced if, at the time of rushing out, there is a sudden changxj of weather, — a shower of rain however slight, or a gust of wind, will restore quiet instan- taneously. No sooner does the wind lull, and the sun shine out, though only for a second or two, than all the symptoms of rest- lessness and agitation are renewed, and the impatient emigrants rush out in myriads. If suffered to remain any considerable time on the spot where they have alighted in swarm- ing, the bees are apt to rise again and take a new flight. But their flight now has a dif- ferent aspect from what it had on first leav- ing the hive. They do not now hover round the apiary, wheeling about in many circles, and in a kind of regular confusion, but dart away in a condensed body, and with a rapid wing, with a shrill whizzing sound, and al- most always in a straight line, as if they had
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some particular selected spot in view. It is supposed, indeed, and on feasible grounds, that in every case the Bees, previous to swarming, have fixed on a place of abode, that they alight in the first instance on a bush or tree, merely as a general rendezvous before proceeding to their final destination, and that some days previously they send out some of their number in the character of scouts to look out for a suitable habitation. Whether this be the fact or not, is a question which has given rise to considerable discus- sion, and a host of apiarians have taken op- posite sides on the subject. As far as my experience goes, it is in favor of the scout system. At the approach of the swarming season, the Bee-owner should have empty hives in readiness and in their places in the apiary, for the reception of swarms. When a swarm has come forth and has alighted, cut off the limb ; if convenient, have your hive in readiness on the table, with the screen bottom out, and lay the limb on !he table, and start the Bees with a quill ; in the
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. 105
space of five minutes the Bees will be all in the hive, then set your hive in the apiary where it belongs.
CHAPTER XVI.
SECOND SWARMS.
After the departure of the first swarm, with the old queen at its head, the commu- nity is for a time, generally, without a queen. There is brood in the royal cells, but none come to maturity, and it is not till the first to the fifth, and sometimes to the seventh day, in ordinary cases, that the senior of the young princesses is hatched, and takes her place as queen regnant. Her first step is to hasten to the other royal cells, and endeavor to destroy her rivals. In these attempts, with which she is incessantly occupied for several days, she is strongly opposed by the workers, to whom, so long as she remains a virgin, she
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is an object of indifference. At every repulse by the workers, she utters the shrill mono- tonous sound which is called piping, and which is heard for two or three days previous to the departure of a second swarm, while the younger queens in confinement respond, sometimes two or three of them at the same time, in a voice sounding hoarse out of their prison. Irritated by such opposition, and an- noyed at the sight of so many royal cells, in every quarter, the young queen becomes extremely agitated, and at last rushes, to- gether with the Bees to whom she has im- parted her agitation, through the outlets of the hive, and thus form a second swarm.
Circumstances sometimes occur to prevent the departure of a second swarm. If the young queen, as soon as hatched, set out in search of the males, and is impregnated, no farther emigration takes place ; because, be- ing now to become a mother, the character to which alone the Bees render their hom- age, she enters into the full possession of her rights, and is allowed to attack and destroy
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 107
all the unhatched royal brood. And farther swarming is equally at an end, when, after the departure of the first colony, the remain- ing population is too small to keep up a vi- gilant guard over the royal cells. In that case, as if aware of the impossibility of a se- cond emigration, the Bees abandon the watch, and the young queens leaving their cells, en- gage in mutual combat till all are destroyed except one, who reigns undisputed sovereign. But in ordinary circumstances, the agitation of the queen, abundance of brood, a favorable season, and perhaps other causes unknown to us, all lead to farther emigration, and in a populous hive this may take place three, and even four times. The interval between the first and second swarm is from eight to twelve days, it is of a shorter duration between the second and third, and still less between the third and fourth ; in fact, when a fourth does take place it is almost always on the day following the departure of the third. It may appear surprising that a hive can swarm so often, without being much weakened. The
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first swarm is frequently so large that the hive seems altogether deserted ; yet, in eight or ten days afterwards, the population is in such abundance as to be able to send forth another colony. But we must remember that swarms depart only during the warm- est part of the day, when a full third of the workers are busily engaged in the fields, these, returning home, resume their labors, and carry on the necessary operations of the hive. Besides, the queen has left an im- mense quantity of brood of all ages, which is soon hatched, and which renders the po- pulation as great after swarming as before. Thus the hive is perfectly capable of afford- ing a second colony without being too much impoverished. The third and fourth swarms weaken it more sensibly, but the inhabitants always remain in sufficient numbers to pre- serve the course of their labors uninterrupt- ed, and the losses are soon replaced by the great fecundity of the queen. When the swarming is over in any particular hive, the new queen, on the departure or death of the
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 109
rest, and the restoration of the ordinary tranquiUity of the community, goes abroad on the following day, generally the fifth of her existence, to meet the males, and is im- pregnated. Forty-six hours afterwards, she commences laying the eggs of workers, and continues to do so for the eleven succeeding
o
months. This does not, however, hold strict- ly true in every case, for it sometimes hap- pens, if the season be favorable, that the swarm led off by the old queen, produces, in about a month afterwards, a new colony, which is also by the same female. Before leaving the old hive, she had terminated the great laying of drone eggs, and thus became able to fly, from her greater lightness, and to set out to found a new colony. In this she recommences the laying of eggs of workers, and continues to do so for ten or twelve days, after which she deposits a few drone eggs in cells which the Bees, as if aware that she would require them, have already prepared for their reception. These male eggs, though few, are enough to encourage the Bees to 10
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construct royal cells ; and if, in these cir- cumstances, the weather be favorable, a swarm may be formed, and the same queen depart at its head. Nor is this variation in the swarming operations restricted to the instance of the old queen, I have known two or three instances in which a young queen, that is a queen of the current year, after lead- ing off as in ordinary circumstances, has also led off an after swarm from her new habi- tation. This fact, which it must be ac- knowledged occurs very seldom, is at vari- ance with the doctrine of Huber, that the young queen lays the eggs of workers only for eleven months successively. He admits, though not very explicitly, that a queen hatched in spring may lay fifty or sixty drone eggs during the course of the ensuing sum- mer ; but he refers to the swarm led forth by the old queen, exclusively, when he speaks of its producing a new colony in the same season, in the course of a month after its first departure. With respect to the eleven months, it certainly consists with my own
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. Ill
ex()erience, the time occupied by the queen in laying the eg-^s of workers, before she be- gins those of drones, and, of course, those that shall produce queens and their accom- panying swarms, varies according to the temperature, and especially to the abundance of food. A swarm, for example, that came off at the end of June, sometimes throws off a swarm about the middle of the following May, which is little more than ten months of an interval, and on the other hand, it some- times happens that a hive which has swarm- ed at the middle of May, does not throw off another till the end of June, in the following year, which is above thirteen months.
CHAPTER XYII.
ON ARTIFICIAL SWARMS.
Artificial sv/arming is not generally practised in this country, owing probably to
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the want of sufficient practical skill, in most of those who apply themselves to Bee hus- bandry. In many cases, however, it might be had recourse to with great advantage, and in some it is indispensable, if it is desired to reap the full benefit of the stock. It saves the watching necessary in the case of natu- ral swarms, and if conducted on right prin- ciples, renders the artificial colony quite in- dependent of the casualties to which natural swarms are liable. Moreover, it secures the multiplication of swarms in cases where, if left to the natural process, there would be none. Should a continued tract of bad wea- ther take place about the usual period of swarming, the old queen would have time and apportunity to destroy all the royal pro- geny, for the Bees never oppose the queen mother in such cases, and thereby entirely frustrate the hope of multiplication by natural swarms. To avoid this evil we must have recourse to artificial swarming. The gene- ral period proper for the operation is about eight or ten days previous to the time when
i
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 113
natural swarms might be looked for. At that time it is likely royal brood will be found in the combs, or at all events, abundance of eggs and larvas of workers, from which to rear an artificial queen, and the males are also at this time numerous, a state of things indispensable to the success of artificial swarming. The mode of operation is vari- ous. With common hives the process is somewhat difiicult, and not always success- ful. The following experiments, however, will show that it is not impracticable. From the first to the third week in June, my hives had thrown their top or prime swarms ; but instead of sending ofi" their seconds, or casts, ten or twelve days thereafter, as is generally the case, six of them had not swarmed nearly three weeks beyond that period. This was, in all likelihood, owing to an unfavorable change of weather, which, by delaying the swarming, had furnished the reigning queen with an opportunity of putting to death her intended successors. In this state of things, from the crowded condition of the 10*
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hives, a mass of Bees, as large as a man's head, hung from the alighting board of each, and were clustered on the outside of the hives, a grievous sight to the apiarian, as these outliers are quite idle. I resolved, therefore, to try artificial swarming with these hives. Availing myself of the discove- ries of Schirach and Huber, I cut out of an- other hive a piece of comb, containing eggs and larvae of the proper age, and fixed it in one of my principle hives ; I then removed one of the hives which had an outljang, or ra- ther outhanging mass attached to its alight- ing board, instantly clapping down in its place on the same board the already prepared hive, and, with the help of a hot sun, forcing the others to enter. They made a tremen- dous noise, and seemed much disconcerted at finding, instead of the rich combs they had hitherto been familiar with, nothing but an empty hive. This agitation was kept up all the day by the continued arrival of those Bees which had been abroad when the sub- stitution took place, and who added greatly
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 115
to the population. At noon the next day I inspected the new establishment, and found, to my great satisfaction, that the experiment had completely succeeded. The founda- tions of six royal cells had been laid in the small piece of brood comb I had oriven them. In due time the queen was hatched, the hive prospered, and at the end of the season, the hive was as good as any of my natural swarms. I may observe, that though it was one of my principle hives I used on this oc- casion, it would have succeeded equally as well with any other hive ; the construction of the hive had no influence on the experi- ment farther than that it rendered it easier to fasten the piece of brood comb in.
Another experiment I tried on forming ar- tificial swarms, was to drive about two thirds of the Bees out of their old hive with their queen, and put them into an empty hive. I immediately replaced the old hive on its former station, and removed the new one containing the queen, to a little distance. As the former had plenty of eggs and young
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broodj they were at no loss to procure an- other queen, while the other, having a queen, proceeded to work in all respects as a natu- ral swarm. With such a hive as my own, or any other square-shaped hive, that opens in two parts, vertically, the operation is very simple, more satisfactory, and less dependant on contingencies. Let a hive be prepared of precisely the same dimensions as the one to be operated on, and of the same construc- tion, namely, opening vertically in two halves. Early in the morning, or in the evening, when the Bees are all at home, let the hive be gently separated. The Bees, al- ways most irritable when idle, will dart out in no placid humor, and must therefore be kept from annoying the operator, by the use of a gauze veil tied around the hat, and but- toned under the coat, with a pair of woolen gloves on the hands. Apply to each full half an empty one, carefully fastening them to- gether by hooks and eyes previously ar- ranged. We have thus two hives, each half full of Bees, brood, and honey. One of them
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 117
will possess the queen, and the other will have royal brood, or at all events, eggs and larvae of all ages wherewith to originate a queen. As soon as they have recovered from the panic caused by the operation, and have all retired into the interior, let both doors be closed, that there may be no communication between the two divided communities. Two or three hours afterwards, listen attentively to each, and it will be readily ascertained, from the quiet state of the one, and the loud, disorderly buzzing of the other, that the queen is present with the former, and that the other is distressed at the discovery of their loss. Carry off the one with the queen, leaving the other in the original station. If this last had no royal brood at the time of the separation, it will, within twenty-four hours, have set about forming an artificial queen, and the operation is finished.
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CHAPTER XVIII.
ON THE CONVERSION OF THE LARVA OF A WORKER INTO A Q,UEEN.
Bees, when deprived of their queen, are endowed by nature with the power of reme- dying this calamity, by conv'erting a worker larva into a royal one, and by means of a cell of a larger size, and of a peculiar kind of nourishment, of producing a female that shall be, to all intents and purposes, a queen or mother Bee, capable of perpetuating her kind. The discovery of this singular fact is generally attributed to Schirach, and, pro- bably, with justice ; for, although the prac- tice of making artificial swarms, which can only be effected by causing the production of artificial queens, the manner in which Schirach made the discovery is interesting.
Having used a great quantity of smoke in some of his operations, the Bees were so an- noyed by it that numbers of them left the
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 119
hive, and among them the queen. Know- ing the consequences of her loss, he souofht for her diUgently, but in vain. Next morn- ing he observed a cluster of Bees about the size of an apple on the prop of the hive whose queen had lied ; here he discovered a queen, and, having carried her to the en- trance of the hive which had lost its own, she was immediately surrounded by the Bees, and treated in such a manner as plainly an- nounced that she was their queen. " What was my astonishment," he proceeds, '• when wishing to introduce her among the combs, I saw the Bees remaining had already plan- ned and almost finished three royal cells. Struck with the activity and sagacity of these creatures to save themselves from impendino^ destruction, I was filled with admiration, and adored the infinite goodness of God in the care taken to perpetuate his works. Having carried away two of the cells, to ascertain whether the Bees would continue their ope- rations, I beheld, next morning, with the ut- m.ost surprise, that they had removed all the
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food from around the third worm left behind, on purpose to prevent its conversion to a queen." The fact of this power possessed by the Bees is so extraordinary, that it was at first called in question by several eminent naturalists, among others, by the justly cele- brated Bonnett. This naturalist was at last, however, convinced of its reality by experi- ments instituted by himself, and satisfied that all the working Bees are females of imper- fect organization, expressed his opinion that the evolution of the germ is affected by the action of the prolific matter as a stimulant, as a substantial nutriment suitable for that purpose, and he supposes that a certain qua- lity of food, administered more copiously than in ordinary cases, may unfold those or- gans in the larvae of Bees that never would have appeared without it.
He conceived also that a habitation like a queen cell, considerably more spacious and differently placed, is absolutely necessary to the complete development of organs which the new nutriment may cause to grow in all
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 121
directions. It furnishes a surprising evidence
of the slow degrees by which scientific facts make their way, if not essential to general utility, when we consider that to this day, the knowledge of this singularity in the na- tural history of this insect, is confined almost exclusively to apiarians, and even rejected by some of them. It has however been con- firmed by so many experiments instituted by many difierent individuals, that no unpreju- diced mind can withhold its assent from its truth. In the case of the Bee, the egg of a worker placed in a royal cell, only produces an insect which has its powers more fully developed in proportion to the ampler space which it occupies, but it acquires no new powers.
The germ of the ovary existed originally in the common Bee as well as in the mother Bee, but the confined limits of its cell, and the want of the peculiar food provided for the royal race prevented its development. The proceedings of the Bees in order to sup- ply the loss of their queen, are extremely in- 11
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teresting. In about twenty-four hours they are aware of the misfortune that has befallen them, and without loss of time they set about repairing the disaster. They fix upon a worm not more than three days old, demo- lish the three contiguous cells, and raise around it a regular cylindrical inclosure. At the end of three days the workers change the direction of the cell, which has hitherto been horizontal, into a perpendicular posi-- tion, working downwards about one inch in length and half an inch in thickness. In addi- tion to this conclusive experiment, I shall take the liberty of detailing some of my own on the same subject, which were made some years ago, and which I have repeated almost every year since with the same success. I give experiments, not from any idea that those of Shirach and Huber require confir- mation, or that my own are of importance enough to supply any such supposed defi- ciency, but on the obvious principle that the more numerous . the experiments, and the greater the diversity of experimenters, the
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 123
more irrefraofable is the allesfed fact estab- lished, if the result be uniformly the same.
Of the experiment 1 am now about to de- tail, the sole object was to prove the existence of the power inherent in the Bees of rearing an artificial queen, when deprived by any accident of their original mother. This, in- deed, has been proved, but only incidentally; and I was anxious, by an experiment insti- tuted exclusiv^ely for that object, and con- ducted with minute and scrupulous accu- racy, to put the matter out of all doubt in my own mind at least. In June my Obser- vatory hive was full of Bees, brood and honey, the queen was very fertile and laying at the rate of about 100 eggs a day. I opened the hive and carried her oiF. For about five hours the Bees continued their labors as ear- nestly and contentedly as if she were still with them. At the end of that time they be- came aware of their loss, and all was instant- ly aofitation and tumult. The Bees hurried backwards and forvv^ards over the comb with a loud noise, rushed in crowds to the door
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and out of the hive, as if going to swarm, and in short, exhibited all the symptoms of bereavement and despair. Night coming on they all went into their hive, and peace and tranquillity appeared to exist amongst them. Next morning, I observed they had laid the foundations of seven royal cells, having de- molished the three cells contiguous to each of those containing eggs or worms, which suited their purpose, and by the next morn- ing, there were visible the rudiments of five more royal cells, all in quarters of the comb where before were nothing but eggs and common larvae of one or two days old. The Bees paid all attention to these royal cells, and they advanced very rapidly. On the seventh day the seven first were sealed, and on the following day the other five were sealed. On the morning of the fourteenth day from the removal of the old queen, I had seven emerged from their cells, strong and active, and exactly resembling those pro- duced in the natural way ; and on the next morning I had the other five come forth.
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 125
Strong and active. I had to watch the hive with all diUgence, and open the door and take out the queens as fast as they emerged from their cells, and kept them for the pur- pose of making artificial swarms — some of them escaped my notice, and I found them lifeless on the ground in front of the hive.
I observed two circumstances respecting these artificial queens, which may be noticed here, though rather, perhaps, out of place, one of them agreeing perfectly with the ex- perience of Huber, while the other is at va- riance with it. While the surviving queen remained a virgin, not the slightest mark of attention or respect was shown to her by the Bees. No one gave her food, — she was ob- liged as often cis she required it, to help her- self, and in crossing to the honey cells for that purpose, she had to scramble, often with great difiiculty, over crowds, not an indivi- dual would get out of her way, or seemed to care whether she fed or starved. But no sooner did she become a mother than the scene was changed indeed, and all vied in 11*
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testifying their affection and regard ; one after another presented her proboscis with food, and at every step of her progress, a circle was formed around her by her admi- ring subjects. The other circumstance alhi- ded to, which varies from the experience of Huber, respects the vigilance of the workers in such cases, and the sound emitted by the queens. He says, that the workers form no guard around the cells of artificial queens, and that these last are perfectly mute \ and the naturalist makes some remarks by way of accounting for it. The above experiment is completely in contradiction to this. The cell of the younger queens was most strictly guarded, and both emitted the sounds allu- ded to, perhaps once every minute, for several hours together. To these experiments I have only to add farther, that, as already stated, I have very frequently repeated the same ope- ration, and always with success ; and that in the summer of 1841, I removed the reign- ing queen of the same Observatory hive three times successively, supposing each queen io
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 127
remain just long enough to lay a score or two of eggs before her removal, and each time the workers laid the foundations of five or six royal cells, and brought them to ma- turity. Within the space of a few weeks I saw the foundations laid of eighteen or twen- ty royal cells, and at the last removal there were visible several queens at the same time, and I had the good fortune to witness a re • gular combat between two of them.
From all these experiments, it seems now a fact established beyond all doubt, that Bees can at all times procure a queen for them- selves, provided they have a comb contain- ing larvae not more than three days old, in the com^mon cells, and nothing but certain important conditions, such as a particular kind of food and more spacious lodgment, are requisite for the conversion of common larvae into queens. At the same time, it ought to be candidly confessed, that while the fact itself seems now completely estab- lished, there are circumstances connected with it which I am unable satisfactorily to
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explain. That a more abundant supply of food, and of a more stimulant quality, admin- istered in a cell of larger dimensions, should give fall development to organs which, by the ordinary treatment, would have remained but partially expanded, I can readily compre- hend, but that such extra supplies of food and space should effect an absolute change in the anatomical structure and instinctive propensities, should produce a more slender proboscis, deprive the transformed insect of the downy brushes at the joints of her limbs, and of the basket-shaped cavities in the pos- terior pair, for retaining the pellets of farina ; and, above all, should eifect so great an al- teration in her instincts, rendering them in numerous particulars entirely different from those of the worker class, for which she was originally destined — these are circumstances which, notwithstanding all my researches, are still involved in mysterious obscurity, and furnishes ample scope for future inves- tigation.
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CHAPTER XIX.
ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HIVE.
Hives are found of almost all shapes and sizes, and of various materials, circumstances influenced sometimes by convenience, but oftener by the taste and fancy of the owners. In France, particularly where the culture of the Bee has been much attended to, the va- riety of hives is very great ; but with few exceptions, they appear to be remarkably de- ficient in simplicity. This is an important point to be attended to, both as regards the accommodation of the Bees, and the conve- nience of the Bee master. As far as respects the mere collecting and storing of the honey, the kind of hive is but of secondary impor- tance. If the season be propitious, and the country rich in flowers, the industrious col- lectors will cheerfully deposit the fruit of their labors in any moderate sized receptacle that appears to aflbrd security and shelter.
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It is the interest of the owner, however, to ascertain what material and construction will answer best for sustaining an equable tem- perature during the heats of summer, and most effectually secure the comfort of the in- mates duiinof the severity of winter. And besides these indispensable requisites, there are other considerations to be attended to in the structure of hives, which, to the natural- ist and amateur are matters of no little mo- ment. It would far exceed my prescribed limits to attempt a description of the multi- tude of hives that the ingenuity of one class of Bee masters has invented, and another has improved upon ; — I shall therefore notice the one I have in general use, which from its great utility, deserves to be better known.
A Bee hive should be made of one inch and a quarter plank, good seasoned stuff,. free from shakes and cracks, and made in a work- man-like manner, it should be planed smooth, inside and out, and painted outside, with any color fancy may dictate. Townley's Patent Premium Self Protecting Hive is generally
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 131
preferred above all others, for parlor hives, they are easy to manage, and the perfect sim- plicity of its constructioD, and the happy ef- fects produced by the wire screen bottom in ventilatmg the hive, and in keeping out the Bee-moih, there should be a ventilation near the top of the hive, of the lower apartment, to let off the vapor which frequently cau- ses the death of the Bees in the winter by freezing. This hive is made with glass doors, so that you can open it with pleasure, and ascertain the progress of the Bees, and also the very convenient manner in which the surplus honey may be taken from the top of the hive, by the means of boxes and shders, without being exposed to the danger of a single sting, render it highly desirable by every apiarian acquainted with it. The top of the hive has twelve communications with the boxes, and the boxes have glass sides and ends for ascertaining when the boxes are full, and for taking the surplus honey, with- out destroying a single Bee. except by acci- dent. The hive should hang in a frame
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about two feet six inches from the ground with posts for the frame to rest upon, and also to brace the posts. Many have said much about the proper size of a hive. My Self Protecting Premium Hive, is of suffi- cient size for ordinary purposes. The body of the hive contains about 35 pounds of honey, and the boxes about 24 pounds. I had one hive that made me 40 pounds of honey in the boxes, in 28 days, in the house 72 Spring Street, in the year 1840, about the center of the city of New-York. The hive contains a sufficient quantity to supply the largest swarms, hi large hives, Bees seldom swarm, and if at ail, generally very late,^ rendering^ the swarm but of little use. Some are in favor of very large hives, in order to prevent swarming, but such persons have but little experience as apiarians. Some may keep Bees merely out of curiosity but generally the principle object is profit. If, in the cultivation of Bees, profit is thought of, they should be suffered to swarm at least once in each season, and be furnished with
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 133
suitable sized hives for the purpose. And if they do not swarm I divide them and make them swarm. And I very often have second swarms and I am very glad to have them do so. Second swarms if obtained in June, although small at first, soon increase in numbers, fill their hive, and make as good stock hives for wintering as first swarms. Let us suppose a swarm of Bees to be put into a hive sufficiently large to prevent them from swarming. And at the end of six years, allowing the swarm to yield twenty- five pounds of surplus honey each year which is a low estimate, we have 150 pounds of honey, and one swarm. The honey is worth two shillings a pound, and the swarm Five Dollars, making $42 50.
Now let us begin with one swarm, and allow the progressive increase to be one swarm from each of those which have be- come one year old. At the end of six years you have 64 hives. From each hive with boxes might have been taken the moderate quantity of 25 pounds of honey annually. 12
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At the close of six years the aggregate amount would be 1575 pounds of honey, leaving a balance of 63 swarms and 1425 pounds of honey. The balance in cash
would be $546 25.
CHAPTER XX.
OBSERVATORY HIVE.
My observatory hive possesses in my es- timation more valuable properties, taken as a whole, than any other that I am acquaint- ed with. It has all the advantages of a com- mon hive, as to capacity, cleanliness, and security against vermin, while at the same time, it enables the cultivator to ascertain at all times the state of his colony, nay, of every individual cell, the progress of the brood, the quantity of provision, the existence and number of royal cells, and the probable pe- riod of swarming. It aifords every facility,
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 135
too, for making artificial swarms, the queen may be followed in all her movements, and even in her laying. It is easy to open the hive and lay hold of her at any time. The whole of this observatory hive is made to turn round on the shoulder of an upright shaft, through which shaft the passage for the Bees must of necessity be made, and which does not admitt of a bore of above an inch in diameter. As, however, this nar- row perpendicular passage is of no great length, it need not be more than three inches, many thousands of Bees will, in the course of a few minutes, if necessary, make their egress and regress through it without in com- modins: one another.
This observatory hive consists of four frames, each frame contains two lights of glass, one on each side, to open at pleasure ; each frame is twelve inches in height and ten in width, and 1 can open any particular leaf without meddling with the rest. It is also well adapted for artificial swarming. The Bee-master has the whole interior com-
136 TREATISE ON THE
pletely under his eyes and at his disposal, and can choose v/hat combs best suit his purpose for making artificial swarms. . This hive presents great facilities for making ex- periments, and for observing the proceedings of the Bees, which being prevented from constructing more than one comb, cannot conceal any part of their operations as in other hives. The panes in this hive being made to open is indispensable for experimen- tal operations, such as seizing the queen, cut- ting out brood comb, &c. The whole turns on an upright shaft, and when the observer is satisfied with inspecting one side of the comb, he may wheel the hive round and ex- amine the other, without changing his sta- tion. By this mode of proceeding he may contemplate his favorites at his leisure, with- out disturbing them, and without the slight- est danger of being annoyed by them ; for it is true that they become so much accustom- ed to the opening of the shutters, that the admission of the light ceases to disturb them. In short, all the experiments that have ever
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 137
been made may be verified by means of this hive, the result found, and new experiments tried.
The body of the hive is protected by a sloping roof, and has three shutters to open at pleasure, and the entrance for the Bees into this hive is made through the thickness ol the floor board. I will only add that the appearance of the Bees in this hive is beau- tiful, and excites admiration and surprise, nay, is capable of enlivening the drooping spirit of the most desponding apiarian, for who can view the queen of the hive con- stantly laying her eggs, and, by so doing, constantly propagating her species and her thousands of subjects, whose indefatiofable labor in all its parts is so conspicuous, with- out experiencing sensations of the purest pleasure, nay, more, of gratitude to God for his goodness to man.
12*
138 TREATISE ON THE
CHAPTER XXL
BEE FEEDING.
Neglected generally, as is the manage- ment of Bees by their possessors, there is no part of it less attended to, when performed at all. than that of feeding. The Bee-master commonly takes up, as he terms it, his best hives for the sake of the treasures they con- tain, or are supposed to contain. This is destroying Bees because they are rich. He also takes up the lightest and poorest, (of course, the late swarms and those that are the least likely to live through the winter,) because if he get from one of these but two or three pounds of honey, though he seldom gets so much, and a few ounces of wax, he thinks that that is all clear gain, and if he get neither honey nor wax, he at any rate gets rid of the expense and trouble of feeding his good-for-nothing swarms, which in his opinion, however fed, would never come to
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 139
any good. A pennyworth of brimstone will do the job at once, and is more easily paid for than a pound of honey, and after that an- other and perhaps another. Such is the reasoning, and calculations, and cruel prac- tice of the generality of Bee keepers. Such is the destruction annually dealt out to hun- dreds of poor swarms, and thousands and millions of poor Bees. I do from my heart pity and deplore the untimely fate of these suffocated, innocent, valuable insects. To destroy Bees because they are rich is a bar- barous practice, and ought by all means to be discountenanced and discontinued ; to destroy Bees because they are poor and may need support, is cruel, inhuman, and shock- ing, however little may be thought of it by those who still adhere to this practice. A person! may as well kill a favorite horse for his skin, as to destroy a swarm of Bees for their honey. This terrible havoc among poor stocks and late swarms might be pre- vented, if they who happen to have them would so far improve themselves in the
140 TREATISE ON THE
practical management of an apiary, as to be able to take such Bees out of the hives con- taining them, and to join them to their richer stock hives, in the latter end of August, or any time in September. This is by far the best plan that can be adopted with poor hives, and there really is no difficulty in the opera- tion ; it strengthens the population of the rich stocks, and causes them to swarm early in the ensuing spring ; it preserves the Bees, which is of itself, independently of the ad- vantages accruing from it afterwards, a con- sideration that never should be lost sight of, and in most cases it entirely does away with the necessity of feeding. I confess I should rejoice greatly, and flatter myself that every friend of humanity would rejoice with me, to see this mode of disposing of weak hives universally adopted. Notwithstanding, un- der certain circumstances, it will always be necessary and judicious in Bee-masters, to have recourse to feeding. If, for instance, after an early swarm is put into a hive, two or three or more cold, ungenial days should
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 141
follow, and more particularly if those days should happen to be rainy also, by feeding such a swarm you will assist your impove- rished laborers, not only with necessary food, but with materials and treasure which, un- fortunately for them, they cannot at such an unfavorable juncture get abroad to collect elsewhere.
Different apiarians have adopted and re- commended different ways of feeding Bees, none of which, in my opinion, possess any great merit. In order, therefore, to improve this part of Bee management, my endeavors have been directed to the contrivance and construction of a feeding department, which I put on the top of my hive in so convenient a manner, that I can feed my Bees, at any time when feeding is required, without being molested by a single Bee, in spring, in au- tumn, or in winter, without disturbing the position of the hive, and without changing its interior temperature, which temperature cannot be kept equable and comfortable, when a hive is frequently lifted up from its
142 TREATISE ON THE
Stand, and its interior is suddenly exposed to the action of perhaps an extremely cold at- mosphere. And should the Bees be tempted by food or urged by hunger, to descend into these currents, in sharp, frosty weather, but few of them will get away alive, the keen air acting upon them while feeding paralyses and kills them. I am an advocate for keeping Bees cool in winter ; yes, cool and still also, let them not be disturbed nor disunited ; let them not be forced nor tempted to uncluster themselves. I have no objection to a current of air passing through the hive in winter, provided the Bees he not disturbed, be not exposed singly to its nipping influence ; but I strongly object to the feeding of Bees in such currents, because, in that case, feeding is prejudicial to them. Many farmers sel- dom protect their hives in summer or winter, they are left exposed to all weathers, con- sequently the less they are disturbed the bet- ter. They, therefore, should give their weak stocks a copious feeding in September at the latest, not molest them during the severity of
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. 143
winter, but in spring, as soon as the Bees be- gin to make their appearance, put on your feeder, and furnish it with some honey or a little Bee sirup, as feeding is necessary. Lifting up a hive at Christmas, and scatter- ing a few ounces of brown sugar on the stand, and then setting down the hive again, deserves not the name of feeding, though it is all the bounty that is bestowed on some stocks, and is even more than others are treated with. It need not then be wondered at that so many stocks of Bees perish in the winter and in the spring of every year. By judicious feeding, at proper seasons, almost any stock of Bees may be preserved ; by in- judicious feeding, at an improper season, even good stocks — stocks that would survive if not fed at all nor molested during the depth of winter — may be seriously injured or totally destroyed.
The sum and substance of my directions, as respects Bee feeding, are these : —
1. In spring feed sparingly.
2. In autumn feed plentifully.
144 TREATISE ON THE
3. In winter do not feed at all.
4. Feed swarms, if unseasonable weather immediately follow the act of swarming.
5. Preserve the Bees of weak stocks, and prevent a great deal of the necessity for feed- ing, by adding them to those that are rich and able to support them. This last is the best, and cheapest, and most scientific — nay, it is even a profitable m^ethod of feeding Bees. Early swarming is necessary, and is of great advantage to the watchful apiarian, but not to the inattentive and slothful manager. If early swarms are judiciously fed, supported by a natural heat within, they will be greatly benefited thereby, and eventually prosper. But notwithstanding what has been already said, the cottager may probably ask, — How can I feed my bees without lifting up their hive ? I again and again request him to ex- amine my feeding apparatus attached to my Self-protecting Hive, and he will perceive that Bees may be easily fed in this manner, if he have but ingenuity to make a proper feeder and put it on the top of his hive. But
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 145
it matters not what sort of weather it may be, if my mode of feeding be adopted. I feed my Bees in their native temperature, without disturbing them or exposing their food to the temptation of robbers. A httle food granted to a populous, and even well-provisioned hive in the spring, is attended with very beneficial consequences. It diffuses anima- tion and vigor throughout the whole com- munity, accelerates the breeding of the queen, and consequently conduces to the production of early swarms. I changed Bees this spring (1842) out of the old fashioned country hive, the 6th day of April, and put them into my hives ; they filled the hives and swarmed before any country hives that I heard of.
CHAPTER XXII.
BEE FOOD.
Honey alone is the natural food of Bees, and if given to them pure and untainted, in 13
146 TREATISE ON THE
its primitive, limpid state, so far from being injurious, it is highly beneficial to them. Of this I have not the shadow of a doubt. For autumnal feeding I prefer honey to all other substances, and* recommend it as the most proper food that can be given to them. In general, rich stocks are healthy and strong in the spring. Poverty is the predisposing cause of dysentery among Bees ; a regular supply of their natural — their peculiar food, does not induce dysentery or disease of any sort. For spring feeding, I advise to take a certain quantity of honey and put one-third water, and let a small quantity of common salt be added. By a small quantity I mean a drachm or two, at most, to a quart of the liquid. Salt, it has been said, is conducive to the health of the Bees, and the most effi- cacious remedy for the dysentery, which sometimes affects Bees in the spring ; there- fore, it may not be amiss to put a little salt into their food, by way of preventive, rather than to have recourse to it afterwards as a remedy.
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 147
CHAPTER XXIII.
METHOD OF DESTROYING OR PREVENTING THE DEPREDATIONS OF THE BEE MOTH.
This insect is extremely alert in discover- ing any crevice by which it may penetrate into the hive, and easily effects its purpose if the Bees are not numerous, and there is no sentinel on watch. They lay their eggs in the sides of the hive, or in the rubbish on the floor, or even in the combs which are far- thest from the entrance. Every egg con- tains an insect, which in due time becomes a moth. It appears first under the form of a worm or larva, and it is in this stage that it commits its ravages, extending its galleries or covered ways throughout every quarter of the interior, and devouring the wax and comb, and the exuviae of Bee nymphs, and, very probably, the nymphs themselves. Cer- tain it is that the population of a hive in- fested by these destructive creatures, di-
148 TREATISE ON THE
minishes with such rapidity as leads to the conclusion that they prey upon the brood itself as well as on its exuviae. The Bees give ground, step by step, until being great- ly reduced in numbers, they at last utterly abandon the hive. There have been hun- dreds of hives of Bees destroyed by this little insect in our country annually. The Bee moth has become so numerous in New Jer- sey, and in the Western States, and through- cut the State of Ohio, and its success in de- stroying the Bee so complete, that very many apiarians have become discouraged, and abandoned the enterprise. The New- York Self-protecting Patent Premium Bee Hive is undoubtedly found to be the best hive now in use, for preventing the depredations of the Bee moth, without interfering with the na- tural course of the Bee. This hive took the premium at the Fair of the American Insti- tute, in 1841, over Mr. Weeks' and Mr. Hall's, and several other patent hives that were there. My hive has a wire screen bot- tom for keeping out the Bee moth and for
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 149
thoroughly ventilating the hive, which keeps the Bees in a healthy condition both winter and summer ; for Bees need more air in winter than they do in summer, as in cold weather they crowd together in a small com- pass, in order to keep warm, and their breath and vapor collect in frost in all parts of the hive, except in the region they occupy. By having a thorough ventilation through the hive the Bees are kept perfectly healthy.
CHAPTER XXIY.
ON VENTILATION.
Ventilation is one of the greatest re- sults of my studies and experiments on this point of apiarian science. There are but few persons, who are managers of Honey Bees under the old hive system, but have be- held these little creatures, when oppressed with the internal heat of their crowded do- 13*
150 TREATISE ON THE
micil, unhappily clustering and hanging at the entrance, or from and under the floor- board of their hive, in a ball frequently as large as a man's head, and sometimes cover- ing all the front part of their hive, for twenty or thirty days together, and this, be it re- marked, at the season of the year which is the most profitable for their labors in the fields and among the flowers. During this dis- tress of the Bees in, or belonging to, such a hive, their labors are of necessity suspended, their gathering of honey ceases, — ceases, too, at the very time that that saccharine sub- stance is most plentifully secreted by the ve- getable world. And — why ? All because of the want of ventilation in their domicil. My hive is thoroughly ventilated by means of a wire screen bottom and a hole at the top of the hive, so that there is a slow, impercepti- ble current of air constantly passing in at the bottom and off at the top through the ventilator, to let the excess of animal heat escape in summer, and also to throw off the vapor caused by the breath and other exhala-
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 151
tions of the Bees, which cause frost and ice in the hive in the winter, and which are fre- quently the cause of the deatii of the Bees.
CHAPTER XXV.
MANAGEMENT OF BEES DURING WINTER.
The honey harvest being now over, it will be necessary to prepare the stock-hives for passing the winter in safety. Turn over the boxes to prevent the entrance of the Bees in September or early in October. Much spe- culation has subsisted of late relative to the most eligible situation for hives during the winter. While some are advocates for a warm, sheltered situation, others prefer an exposure to all the vicissitudes of the weath- er and in both these conditions mortality has in many instances overtaken them. 1 have witnessed many experiments for the preser- vation of Bees through the winter, such as
152 TREATISE ON THE
placing them in cellars, barns, &c. but the result proved to my satisfaction, that all in- terference, however humane, is attended with consequences fatal to them ; from my own observation, the hives which are best covered during winter, always prosper most the fol- lowing summer. The warmer hives are kept in March and April the better, as it ac- celerates the hatching of the eggs and pro- motes the prohfic nature of the queen. It is almost needless to say, that feeding during winter is out of the question, even though the season should be mild. It is unnecessa- ry, and would prove injurious, tempting the insects to leave the comparatively warm at- mosphere of the center of the hive where they are congregated in dense clusters, and to expose themselves to the colder tempera- ture below, which chills, and ultimately de- stroys them. At the same time I must not be understood as recommending the shutting them up altogether, so that they cannot take the advantage of an occasional interval of sunshine. Leave the narrow apertures free,
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 153
to afford the Bees an opportunity of coming abroad when they can do so in safety. Ab- solute confinement is extremely prejudicial to them. The practice which prevails in some places of removing the hives into the dwelling-house, by way of preserving them from the cold, is by no means to be recom- mended, and, in fact, is often followed by fa- tal effects. The increased temperature of the place to which they have been removed, keeps them in such a state of animation and excitement, that they continue to eat during the whole period of their confinement, and not being at liberty to go abroad and evacu- ate, their bodies become swollen and diseased by the retention of their foeces, for they are most unwilling to soil the interior of their dwelling, and great numbers of them are thus cut off, and when in spring the hive is brought into the open air, the few inhabi- tants that remain are too feeble to bear the sudden change of temperature, and gradu- ally dwindle away, or are plundered and de- stroyed by the more vigorous and healthy.
154 TREATISE ON THE
It may be observed as an axiom, that in both animal and vegetable life from the highest to the lowest grade, we gain nothing by with- holding a due portion of nutriment, and it may, perhaps, be affirmed, as a demonstrated truth, that Bees which have been amply sus- tained during winter and spring are earlier in hatching their young brood, and more in- dustrious in providing a store of honey, than those which have been stinted. According to my judgment, the principal requisite for the preservation of Bees in winter, are, that the hive contain a sufficient number of Bees to maintain a certain degree of warmth, that they have a plentiful store of honey, and that they be secluded from the inclemency of snow and rain, and out of the influence of the sun, to be kept still, and undisturbed. It is a philosophical truth, that the vital prin- ciple is cherished and promoted by heat, and that all animals and insects flourish and pros- per most when under its influence, analogy^ therefore, would seem to dictate, that Bees be kept moderately, and as far as possible, uni- formly warm.
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 155
CHAPTER XXYL
ON BURYING BEES.
I HAVE lately been made acquainted, and from good authority, with the singular expe- dient of burying hives ot bees in the earth for their preservation during winter. It would appear, a priori^ a visionary scheme, altogether inconsistent with the principles of nature, that animals or insects, whose resi- dence is on the earth, could exist, when de- prived of air and light beneath its surface. Hives oi Bees have been preserved through the winter, when deposited three or four feet below the surface of the earth, and this you may try, if you please, only mind you bury them in a dry place. It has been practised in Rhode Island for several years, and it is seldom that a swarm perishes in that situa- tion. To my view, however, it appears an unnatural process thus to subject insects to a sudden transition from atmospherical air
156 TREATISE ON THE
and light to a state of utter darkness. The object in burying Bees in the earth is that they may pass the winter with little or no food, and it is stated that very small, feeble swarms thus treated, or when confined in dark cellars, are preserved, when in any other situation they must have perished of hunger. The method practised in burying Bees is to choose a spot of dry ground where there is no probability of water reaching the hive. Dig the hole considerably larger than the hive, and about eighteen inches deeper than the height of it, fill the vacancy round the hive with straw, cover it over so deep that no frost can reach it. They are buried in November and liberated in April, when if they appear destitute of honey it will be ne- cessary to feed them. That Bees should survive under such circumstances, seems to be among the inscrutible phenomena in nat- ural history. Though 1 do not hesitate to advance the opinion, that their preservation is to be ascribed more to a uniform degree of warmth, than to any other cause ; but with
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 157
respect to air for the purpose of respiration during their seclusion in the earth, will the quantity of air enclosed with the hive, to- gether with the aid of their own ventilating powers subserve the purpose of respiration. We know but little respecting the efficacy of their ventilating process, but we know that Bees have in many instances sustained such privations during five months with perfect impunity.
CHAPTER XXVIL
REMEDY FOR THE STINGS OF BEES.
The stings of Bees are not often attend- ed with serious consequences, though when numerous, they are not altogether without danger. The poisonous liquor which the Bee infuses into the wound causes a fermen- tation, attended with a swelling, which con- tinues sometimes several days, but that must
158 TREATISE ON THE
be prevented by immediately pulling out the sting, and washing tiie place with the reme- dy I shall prescribe. Many things have been recommended as cures — infallible cures, of course, for the sting of a Bee. But if the sting be suffered to remain in the flesh, du- ring a few seconds only, it is not very easy to stop the inflammation and allay the pain. An onion cut horizontally into thin slizes, and pressed closely to the wounded part, and renewed at short intervals, has been account- ed a good application. If the part stung be first well rubbed with one of those slices, that would perhaps have a soothing effect. The juice of the plantain is also said to be a specific, olive oil is another, so is common salt, so is laudanum, so is spirits of hearts- horn, so is salaratus, so is a solution of sal ammonise, and so is chalk or whitening. The doctor says common whitening proves an effectual remedy against the effects of the sting of a Bee or Wasp. The whitening is to be moistened with cold water, and imme- diately applied. It may be washed off in a
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 159
few minutes, when neither pain nor swelling will ensue. Pressure with the hollow end of a small key, or with a pencil-case, is prac- tised by some unfortunates, and is said to check the circulation of the poison. This last mode of treatment — i. e. pressure with a small key, or pencil case, the smaller the bet- ter, is the simplest, and, if immediately adapted, is I believe the very best. But its efficacy depends upon the instant application of the key or pencil case to the part stung, by which the poisonous matter is not only prevented from being absorbed into the sys- tem, but the puncture is laid open, and the virus thereby expressed and entirely got rid of more readily than by any other means. Accidents may sometimes happen, and the most cautious and humane apiarian may oc- casionally receive a sting, but gende treat- ment does not irritate Bees, and when not ir- ritated they have no disposition to use their stings.
160 TREATISE ON THE
CHAPTER XXVIII.
MEASURE AND WEIGHT OF BEES.
The following is a table of the average number, measure, and weight of Bees, which I have counted and weighed. It takes 4480 Bees to the pound. 17920 Bees, constitute a good
swarm will weigh 280 Workers, 100 Drones, 4480 Workers, 1830 ditto — a pint measure, 3660 ditto — a quart, do.
|
lbs. |
oz. |
dr. |
|
4 |
00 |
00 |
|
0 |
1 |
00 |
|
0 |
1 |
00 |
|
1 |
00 |
00 |
|
0 |
6 |
5 |
|
0 |
12 |
10 |
CHAPTER XXIX.
CObfCLUSION.
Hoping I have satisfied my readers, for which I have exerted the utmost of my slen-
MANAGEMENT OP HONEY BEES. 161
der abilities, and communicated every obser- vation and experiment worth mentioning, I have only to request their candor and indul- gence, and if this treatise shall be instrumen- tal, in any respect, to benefit and profit my fellow-creatures, I shall be amply rewarded for the labor and pains I have taken for that purpose. As the principal object of this treatise is to promote the instruction and good of others, I have only to say, that if in any thing I am mistaken, I shall be glad to be set right, for the more we know of those indus- trious and profitable insects, the Bees, the more we may be perplexed, but we shall be led to admire and adore their wonderful pro- perties and economy, though no man can search them out to perfection.
P. S. Any gentleman whose Bees have omitted swarming, and who is desirous of increasing his stock, may have swarms taken out of any old hive, by Edward Townley, the author, which shall do as well, or better, than those which come forth of their own
162 TREATISE, ETC. •
free choice. In like manner, Bees can be taken out of hollow trees, walls, or any other places, and divided so as to make two swarms from one.
TOWNLEY'S PATENT PREMIUM BEE HIVES.
Individual rights for constructing and using the above hives may be obtained for Five Dollars, Cash, by addressing the subscriber. All letters to be post paid. Also, Rights for Towns, Counties, or States, will be sold at liberal prices.
EDWARD TOWNLEY,
75 Thompson, St. N. Y.
v;:
I