BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
Thefe, yielding their flowers from the middle of March to the end of April, will afford the bees fix weeks good patture, and thus render them equal to thofe in more favourable or earlier ftiuations;whereas they would perhaps have fcarcely had any other flower to work upon, that could do them much good. I would therefore, strongly recommend to all propriators of bees, particularly thofe in late ftiuations, if they can by any means, to let always as many turnips run into blobfom in the fpring, as may be sufficient to afford plenty of early patture for their bees to work on. Thus the rich may fupply themselves with that feed for flowing, and the poor will have it to fell to thofe who need it, which will enable them to pay the rent of the ground they grow upon. But here it may naturally be asked, By what rule are we to judge, what quantity of ground will yield a fuficiency of food for any given number of hives! I anfwer, that very little ground will keep many hives abundantly at work; as, for example, one acre of good land would not be overfocked with 20 hives; and confequently, the_Paffurage of Bess._ 13
the twentieth part of an acre would keep one in confant employment.
The rape in blofom anfwers the fame end to bees as the turnips ; and as it is a little later of flowering, it will yield the bees a fresh and fefonable fupply, when the turnips begin to fade, and thereby keep them confantly at work till the latter end of May, * when all the herbs of nature will, as it were, vie with each other who fhall contribute moft to fupply this noble and virtuous race, with abundance of the fwetefl nectar. Then, at this fefon, the 'balmy plane-tree regales them in the morning, before the drowfy herd afecinds the hill to relieve his imprisoned bleaters : and the gold-like furze, mufard, and broom, invite them to feaft till the day decline.
Garden and wild mufard, with runches of all kinds, bees are very fond of, and work keenly thereon; and thefe flowers are attended with this advantage, that by fowing their feeds at different times in the Spring, their flowering may
* The two flowers above mentioned, as they are easily raifed, should be paid particular attention to, in the Highlands of Scotland, or any other Moorland fluations, whe-c there are very few natural flowers growing, except the heath.
may be fo protracted, as to afford the bees a 'fufficiency of pafture during the whole working feafon.
In June comes the white clover, which continues long in blobform, and alfo yields abundance of the finelt of honey : And wherever the proprietor of bees has it in his power, he flould be particularly attentive to raife it in his pafture lands ; and, as I hinted with refpect to turnips and rape, the clover grafs will pay the rent of the ground, exclusive of what advantage the bees derive from it. So fond are the bees of this flower, that whenever it appears, they will defert and overlook many other excellent flowers, as unworthy of their attention, and eagerly dart upon it, and work and fing thereon all the day long, until the cold evening chafe them with reluctance home to reft : But, as all nature's beauties fade, and thereby give way to their fucceffors, fo does this beloved herb, as, about the end of July, they begin to blacken, and the balmy dew to forfake their fweteful lips ; then our heroes go in fearch of fresh provitions, and in their rambles, as they fkim over our lofty mountains, are attracted by the blue heather bells, which are numberlefs as the fands on the fea fibre ; each _Pafurage of Bees._ 15
each one of which, by the affitance of Phoenix, diclofes its tweets, and thereby invites the tranported bee to rifle all their charms.
**Heath** is attended with this advantage, that it needs no culture nor rearing ; but, on the contrary, grows fjontaneoufly, in too great abundance, in many places ; as, moft certainly, the greater half of Britain is covered with it ; but, like the clover, it yields alfo vaft quantities of the fineth honey ; and, when the month of Auguft is favourable warm weather, no thriving hives of bees, placed near it, need fail, in a flort time, to enrich themselves with plenty of honey.
The flowers of furze, broom, and plane tree, as formerly hinted, are highly grateful to bees; as all of them afford abundance of matter to collect their honey and wax from. Furze, in particular, generally flowers early, and continues long in bloom.
Befides the flowers above mentioned, there is a great variety of others, which, in their different f deafons, afford employment and materials for thebees; fuch as lillies, rofe-margs, yellow gowans, and the blofoms of crocules, flow-drops, oziers, fallows, vetches, alders, poppies, beans, goofeberry bufhes, and fruit trees of all kinds,kinds.In short, I know no flower that they will refufe, when they are at a lofs for variety ; for, like the poor among mankind, when a choice is denied them, they will be contented with coarse fare ; but give them their option amongst a variety, and it will foon be perceived, how little they value the gaudy _/fow_, when put in competition with _/tableance_ ; for they will fly over the fineful gardens, and the moft beautiful flowers, and cheerfully feed on their beloved turnips, runches, clover, and heath.
There is one thing very obfervable, that whatever flower a bee firft pitches upon, the always continues to work upon the fame species, till the is loaded, although the fhould be obliged to fly over better kinds, and even to fome confiderable diftance for them ; but, if the bees cannot obtain a full loading from thofc flowers which they prefer, they fometimes make up the remainder from other flowers.
What the honey dew conflicts of, is difputed among the learned. According to the ancients, it was an efflux of air, a dew which fell upon flowers. The moderns fay, it is rather a perfiration of the fineful particles of the fap in plants,plants, which, evaporating through the pores, afterwards condenfe upon the flowers *.
"The honey dew (fays Mr Key) is not a liquid depofited by the air on the leaves of plants, as is generally fuppofed ; for theh, like other dews or fogs, it would fall on, and adhere to, all forts of plants indicrimiately ; whereas, it is found only on a _few_ particular plants ; and on them but partial-ly, for the young leaves afford none.
"This fubitance is as tranfparent and as fweet as honey, and is, in fact, perfect ho-ney, attracted through the pores of the leaves, by a peculiar fultry heat ; particular-ly when reflected through clouds. Sometimes it is found on the leaves in the form of little drops or globules. But, at other times, being more diluted by the greater moiture of the atmof Sphere, it covers the leaves, as though they were fpread with a fine fyrup.
"The time, in which thefe honey dews are generally found, is from the beginning of June to the middle of July. But it will vary, in propotition as the weather is wet or C "dry;* 18 _Pahurage of Beets._
* "dry ; which will occasion them to be either
* "fooner or later. The hottelt and drift fummers produce the largest and moft frequent
* "honey dews. In cold and wet fefaons, few
* "or none of them are to be feen."
* "Whenever a honey dew is found, the bees
* "are fo extremely eager to fetch it, that they
* "quit all other work, that their returns may be
* "the quicker and more numerous ; and left a
* "gloomy change should deprive them of the
* "previous prize. No havrett fwain, dreading
* "impending forms, can be more anxious or
* "expeditious, in haftening the houfing of his
* "crops, than thefe aerial tribes in this their
* "delightful office ; fo much fo, that thronging
* "in too great numbers at the door, they
* "jolte and tumble each other down. And
* "fmarting woe to thofe who fhall thoughts
* "ly fland in their way at this important cri
* "fis! Their joy on thefe occasions, is ex-
* "prefled in fuch inceffant and loud notes, as
* "to be heard at a great diflance. By thefe to-
* "kens it may be known, that there is a honey
* "dew, without feing the trees from which
* "they gather it."
A friend informed me, that he has often
discovered both bees and ants upon the oak leaves _Pafurage of Bets._ 19 leaves, flipping the honey dew ; which agrees nearly with the Abbe Boissier de Sauvages's account of it, in France, as quoted by Wildman, p. 80, et feq. For my part, although I have often travelled many miles, in the finet weather, to places where oaks were growing in great abundance, in order to fatisfy myfelf on that point, yet I never could dificover a fingle drop of honey dew on them, or any bees to collect it. And many perfons have affured me, that they never faw a fingle bee upon an oaken leaf collecting honey. I am, nevertheless, far from dificrediting the report; as thofe who are fituated nearer extensive woods, have doubtlefs much better opportunities of afertaining this fact, than I. And that there are honey dews to be dificovered in fuch fituations, I readily believe ; as I have often obferred my own bees collecting honey from the _outfades_ of the fockets of different flowers, particularly from thofe of the wild runches, instead of extracting it by their probofcis from the _infde._ I have fometimes, though very feldom, obferved them, in a fine morning, about fun-rie, buffily employed upon the leaves of the white thorn,' at a fefon' when there was not a fingle flower to be feen C.2 on so _Palurage of Bees._
on it ; which inclines me to think it is not an _efflux of air,_ as fome fuppofe, but rather a perforation of fome of the fineft particles of the flap of plants, which, evaporating through the pores, afterwards condenfes upon the leaves. At fuch favourable opportunities, the bees will doubtlefs foon fill their hives with honey ; but I am of opinion, that fuch happy fefons are generally very flort, and that for many years they laft but a very few days ; and in fome cold years, perhaps they f scarcely occur at all.
Some writers believe, that when the liquor which the bees collect, has been for fome time in their fomachs, it comes from thence changed into true honey ; the liquor having been there properly digested, and rendered thicker than when it entered. Others are of opinion, that the bee makes no alteration in the honey, but collects this delicious fyrup juf as nature produces it, and firth fills her bag, and then dicharges it into the magazine ; which appears to me to be the moft probable opinion ; as I have fometimes taken a bee from a flower the moment the was collecting the honey, and torn her afunder, (although with the greateft reluctance,)_Pafurage of Bees._ 21 reluctance,) to fatify myfelf onthat point; when I found the fineful blob of honey in her bladder, exactly of the fame tafte, colour and finell, with that honey which is ufually collected from fuch flowers as the bee was working u-pon; for thofe bees which I picked off the white clover, contained fine white tranfparrent honey, while fuch as were taken from heath, produced it of a high colour; and as the honey had not been above a minute in their bladders, it certainly could not undergo any change in fo flort a fpace of time. But even allowing the bees their own ufual time to collect, carry home, and depoit the honey in their cells, the time will be found not to exceed five minutes; and yet the honey is, at this period, in as great perfection, may, rather better, if there is any difference, than at any time thereafter: for it is proved by experience, and acknowledged by all connioffeurs in ajaries, that theyounger the honey and honey-comb are, they are fo much the fairer and better; as, when they remain for fome time in the hive, the combs, by the breath of the bees, gradually become of a darker colour, and the honey becomes neither fo fair nor fo tranfparrent,rent, as when it was first collected*. From all which considerations, it appears plain to me, that bees are not the makers of honey, but only collectors of it ; and that the honey is in as great perfection in the flowers, before the bees touch it, if not better, than it is after it has paffed through their bodies. \(\uparrow\)
* The author would not be underflood here, as if he meant that honey suddenly underwent a change to the worfe, as it will remain many months locked up in the hives without undergoing any material change; yet, neverthelcf, it is certain, that honey is never better, than when it is newly depotified in the cells. \(\uparrow\) Some alledge, that the fyrup in the flower, by paffing though the body of the bee, undergoes a material change, and is thereby converted into real honey. But there is no analogy between the honey extraded by the bee, to be carried home to the hive, and the meant or drink taken into the fomach by any other animal, to be digested for its nonwifiment. The former is retained in the bladder of the bee only a few minutes; where: as, the latter continues many hours, and, by the operation of the gafric fluid, is changed into chyle, blood, &c. The honey itself, when taken afterwards by the bees for the purpofe of nonwifiment, undergoes a similar change; but, in its first fate, when put into the cells, it has undergone no change whatever. I was this day favoured with a letter from a very intelligent gentlemen, whole opinion, on this fubjcR, although quite different from my own,--I shall prefeat to my reader. " Honey does not exif in the plaud in that form, but only be, " comes fo by paffing through the body of the bee. While it " is in the flower, it constitutes what is called its faccharine " juice
_Pafurage of Bets._
therefore, instead of death and extirpation, merit every encouragement and prefervation; and ought, at leaf in autumn, to be allowed to retain a refonable flare of the fruits of their own induitry, to preferve them through the **D**
**Whate's**
And fix'd o'er fulphur: while, not dreaming ill,
Sat: tending public cares, and planning fchemes
Of temperance, for Winter poor i rejoiced
To mark, full flowing round, their copious flores.
Sudden the dark oppreffive team afcends;
And, u'd to milder fcents, the tender race,
By thoufands, tumble from their honeyd domes,
Convolv'd, and agonizing in the duf.
And was it then for this you roam'd the Spring,
Intent from flower to flower? for this you toil'd
Ceafelefs the burning Summer-heats away?
For this in Autumn fearch'd the blooming wafle,
Nor loft one funny gleam? for this fad fate?
O Man! tyrannic lord! how long, how long,
Shall proftrate Nature groan beneath your rage,
Awaiting renovation? When obliged,
Mult you defroy? Of their ambrodial food
Can you not borrow? and, in jut return,
Afford them fhelter from the wintry winds;
Or, as the flarp year pinches, with their own
Again regale them on fome failing day?
See where the fony bottom of their town
Looks defolate, and wild ; with here and thre
A helplis number, who the rain'd fate.
**Survive, lamenting, weak, caf out to death.**
**Reafons wby there are fo few**
**winter and fpring ; whereby they will be enabled greatly to increafe in numbers, as well as in produce, in the courfe of the fucceeding feafon.**
**In the next chapter we shall take a view of the vaft increafe of the number of hives that may eafily be made in Scotland; an object which I am happy to find already begins to occupy the attention of many gentlemen of property ; and the promotion of which I hope will foon become general. Nothing indeed would yield me greater pleafure and satisfaction, than if, by any exertion of mine, I could be infurmental in fetting on foot, or carrying into execution, a measure of fo much utility and importance to the public.**
**C. H A P. IV.**
**Reasons WIT THERE ARE 50 FEW BEE-HIVES IN Scotland.**
**It is not to be expected, upon my propofol plan, that I fould enter deeply into the nature, generation, and properties of bees ; although**_Bee-bives in Scotland._ * 27
**though each of thefe fubjects might afford an investigation equally uefelt and interefing. On fuch fubjects, I have often thought, I could write a thousand pages, and, after all, be far from exhaufting my thoughts on them. Bur, without diving deep at prefent into them, or entering the lifts of controverfy with other authors, who have wrote upon them, my chief defign in this treatife was--**
**To excite men of property, who are the only proper perfons to be addreffed on the buffefs, to exert themselves with fpirit and per-feverance to promote the increafe of bce-hives in this country, by convincing them, that the cultivation of bees is an important object to the nation at large as well as to every proprietor of them.**
**To flow, that the prices of honey and wax would be thereby greatly reduced, and consequently thefe articles would become 'a fource of national wealth ; and**
**That Britain, inflead of expending large fums of money in purchasing thefe articles from foreign countries, might even be enabled to render them an article of exportation ; and therefore that they merit the attention of every patriot and real friend to his country. Alfo,**
**D 2**
**To*** 28 _Reafons wby there are fo few_
To flow thofe who incline to make the attempt, how to proceed in fuch a laudable undertaking.
To give a brief account of the bee, as divided into its different claffes of Queen, Drones, and Working bees ; and to conclude with
Some plain and eafy directions, how to manage that ufeful and indutirous race, through the different fefanos of the year, fo as they may prove of the greateful advantage to the country at large, as well as to their propriators.
The principal reafon, why bees have not been reared in greater numbers in this country, is, the almoft total neglect of them, by gentlemen of property ; who feen, in general, to act as if they thought thefe ufeful infects entirely below their notice ; and the rearing and increasing of bee-hives, as a bufinefs fo very infignificant, as to be unworthy of their patronage. Hence many gentlemen will rather purchafe honey at the higheft rate, than give themfelves the trouble of rearing bees ; which neglect often likewise proceeds from an erroneous idea entertained by many, that bees will not thrive with them, and therefore the attempt would be fruitefs. *
Perhaps, in former ages, bees may have been more plentiful in 'Seothand,_Bee-bives in Scotland._, 29
It is not the want of proper parture, that prevents bees from thriving well every year in this country. The only preventative is the inability of the weather; for if it be windy, or cloudy, they will not go out of the hive; and, on the other hand, though the day should be quite dry, yet if the weather be cold, the bees will collect very little honey.
From all the above mentioned caufes, therefore, it is plain, that the bees and the bee-mafter, have nothing fo adverfe to their intereft as the mutability of the weather; and the world of the matter is, that nothing can be done to remedy this evil. Only the proprietor, by having plenty of good parture at all fefons, has this advantage, that whatever good weather occurs between February and September, he may have his bees fo well fupplied with good flowers,
Scotland, than they have been for a confiderable time pdf. This appears probable from different places fill bearing their names from thefe ufeful animals. For inflance, in my own native parlin of Coldingham, there is a ffeeding called _Bee-Edge_, another named _Bee-Park_, and a rivulet denominated _Bee-Burts_. All thefe places have evidently derived their names from large quantities of bees having been formerly reared in them; as they are fituat-ed on the flirts of a large common, which is now divided, and where bees would fill thrive well with proper care and attention, if the proprietors would exert themselves to render thefe place, worthy the names they bear.
1. Regions wby there are 6 few flowers, as that they shall be enabled to make the moft of it, and to collect honey (as his hay - makers make hay,) while the fun flines. Here it may be obferved, that bees will thrive well, and collect a good quantity of honey in a flort time, if they only have three favourable days in the week, during the honey feafon; as a good hive, in thirty fine days, will collect four pints of honey : befides, many people will alledge, that their fituation is too cold, windy, of rainy, with many other reasons, which in fact are of no weight; for the principal reason of bees not thriving is bad weather; and the next chief caufe is the neglecting to take proper care of them. Their bees indeed will fomet times thrive long and well, with very little care, which leads their proprietor to entertain an erroneous idea, that they always will do fo, and that hardly any care is neceffary. But when cold, famine, or robbing bees attack his hives, and deftroy his flock of bees, the lazy proprietor regrets his miftake when it is too late. I believe poor people, in general, make more by their bees annually, than thofe in more affluent circumstances ; and even the latter might make far more of them than they do, if they would only fudy to increafe their flock to a confiderable.
_Bee-bives in Scotland._ 31
**confiderable extent.** The reafon is, that they are a kind of _glate_ to the poor, who, when once they enter upon the bufinefs of rearing bees, take a great pleafure in it, and, by paying proper attention to them, gradually acquire more and more knowledge in the proffion. And, the only reafon why fuch perfons do not increafe their flock of hives, to a much greater number than the country at prefent pofflefs, is, that pinching poverty obliges them often to fell the belf of their hives for ready money, to make up their houfe rent: Not to add, that fuch perfons, when obliged to leave their cotages, owing' to raifed rents, monopolies of farms, or the like, think bee-hives a very troublesome fpecies of property, for removal. Besides, as they keep but a few hives each, they never think of raifing any flowers for provifion to them. And if a perfon in fuch circumstances fhould lay out 20 s. for a hive, and the prove a bad one and die, he and fome of his neighbours will perhaps ever after look up on the culture of bees as a dangerous and precarious adventure, not to be attempted by any but perfons in affluence. To obviate fuch objections, shall be the fubject of the following chapter.
**CHAP.*** 32 _Regons for increasing the number_
C H A P. V.
* 450Ns FOR, AND PRACTICABILITY OF, INCREASING THE NUMBER OF BEE-HIVES IN SCOTLAND.
Any perfon, who confiders how very abundantly Scotland is fungled by nature, with food proper for bees, throughout almost every county in the kingdom, and observes how very few bees are reared, notwithstanding thefe great advantages, muff be furprifed that fo little exertion has hitherto been made in that line. For inflance, were we to consider, that fome parifies, which might abundantly maintain jobs have in each of them, have not at prefent 20 or 30, we muff be furprifed at that infatuation which has hitherto prevented us from attending more to our own interest. Were we to consider our large extended heat-covered moors, and beautiful clover fields, with the great quantities of runches, wild muffard, &c. that grow footnoteally in our corn fields, together
**of Bee-Hoves in Scotland.** 33
gether with the many elegant gardens, nurs tries, &c. raiefed by art, in the neighbourhood of this metropolis, and almost every other town in Scotland, as well as the country feats of our gentry, together withhofe numerous wild flowers that grow in our meadow grounds and pafture lands, we might jully fay, " the har-" vest truly is great, but the labourers" are.'