BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
Dysentry.--This is another discasc, which is sometimes very destructive to Bees, and in some phases runs very close to foul-brood; many Bee-keepers yet maintaining they are one and the same thing. There is no doubt, however, how dysentry is often caused; improper or too liquid food, cold, damp, and confinement will all produce the malady. Bees, it is well-known, are cleanly animals, and they will not, except under the most urgent circumstances, void their excerment within the hivc. On the sudden appearance of a warm, sunny day, after perhaps a long series of inement ones, how cagerly do the Bees fly abroad, and relieve whilst in the air their distended bowcls! Conspicuous places round about their homes may be seen in all directions, spotted with their _rejectamenta_. When quietly clustering during the winter months Bees require to relicve themselves but seldom; but if they are by unnatural disturbance roused into a state of excitemcnt, with their accustomed impetuosity they distend their honey bags by rifling their stores, and if unfavourable weather succeed, and they cannot fly out, dysentry is very likely engendered. The same effect may be produced by a cold damp hive, whether caused by atmospheric moisture from without, or by the imprudent stowage of a large quantity of watery food, perhaps given to them in mistaken kindness by their would-be benefactors. Dysentry is a disease of the Bees, sometimes extending to the larvae. Foul-brood never extends to the Bees. If a hive be discovered in this unfortunate condition, with still living imates, the remedy is to remove all dead, give dry floor board, and, if a frame hive, transfer all Bees and combs to a clean dry hive. Should there be a large quantity of unsealed food it had better be removed by the extractor or otherwise, and the Bees, if necessary, fed with small quantities of honey or barley sugar ; then, if the population be not too much reduced, we may hope to save the remainder.
Deaths from chilled brood and starvation cannot be attributed to disease, but rather accident ; and I need scarcely say if mortality should be found to occur from either of these causes, the dead should be immediately removed lest disease should be engendered.
loaded, must find her life a burthen, as each louse lives by sucking the Bee; the young are said to be produced in the pupa state. I have found this pest several times on imported Ligurians; but the climate of England does not, fortunately, appear to suit them, for they have soon disappeared.
Wasps often become very troublesome; they do not hesitate to enter any hive to which they can gain admission. A strong stock can generally defend their entrance successfully, but wee betide the unfortunate weak colony; there the wasps run riot at their will, and will often completely rifle the hive of all its honied sweets. These marauders should be trapped in narrow-necked bottles of sweetened beer, which they will eagerly enter and get drowned therein; the Bees are seldom thus caught. Every wasp nest in the neighbourhood should be sought for and destroyed; and in the spring, when only the Queens are in existence, it must be remembered that every wasp then caught prevents the establishment of a nest.
Insectivorous birds are sometimes very troublesome, foremost of which stand the blue tit (_Parus Ceruleus_) and the great tit (_Parus Major_). These birds, in the winter time, when other insects are scarce, find an abundant supply from the Bee hives. It is said they will stand at the doorway of the hives, stamp, and await the unlucky Bee who seeks to know the business of the visitor; certain it is, that I have seen a rail, a few feet in front of my hives, studded with Bee stings in hundreds, torn from the unfortunate victims, whose plump and welcome bodies have formed the dinner of the tits, who apparently reject the small portion which might prove to them a discomfort. The fronts of the hives may be fenced with a piece of wire netting to outwit these unwelcome visitors.
Mice, sometimes, will take up their winter quarters within a hive, fcasting on the stores as occasion arises. When perceived they should be captured and destroyed.
A manual of Bee-keeping.
C O M B S.
"Galleries of Art, and Schools of Industry."
Combs, as everyone knows, are built by the Bees of wax, which is a natural secretion of the builders and appears in fine scales between their abdominal rings; it is eliminated from honey, possibly assisted by a simultaneous consumption of Bee bread. It was formerly believed that Bees secreted wax from pollen only, and a writer in an old edition of the _Encyclopedia Britannica_ describes how it is done and the way it is disgorged up from the stomach to be worked up into combs; all of which we now know to be wrong, from the much greater facilities for observation we enjoy.
After a hard day's work in honey gathering the Bees do not rest, but employ the night in comb building; this work being then chiefly carried on, and on such days when the weather forbids out-door employment; thus no time is lost, even if they be confined several days. If the combs of a hive are examined, the cells will be found to be hexagonal--of several sizes--those for Drones and Workers never vary, the first are about 17 to the linear inch, the latter 27. As well as being used for breeding, these cells are brought into requisition for honey storing indiscriminately if occasion arises; there are also honey cells proper, generally of elongated Drone construction, sometimes very deep, in supers even 2 or 3 inches--these honey cells in the main hive are usually found at the top and sides of combs, and on the outer combs more than on the central ones which form the brood nest. Queen cells, which are only present occasionally, if formed of the Bces' own accord, will be mostly found on the margin of the combs; if the Queen-rcaring is forced, they are more often in the centre. These cells are, when fully formed, of an elongated egg shape, **1** inch long by **1**-**3**rd of an inch in diameter; and, contrary to the other cells, which open sideways, these always open at the bottom, that is, mouth downwards. The number of Queens that the stock has reared may commonly be known by the bases of the old Queen cells left; they appear much after the shape of the acorn cup. Cells, where the young Queen has been destroyed by the reigning monarch, are usually quite cleared away by the Workers.
In the manufacture of one pound of comb, the Bees will consume sixteen to twenty-four pounds of honey; therefore, to save the Bces trouble and ourselves honey, old combs should, so long as they are clean and wholesome, be utilized to the utmost. France hives and the honey extractor will give every facility for this, and it will be found true economy to furnish all frames with combs whencver possible, and a straw skep full of combs, whose late inhabitants have died or deserted, will furnish for a swarm such a start as will send them far ahead of all competitors not so fortunate. In making use of old combs we are enabled to keep under the production of superfluous Drones, for, if Worker comb be given, Workers will be bred; and when we wish for Drones, all we have to do is to supply the Queen with Drone cells.
No old comb should at any time be used which hasabout it the slightest suspicion of foul-brood--better far melt it down or burn it than introduce this malady into the apiary. All the whitest of the combs, particularly if of Drone construction, should be reserved for furnishing supers with deooys, without which, the Bees are often reluctant to work there. For breeding purposes, the colour of the comb is of little import, it will last good four or five years. Strips for guide combs are best made of the old and tough combs, and are as readily accepted by the Bees. The value of one pound of wax is about \(2s\). \(6d\)., that of twenty pounds of honey \(20s\).; therefore, by melting down one pound of clean Worker combs, the Beesmaster loses \(17s\). \(6d\).! Why should not this lesson be borne in mind?
The process of comb building is thus described by Huber. (I may here say that in his time it was thought there were two kinds of Workers, whom he styles Wax Makers and Nurses; the fact is, there is but one kind; but the newly-born Workers, for some time after birth, confine their work to nursing and comb building, and not until afterwards do they issue from the hive to gather honey):--
"The Wax Makers having thus laid a foundation of " a comb, are succeeded by the Nurse Bces, which are " alone competent to model and perfect the work.
"The former are the labourers, who convey the " stone and mortar; the latter, the masons, who work " them up into the form which the intended structure " requires. One of the Nurse Bces now places itself " horizontally on the vault of the hive, its head correti " spending to the centre of the mass or wall which the " Wax Makers have left, and which is to form the " partition of the comb into two opposite assemblages " of cells; and, with its mandibles rapidly moving its head, it moulds in that side of the wall, a cavity " which is to form the base of one of the cells to the " diameter of which it is equal. When it has worked " some minutes it departs, and another takes its place, " deepening the cavity, heightening its lateral margins " by heaping up the wax to right and left by means of " its teeth and forefect, and giving them a more upright " form; more than twenty Bces successively employ " themselves in this work. When arrived at a certain point, other Bces begin on the yet untouched and " opposite side of the mass, and, commencing the bottom " of two cells, are in turn relieved by others. While " still engaged in this labour, the Wax Makers return, " and add to the mass, augmenting its extent in every " way, the Nurse Bces again continuing their operations. After having worked the bottom of the cells " of the first row into their proper forms, they polish " them, and give them their finish, while others begin " the outline of a new series.
"The cells themselves, or prisms, which result from "the reunion and meeting of the sides, are next "structed. These are engrafted on the borders of the "cavities hollowed in the mass ; the Bees begin them "by making the contour of the bottoms, which at first "is unequal, of equal height ; thus all the margins of "the cells offer an uniformly level surface from their "first origin, and until they have acquired their proper "length. The sides are heightened in an order "analogous to that which the insects follow in finishing "the bottoms of the cells ; and the length of these "tubes is so perfectly proportioned that there is no "observable inequality between them. It is to be "remarked that though the general form of the cells "is hexagonal, that of those first begun is pentagonal, "the side next the top of the hive, and by which the "comb is attached, being much broader than the rest, "whence the comb is more strongly united to the hive, "than if these cells were of the ordinary shape. It, of "course, follows that the base of these cells, instead of "being formed like those of the hexagonal cells, of "three rhomboids, consist of one rhomboid and two "trapziums. "The form of a new comb is lenticular, its thickness "always diminishing towards the edges. This gradation is constantly observable, whilst it keeps enlarging "in circumference ; but as soon as the Bees get sufficient "space to lengthen it, it begins to lose this form and to "assume parallel surfaces; it has then received the shape "which it will always preserve. "The Bees appear to give the proper forms to the "bottoms of the cells, by means of their antennae, "which extraordinary organs they seem to employ as " directors, by which their other instruments are "instructed to execute a very complete work. They do " not remove a single particle of wax until the antenna " have explored the surface that is to be sculptured. " By the use of these organs, which are so flexible and " so readily applied to all parts, however delicate, that " they can perform the functions of compasses in " measuring very minute objects, they can work in " the dark, and raise those wonderful combs, the first " production of insects.
" Every part of the work appears a natural consequence of that which precedes it, so that chance has " no share in the admirable results witnessed. The " Bees cannot depart from their prescribed route, except " in consequence of particular circumstances, which " alter the basis of their labour. The original mass of " wax is never augmented, but by an uniform quantity; " and what is most astonishing, this augmentation is " made by the Wax Makers, who are the depositories of " the primary matter, and possess not the art of sculpturing the cells.
" The Bees never begin two masses for combs at the " same time; but scarcely are some rows of cells con-" structed in the first, when two other masses, one of " each side of it, are established at equal distances from "it, and parallel to it, and then again two more " exterior to these. The combs are always enlarged " and lengthened in a progression, proportioned to the " priority of their origin, the middle comb being con-" standy advanced beyond the two adjoining ones by " some rows of cells, and they beyond those that are " exterior to them. Was it permitted to these insects " to lay the foundation of all their combs at the same "time, they could not be placed conveniently or parallel " to each other. So with respect to the cells, the first " cavity determines the place of all that succeed it.
"A large number of Bees work at the same time on " the same comb; but they are not moved to it by a " simultaneous, but by a successive impulse. A single " Bee begins every partial operation, and many others " in succession add their efforts to hers, each appearing " to act individually in a direction impressed either by " the Workers who have preceded it, or by the con-"dition in which it finds the work. The whole popu-"lation of WaxMakers is in a state of the most complete " inaction, till one Bee goes forth to lay the foundations " of the first comb. Immediately others second her " intentions, adding to the height and length of the " mass; and when they cease to act, a Bee, if the term " may be used, of another profession, one of the Nurse " Bees, goes to form the draft of the first cell in which " she is succeeded by others."
"So work the Honey Bees,
Creatures that by a rule in Nature, teach
The art of order to a peopled kingdom."-Shakespeare.
## Chapter 10 Draining Honey From the Combs.
Wiiere the honey comb is pure and white, as is usual with combs built in supers, it is customary to send it to table whole and without bruising; but when the combs come from the main hive, where breeding has been going on, the honey must be drained and stored as clean and pure as possible. Having a mass of such combs before us, it becomes advisable to sort them into qualities, all such as have Bee-bread or larvae being put aside, then slice them transversely through the cells, and put them in a hair sieve or fine linen bag, leave them so two or three days, turning them over occasionally, and nearly all the honey will run out; do not press or crush them and impurities will be avoided. The strained honey should then be nicely skimmed, and the skimmings put with the strained and waste combs to make metheglin of; or should this not be desired, give the whole to the Bees in a bottle or super over the feeding hole and they will carry down every particle of honey for their own subsistence or their master's necessities, should he determine to appropriate their stores. The filtering and refining will be done far better by the Bees than is possible by any human means. The strained honey should be poured into glass jars until they are _quile full_, tightly tied over. Those honey combs it is desired to reserve for table use should be neatly wrapped up in writing paper and carefully put aside, the honey within the cells will be found clear and limpid many months afterwards. The pieces of combs, if any, containing brood should be stacked the same way upwards as they were built, and inserted in a small glass or super; this, if placed over the feeding hole of another hive, will be taken possession of by the Bees from below, who will tend and rear the young whose lives may be thus preserved.
Bees will sometimes gather honey from objectionable plants, of which laurel and ivy form examples; such honey, although not harmful to the Bees, may be intensely disagreeable to us. Where such is observed prudence dictates that it should be left for the Bees' own consumption.
honey bread, spiced bread, fruits preserved in honey, jellies, sweetmeats, cakes, bonbons, pastiles, and chocolates ; whilst for eau de vie we need not leave old England, seeing it is to be made both from honey and wax! Then we have hydromel or metheglin, champagne, red and white wines, liqueurs, fruit syrups, vinegar, and fruit corals. There is a pretty list of delicacies for our housewives to exercise their ingenuity and skill upon!
Regretfully, I say I have no knowledge how to make most of these good things. Metheglin is generally made from the waste comb, after all the available honey has been run out, and I extract an excellent recipe furnished by Mr. J. Oliver to the _Journal of Horticulture_. I may state that I have tasted the liqueur made according to this recipe and can vouch for its being super-excellent : " When the comb has been drained of its honey, put " it in a large vessel, then pour in sufficient lukewarm " water to swim it nicely. Let it stand two days, stir " occasionally, then strain it. Skim the seum from " the liquor carefully, filter the sediment through a " flannel bag, then boil one hour. To three gallons : " --two pounds raisins, one ounce of ground ginger, " and seven or eight laurel leaves, then cool. Add a " little brewer's yeast, let it stand part of a day, then " barrel it, leaving the barrel open for two or three " days ; bung it up, and let it remain untouched " for six months, then bottle it. I daresay some who " try their hands at making this honey drink will be " anxious to taste before the expiration of the six " months, but the longer it is kept the better it will be. If an egg will float on the liquor it will be " about the right strength.
"Metheglin may, of course, be made from run "honey ; but by soaking the combs in water we utilize "the honey which would otherwise be lost. A little "lump sugar put in each bottle will make it as fine as "brandy."
Honey vinegar is made as follows : "Put half a "pound of honey to a quart of water, boiling hot ; "mix well, and expose to the greatest heat of the sun "without closing the vessel containing it, but "sufficiently so to keep out insects. In about six "weeks this liquor becomes acid and changes to "strong vinegar, and of _excellent_ quality. The broken "combs, after being drained, may be put in as much "water as will float them, and well washed. The "lincns, also, and sieves which have been used for "draining honey, may be rinsed in the same water, " and with this make the vinegar ; first boil and seum "it before mixing it with the honey."
To clarify honey : Melt the honey in a vessel standing in boiling water, strain, while hot, through flannel previously moistened with warm water.
Honey is prescribed by the medical council of Great Britain for use in the following pharmaceutical preparations, viz. : Confection of pepper ; confection of scammony ; confection of turpentine, honey and borax ; oxymel of squills, and simple oxymel.
Honey Cakes.-Mix a quart of strained honey with half a pound of powdered white sugar, half a pound of fresh butter and the juice of two oranges or lemons. Warm these ingredients slightly, just enough to soften the butter, and then stir the mixture very hard, addinga graded nutmeg. Mix in gradually two pounds or less of sifted flour, make it into a dough just stiff enough to roll out easily, and beat it well all over with a rolling pin ; then roll it out into a large sheet half an inch thick, out it into round eakes with the top of a tumble: dipped frequently in flour, lay them in shallow tin pans slightly buttered, and bake them.
## Chapter 2 Preparation of wax.
Having employed the Bees to extract every particle of honey from the combs, put the latter in a clean boiler with some soft water ; simmer over a clear fire until they are melted ; pour a quart or so into a canvas bag, wide at the top and tapering downwards like a jelly bag ; hold this over a tub of cold water ; the boiling liquor will immediately pass away, leaving the liquefic wax and the dress in the bag ; have ready a piece of smooth board, of such a length that one end may rest at the bottom of the tub and the other end at its top ; upon this inclined plane lay your reeking bag, but not so as to touch the cold water ; then, by compressing the bag with any convenient roller, the wax will ooze through and run down the board into the cold water, on the surface of which it will set in thin flakes ; empty the dress out of the bag and replenish it with the boiling wax, and proceed as before until all has been pressed. When finished, collect the wax from the surface of the cold water, put it into a clean saucepan with very little water, melt it carefully over a slow fire, skim off the dress as it rises, then pour it into moulds, or shapes, and place them where they will cool slowly. The wax may be rendered still more pure by a second melting and moulding, and may be bleached by running it into thin rbands and exposing these to the bleaching action of a grass plat for several days and nights, taking care the sun is not allowed to melt them.
PROPOLIS.
"And with their stores of gather'd glue contrive
To stop the vents and crannies of their hive,
Not birdlime, or Ilean pitch, produce
A more tenacious mass of clammy juice."--Yiabil.
This is a resinous substance which the Bees obtain from various trees, and it is applied by them to a variety of useful purposes. It is, I believe, the only one of their stores, if we except Bee bread, that man has not found it useful to deprive them of. With propolisis the Bees fill up every undesirable crevice about their hive, fix the latter to the floor board, and, often to the annoyance of the users of bar-frame hives, cement the moveable (?) crown board so tightly to the top that it becomes a fixture and occasions considerable trouble to loosen it. Everything else in the hive that is not tightly fixed will soon be put into that condition with propolisis. But these are not the only uses to which Bees put propolisis. Should a slug or other animal make its unwelcome appearance within the hive, its death is soon compassed ; but how about its burial? No number of Bees can move its dead carcass, which, left to itself, would puttify and poison the atmosphere. These Bees have a remedy in propolisis ; with it they will construct an air, water and odour-proof tomb, and actually build the corpse up in propolisis where it may harmlessly decay. Reason and Instinet! Who shall presume to say where the line is drawn?
## Chapter 2 A manual of Bee-keeping.