BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
When a perfon has any thing to do about his bees, which, he thinks, may provoke their vengeance, and which, neverthelefs, muff be donc, fuch as making them fwarm, uniting light hives, &c. then he muff equip himself properly _Directions to guard againf the Sting of a Bee._ 83 properly, by putting on his harnels, * and keeping it on, as long as their rage continues. But when they are furprifed or frightened by rapping on the hive, they will be very pacific, and will not attempt to fling. After which, the Bee-mafter may fafely throw off his harnels, and even his coat, by which he will be more fit for performing bufinefs with them.
But flould they be greatly enraged, the bett method, if there is a houfe or open door near, is to run as quickly as pofible into it, and flut them out, (for it is eafy to out-run them,) and thus prevent them from following. In fuch a cafe they will fly about the door for fometimein great rage,impatientfor anopening L 2 to
* The Harness, or SAFEGUARD, flould be formed on this plan. Let a net be knit with fuch fsmall meshes, that a bee cannot pafs through. Silk, gauze, catgut, crape, or any thing woven of a fine thread, will anfwer equally well. The fafeguard muft be made large enough to cover a man's hat, head, and neck, and to tie clofe together before his breath with a firing. In tying it, great caution flould be obferved, that not the fsmalleth chink or opening be left for a bee to get in at; otherwise the remedy will prove worfe than the difsafe ; as thofe that get in would fling with the utmoff virulence, and it would be impoffible to get either the flings or the bees quickly out from under the harnels. The hands flould be covered with a pair of gloves, and the legs with a pair of coarfe flockings, or two pairs of fine ones, as the bees will often fling the legs through one pain.
### Directions to guard againf the Sting of a Bee
to get in ; but the perfon muff take care to remain clofe prisoner, till his winged enemies retire. But if there be no houfe of refuge at hand, where he can retire by rapid flight, he should by no means retire gradually, but rather fland fill like a flatue, or ly down flat upon the ground, without any motion, with his face downwards, in which cafe he may get off with only two or three things ; but if he attempts to fly and the bees overtake him, they will fing him in fo many parts at once, that he may not come off with lefs than one or two dozen of wounds.
After their fury is abated, and the remembrance of the affront entirely obliterated, the bee-mafter may then renew his acquaintance with his winged labourers ; and if he comes in a humble manner, and walks gently and fubmiffively among them, they will treat him kindly. In every bufinefs one has to do with bees, he muff do it in a calm, foft, gentle, and fubmiffive way ; he muff take care not to approach them in a rafh, hafty manner, puffing and blowing, or accompanied with any thing that has a dilagreeable or unfavoury fmeDirections to guard againf the Sting of a Bee. 85 er, you muff approach your bees, as you would appear before your patron, when you are going to ask a favour of him; and not, as you would meet an opponent in a duel; unlefs you be armed cap-a-pee. When the bees attack a perfon who is walking among them, let him put them gently a-fide from his face with his hand, or thrult his head into a bufh, and they will foon leave him. When they are offended at any perfon, the chief parts they aim at are the face and hands, knowing thefe parts are moft vulnerable. But if the face and hands are covered, they will furtound him, and try to discover any aperture in his flirt, neck, breath, fleeves, breeches knees, &c. and if they find an opening at the fmalleft flit or crevice, they will pufh in at it, and leave their ftings, with their venom behind, though they lofe their lives in the conflict. The hair of the head, beard, and eye-brows, are all very offensive to bees, and if they accidentally light on any of them, they will ftings that very infant. When at work in the field, they never offer to fing, let them be ever f much affronted. One may then chafe them from the same thing, and the other thing is that they are on the same thing.
* 86 _Directions to guard againf the Sting of a Bee._ from flower to flower, without provoking them to fing : they rather, on fuch occasions, fly off from the intruder, as unworthy of their notice. The ftings of bees have very different effects on different perfons. There are fome perfons, upon whom the fing of a bee produces neither inflammation nor pain. Such people need ufe no precaution, even when they are fure to receive many ftings. Upon others, again, the fing of a bee, occasions fuch exquifite pain, accompanied with fwelling and inflammation, that notling can terrify them more than the fight of a bee. This lfat clafs should not be discouraged. I myfelf have felt very different effects from their ftings at different times. The feldomer I am flung, and the longer interval that occurs fince 1 was lfat wounded, the greater pain I feel, and the more I fwell : but when I am flung twice or thrice in a day, I value it not a pin. I have fometimes received forty ftings in a day without fwelling in the leaflet. The reason of this I prefume not to account for ; I only mention the fact, leaving it to medical people, or thofe who have fudied the nature of animal poifons, to investigate the caufe. Many
Many remedies have been prefcribed, most of them to little purpofe, to cure the wound received by a fing. Oil of olives, or any mild oil, is thought by many to be effectual. Bruifed parley is recommended by others ; the honey taken out of the bee that inflicted the wound, is prefcribed by a third clafs. Some fay, that the fweet fpirit of viriol, well rubbed into the wound, will prevent both the pain and the fwelling. Repeated experiments, however, have flown that the eafe, received from any of the above medicines, is not always to be depended upon, and therefore may be imputed as much to accidental circumftances, fuch as the wounded perfon's flate of health, blood, &c. as to any peculiar fpecific virtue; although I doubt not, but that any or all of them may fometimes afford relief.
The fing and its poifon are injected in a moment, and the pain and fwelling infintantly fucceed, when fuch remedies are often very diffant. My remedies are more fimple, and one or other of them is always at hand. The moment I am wounded, after pulling out the fting, I take a blade of kail, dock, ah, or al-motf any green leaf of any plant or fhrub neareft me, and, bruifing it a little, rub the juice * 88 How to cboofe Stock Hives in September.
juice into the wound. When near water, I
wah the wound, or apply a wet cloth, which
I have fometimes found give relief. But, indeed, I do not, once in a dozen of inflances,
apply any remedy at all, except pulling out the
fing, as it feld makes me uneady ; and I
know a flort time and a little patience will
afford an infallible cure.
C H A P. XI.
How to choose stock Hives in September.
Any perfon, who intends to erect an apiary,
mut take particular care to have it filled with
proper inhabitants. He muff be peculiarly
attentive to this, as all his future profit and
pleafure, or lofs and vexation, will, in general, depend upon it. He muff therefore pay
the utmoff attention to the choice of his flock
hives ; for the man who takes care to keep
good flock hives will foon gain confiderably
by them ; but he who keeps bad ones, will,
fidesHow to chobe Stock Hive in September 8g
fides a great deal of trouble, and little or no
fucces, foon become a broken Bee-mafter.
In September every flock hive ought to contain as much honey, as will fapply the bees
with food, till June following ; and as many
bees as will preferve heat in the hive, and
thereby refilt the feverity of a cold winter, and
act as fo many valiant foldiers, to defend the
community from the invafions of foreign enemies in fpring. And, as September may be faid
to be the bee-mafter's feed time, as well as his
harvet, we shall begin with it, and go round
the circle of the year, giving fuch directions
as are neceffary to be obferved in the different
fefons, till we arrive again at the fame period.
Therefore the bee-mafter should purchafe a
proper number of hives in Auguft, or September, when they are at the cheapest rate.
They fhold be full of combs, and well fored
with bees and honey ; and fhold. weigh at
leaft 3olb. each ; if heavier, fo much the better; for light hives run a great rik of
perifhing by famine, unlefs the bees are fupplied
with food ; which will coft as much expence,
and a great deal more trouble, * befides a
fiderable
However; when a fificient number of good fingle hive 90_How to cboofe Stock Hivet in September_.
fiderable riffs of their dying at laft, after all this extraordinary trouble andexpence. Where-as, a well chofen hive of job. weight, allowing r 2lb. for the empty hive, bees, combs, &c. will contain r 8lb. of honey, which will fupply the bees with food till next June ; a time, when, it may be prefumed, they will find abundance of provisions for themselves among the flowers.
When a choice can be obtained, the young-eff hives should always be preferred, because old hives are liable to vermin, and other accidents. But although a hive fhold be four or five years old, it flould not be rejected, if it poffeffles thefe two effential qualities, plenty of bees, and abundance of honey ; but, if either
for flock cannot be obtained, they may be made up, by conjoining the bees and honey of two or three light hives into one, and thereby making one tolerably good hive out of fever-al bad ones. The method of doing this shall be noticed afterwards; but it is a meafare that ought never to be adopted but in cafes of neccffity. For neither fuch conjuncions of light hives, nor feeding of bees ought to be adopted, at this fefon, on purpofe to make them flund the winter's cold, if they can poffibly be avoided. Indeed, fometimes very light hives, with few bees in them, will fland through the courfe of a mild winter, and do well the following fummer ; but fuch hives are at befl precarious, and therefore not to be depended upon.
_Ofibe Removing of Bee-bivets._ 91:
either of thefe be a-wanting, the purcher
will regret his bad bargain when it is too late.
C H A P. XII.
OF THE REMOVING OF BEE-HIVES.
In the removal of hives, the diftance, to
which they are to be removed, muff be chiefly, considered. If it is f
**9a** _Of the Removing of Bee-biver, dance of fresh air._ For, the great heat of the bees, when no air is admitted, will melt the combs and the honey, and fuffocate or drown the bees, In this manner, valuable hives have often been loft in the fummer feafon, by ignorant perfons, who had been employed to tranfort them, flutting up the door of the hive fo clofe, that no air could get in. The proper method to prevent the bees from coming out of the hive, in cafe of removal, in-warm weather, or indeed at any time, and at the fame time to admit a circulation of air, is, to get a piece of lead or tin plate, pierced full of f
**The Removing of Bee-bives.**
**carried 2o** hives at one time, with very little damage, either to the bees or the comba. Great care muld be taken in placing them in the cart or waggon, that one hive may not interrupt or intercept the current of air from another. In hot flurry weather, the removal should be made in the night. Before placing the hives in the carriages, every one of them flould be lifted off the flool it unfually fands on, and placed upon a piece of cloth about three feet fquare. This cloth should be of the fame texture, with thofe kinds of which window blinds, or cheefe-cloths are made, that it may admit air, at the fame time, that it effectually prevents the bees from e.c. caping out of the hives. Let it be drawn clofe up, around the edges of the hive, and, when properly secured to it with pack-thread, not a single bee will get out. All this flould be done the evening before they are removed. The utmoft care should alfo be taken, that no other opening be left at any other part of the hive, for the bees to get out at, as the moft dangerous conferences might arife, as the jolting of the vehicle might provoke the bees to fling both the driver and the horfes; which might occasion the overturning of the carriage, andand of courfe not only rifle the deftruction of the whole cargo, with the carriage and horfes, but even, the life of the driver himfelfelf.
Another method, if the diftance is great, I would recommend as preferable to every other, where it can be obtained, viz. carriage on flipboard, either by tea, canals, lakes, or navigable rivers. By this mode of conveyance, the bees run no rifle of being jolted or hurt in the leaflet, provided they are properly fowed in the veffel. This laft winter, (1794,--5,) I carried twenty hives on flip-board, with great fafety, to a gentleman about 300 miles diftant. I would, therefore, earnelly recommend water carriage wherever it is practicable, as preferable to every other mode of conveyance whatever; for I would rather carry a number of bee-hives 4000 miles by fea, than 100 miles by land carriage.
_How to Prepare Stock Hives for Winter._. 95
**C H A P. XIII.**
**How to Prepare Stock Hives for Winter.**
**A**FTER the hives are brought home, if room will permit, let every hive be placed two or three yards afunder, that the bees of one hive may not interfere with thofe of another, as is sometimes the cafe, when the hives are feated near one another, or upon the fame standard; for the bees,miffaking their own hives, alight sometimes at the wrong door, and a battle enfues, wherein one or more may lofe their lives. There should not be too many hives in one place. Eight or nine are sufficient for one garden*; and as many more may be placed at.
**When too many hives are placed in one apinry, they are often troublefome in fwarning time, by the fwarms going together, and by robbing one another, which they often do in Spring and Autumn, as will be thrown afterwards. Befides, when one has to feed them, the fell of the honey entices them to fleal from each other, which fometimes occasions many battles, whereby many of the bees are killed. But when there are not**
**j6**: _How to Prepare Stock Hives for Winter._
at about half a mile's distance in every direction ; and thus the whole kingdom, or even the whole ifland, might be covered with bee-hives, at proper regular ditances, wherever there is a sufficiency of food for the bees to work on.
The hives should be placed on boards or ftools, made of well fearoned wood. Thefe boards fhould be made a little broader than the bottom of the hives, and fhould project about fix inches before the entry to it, that the bees may have a sufficient breadth to alight upon, when they return from the fields. When a proper place is fixed on, where the hive is to be erected, let three fakes be driven into the ground, till the tops of them are within ten inches of it, and the foremost take one inch lower than the other two. The ftool with the hive on it may then be placed upon thefe ; and at fun-fet, let the fkirts of the hive be plafered all clofe to the board with plafter lime. Next, let two finally holes be cut, in the under fide of a fsmall piece of hard wood, which muff be fixed to the entry of the hive with lime. Thefe holes muff juf be not too many hives in one place, they are not under fho much temptation to enter into fach conflicts. But at the fame time, twenty or thirty may be placed in one large apiary, and all do very well, although the other method is rather to be preferred.
**How to Prepare Bees for the Winter.** 97
**be wide enough to admit the** **largeft** **bee, but no wider, left the mice** **flould go into the hive through them** \(\dagger\)**. Each hole** **flood** **fcarce exceed a quarter of an inch in height and in widenefs. This** **fize** **muff be exactly attended to. The whole hive** **flould then be covered all over with a large quantity of** **pow tow, or** **fraw, which may be fixed to the hive with ropes made of** **fraw, or hay. A large** _divot,_ **or** **turf,** **flould be laid upon the top of the tow or** **flraw, to hold it clofe down to the hive, and keep the bees dry and warm. Afterwards, fome of the** **N** **tow**
\(\dagger\)**Mice are** **moff** **perniciousenemies to bees; for when they get into a hive, they not only eat the honey, but the combs and eggs, and even the bees themselves. I am perfuaded there are hunders of hives** **defroyed every year in Britain by thefe** **vermin. I myself, in my younger years, had no fewer than five hives ruined in one winter by thefe** **rapacious** **invaders: but now, by taking care to have the entries to** **my hives made no larger than will juff admit the** **largeft** **bee, my hives are** **proof** **againf their** **depredations, and I never lofe either a** **fingle bee or a particle of honey by them. The only chance the mice have, when this precaution is oberved, is to** **gaw through the hive** **itelf, which they will fometines attempt; but in this they may** **cafily be** **decfted and defeated, by taking off the covering now and then.** **During the cold months,** **smallf** **fails often creep into the hives, and lurk about the infides of them, though not among the combs ; but I never oberved that they did much hurt. When the hives are turned up in winter to discover their fate, it is** **eafy to** **diffodge them, and** **largefails cannot get into the hives, when the entries are made** **fall,**
**98** _How to Prepare Bees for the Winter._
tow or fraw, should be rolled up about four inches above the entry, which will permit the bees to get in thereat; for the lefs that is uncovered of the hive, the drier and warmer it will be, which should be aimed at in all fefons, effpecially in winter.
The beft of all covers for hives, however, that I have yet feen or heard of, are fuch as I ordered a potter to make for me of burnt earth-en ware. They are made in the form of a hive, pretty ftrong, about 21 inches wide, and 12 deep; with a circular edging turned up at the flixts, and a fpout about an inch in length. Thefe, being placed above the pob tow, or fraw, keep it clofe to the hive, and may eafily be taken off or put on at pleafure. The fpout being placed behind, all the water runs off at the back of the hive. The hives, when thus covered, may be compared to a man's head with a wig and hat upon it; the pob tow refembling the wig, and the earthen cover the hat. The only objection to thefe covers is, that they are brittle, and eafily broken; but the care, that every good bee-mafter will readily beftow upon his hives in any cafe, is sufficient to preferve them from accidents of this kind. I' fold a-bove 30 of thefe covers to a gentleman in North-humberlandHow to manage Bees in Winter.99
thumberland about three years ago, and have
reafon to believe that there is not one of them
yet broken.
CH A P. XIV.
How TO MANAGE Bees in WINTEL
The he hives in September, being properly
ced, covered, and made fit to endure the winter,
there is very little more necclary to be done,
for about three months. This feafon may,
therefore, be called _the Bee-mafer's refining time_.
It will be proper, however, occasionally to take
care, that the covers continue to find firmly
upon the hives, and that no mice hefle about
them. When the froft is fevers, or when flow
is lying on the ground, it will be neceffary to
prevent the bees from coming out of the hives,
by flutting up their entry quite clofe with
both; which will keep them warm, at the fame
time that they will run no riffs of suffocation in 100 _How to manage Bees in Winter._
very cold weather.* In extreme colds, the hives may be taken into out-houfes, which will preferve
* Bees should by no means be diffurbed in cold weather, fo as to provoke them to go abroad out of their hives, unlefs fome very important object is in view : For, not only in winter, but even in fpring, fummer and autumn, if they fly out of their hives in cold or wet days, efpecially in the evenings or mornings, and slight on the ground, their advice powers become infuntly fo benumbed, that often within half a minute thereafter; they will be rendered totally unable to rife, in consequence of which they muff crawl about till they perih. If bees are permitted to go abroad in time of fnow, which they are tempted to _ do, by the glare of the light, they will alight upon it, and fip a little; but their delicate bodies are foon fo chilled by the cold, that their wings lofe their power of raifing them, and inevitable death fucceeds,
Every other part of the hive, as well as the entry, fhould be carefully examined, to dificover if it be all quite clofe ; for after long confinement, efpecially when the fafon is advanced to a- bout the middle of February, the bees will make every povfible attempt to get out of the hive, as their own ordure then becomes offensive to them. At times, when I have thought the entry to the hive was made fo completely fecure, that not a fingle bee could get out at any opening. yet, in walking through my apiary, I have dificovered them making their way through places, where I could not have fuppofed they would have attempted an efcape, When bees are completely flut up in a good clofe hive, they are in a fate of perfect darkness ; but, if there he the fmalef aperture in any part of it, the light, hining through it, leads them directly to the, place ; when they are apt to make every povfible effort to widen it, and, in fuch cafes, they will often fqueeze through
**How to manage Bees in Winter.** 101
**ferve them from cold.** But, indeed, when the hives are properly covered, and the entries to them clofely flut up, they will refit a very fever cold.
Many ingenious gentlemen have tried different methods to preferve bees in winter. Some have flut them up in cold out-houfes, from September to April ; others only from the rift of November to March. A third clafs place grates before their entries, to admit air, but keep the bees clofe in their hives, during the whole winter.
The limits of this performance will not permit me to enlarge upon the fruitleffnefs of thefe inventions. Suffice it therefore to obferve
through a very narrow hole, It is therefore advifesble, though the hives may be fuppofed perfectly clofe, to infpect them frequently, left any bees should get out at an unfulecded place, and not only perifh, themselves, but leave an opening for invaders to get in. Befldes, upon returning to their hives, they will go to their/qual entry to get in again, and not finding admittance, will wander about in fearch of it, till they perifh, unlefs they chance to alight upon the aperture by which they had got out. The fame caution muff be obferved, when a hive is flut up at any q-ther fefon of the year, or upon any account whatever.
I have fonetimes picked up great numbers of wandering bees from off the cold ground, or fnow, and, after recovering them by gradual warmth, have refored them again to their hives.
102 _How to manage Bees in Winter._