BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
To the honour of the Clergy, be it said, they as a class far outnumber all others who have adopted the modern methods of mereiful Bee-keeping. _Tell_ an ignorant labourer that his honey can be got from the hive, his Bees preserved to work for him again, and that no more honey will be required to feed 20,000 than 10,000 little mouths during the winter, and you would simply elicit an incredulous smile, he certainly would not be induced to try, however lucidly the process was explained ; but _show him how to do it_, let him see the result, and he will another year, perhaps, follow the example set, greatly to his own benefit as well as to that of his Bees. To all Bee-keepers who are thinking men or women, I commend my little book, which, carefully studied, will give every necessary instruction by which they may become accomplished
Apiarians, and a centre of knowledge for the enlightenment of others.
Associations and societies for the encouragement of agriculture, horticulture, and various other sister sciences, have for many years abounded in England, but it was reserved for 1874, to see the establishment of the first one for the encouragement and promotion of Bee-keeping, when the British Bee-keepers' Association, presided over by Sir John Lubbock, sprung into existence, through the exertions of nearly all our own leading Apiarians, whose observations and writings have contributed so largely to apiarian science. The Association did me the honour to elect me Honorary Secretary, and the member's small annual subscription of five shillings, supplemented by liberal donations for a prize fund, enabled the Committee to hold an exhibition at the Crystal Palace, in September, 1874, of "Hives, Bees, and their Produce," of far greater magnitude than was ever gathered together in Great Britain before. Such competitive exhibitions surpass everything else as a means of improving all sciences, and the present advanced state of agriculture and horticulture, is mainly attributable to them. The Apiarian Exhibition formed no exception, an immense impetus was given to Bee-keeping, and multitudes of persons vowed to keep Bees, pleased and astonished at sight of the wonderful supers of honey, and the interesting practical demonstrations of Bee management that were shown, where the Bees, thanks to the skill, coolness, and courage of the manipulators, seemed to set aside all will of their own, obedient only to that of their masters. The Association hopes to make these exhibitions annual, and to further by a variety of other means the advancement of Bee-keeping, both as natural science, and particularly as a means of bet outtagers, and the agricultural labouring classes, as well as the advocacy of humanity to the industries labourer, the Honey Bee. The expenses naturally attendant on these efforts to do good although not heavy (no officers being paid), can only be met by the addition of members to the ranks of the Association, and the hearty cooperation of all Bee-keepers. Let no one, therefore, stand aloof, but contribute his mite both of money and goodwill to aid the progression of Bee-keeping.
Many persons reading my account of how the Bees are to be used will naturally feel surprised, and, perhaps, doubt that they themselves could ever arrive at a point that would enable them to remove all the Bees from a hive, shovel them up or drive them about wherever they desire them to go, and will, perhaps, think they might as well be told to enter a lions' den and put the noble beasts through their performances after seeing the keeper do so. To those unaccustomed to Bees the doubt is reasonable; but there is no secret or charlatanism in the matter. A certain amount of courage must be present with coolness and quietness; the rest is easy if my instructions are followed. During the practical exposition of Apiarian manipulations at the Crystal Palace, more than one lady was courageously present in the manipulating room, by their own choice, without receiving any injury, although thousands of Bees, driven from their hives, were crawling and flying all round, while the spectators behind a glass screen gazed with astonishment both at the Bees and the ladies. The facility of handling Bees is not of modern origin. A century ago, a Bee-keeper, named Daniel Wildman, who was domiciled in Holborn, astonished London by his performances with these insects. Hehad an exhibition at Islington, the records of which, although we must take them " with a grain of salt," show that he had a considerable acquaintance with the fears and dispositions of Bees. It is said he could cause a swarm to settle almost instantaneously where he pleased, even on his head, remove them to his hand, a window, table, &c., at pleasure. This seemed wonderful ; but the solution was simply possession of the Queen --where she went, there went the Bees! To keep Bees in a merciful and rational manner it is by no means necessary to undertake all the operations I describe, or even adopt frame hives. If the rudest form of hive, the straw skep, be maintained, it is yet not at all necessary to destroy the Bees to get their honey. Read and master the one chapter on "Driving," and the Beeskeeper can rifle their stores, yet preserve their lives and strengthen his stocks for next year, so that they will be able to do double work in reward for their master's humanity.
"Leave them happy in their copions store,
A part they'll give; and why desire ye more?
And must ye kill? Mistaken thought--ah!--shame,
No more involve them in sulphurons flame."
Cottagers can, if they desire it, gradually master all other manipulations in time. Gentlemen who are already adepts will willingly give all the help in their power. The cottagers of Scotland far exceed the English in the ability they display in Bee-keeping. The country gentlemen desrous of helping his poorer neighbours, cannot do a better thing than furnish pattern improved hives and show how they are to be managed, supplemented, if need be, by a swarm of Bees which may be repaid out of its increase.
When an Aparian can handle his Bces with impunity, their study becomes a fascinating pursuit, their doings are so truly wonderful -- the temptation to inhale the fresh air and watch the Bces becomes too strong to be resisted, a man's mind and knowledge expand from the wonders he beholds. New friends are made, ideas are interchanged, inventive faculties are set in motion to fashion some aid for the Bces or their master, and many are the delights that spring from the contemplation of the busy th others of a similar taste on whom I made a point of calling--need I say I never met with a rebuff, but, on the contrary, made many pleasant friends.
One of the principal writers on the Bee was Francis Huber, an eminent naturalist of the last and present century. _He was totally blind_; yet even this great deprivation did not hinder him from becoming the greatest and most accurate observer of Bees that had ever then lived. His observations were made with the eyes and assistance of his servant, Francis Burnens, who, although a peasant, was a man of great talent, possessing indefatigable energy and enthusiasm; Huber was also assisted by his wife. His observations and deductions made, although many of them have since been proved incorrect, gave to the world a wonderful store of facts hitherto unsuspected, and laid the foundation for the labours of many naturalists of later times. His "leaf hive " was the first frame hive ; it was very valuable for observation purposes, and is yet often used, although not so convenient as some newer inventions.
Wise little creatures are Bees! for they seem to be warned of the approach of bad weather by some particular instinct ; it sometimes happens when multitudes are abroad very busy, they will on a sudden cease from their work ; not a single one stirs out, and those that were away hurry home in such crowds that the entrance of the hive is too small to admit them. On such an occasion, look to the sky and you will, probably, discover some of those black clouds that denote impending rain. Whether the Bees see the clouds gathering,' as some imagine, or whether they feel some other effects of the change on their bodies, is not yet determined ;but it is asserted that no Bee is ever caught in a sudden shower, unless it be at a very great distance from the hive, or injured by accident. Searching for wild Honey Bees in England would, I am afraid, be an unprofitable task. In many country districts Bees are known to be located in certain hollow trees or roofs of houses; but the propriators, although, perhaps, they would be glad to get rid of the Bees, would not so readily allow their house to be dismantled or their tree to be cut down. In America, however, they are not so particular, and many men make a living " Bee-hunting;" others who do not follow it as a calling do not fail to take advantage of the lucky find when it occurs.
The time that Bees will inhabit some stations is wonderful. Thorley tells us that a swarm took possession of a spot under the leads of Ludovicus Vives, in Oxford, where they continued one hundred and ten years, from 1520 to 1630.
The way Bees are tracked is simple in the extreme.
"He fears no bailiff" wrath, no baron's blame;
His is untaxed and undisputed game."--Craee.
The following I extract from _King's Bee-keepers' Text Book:-_
"When Bees are at work upon flowers, a 'line' " may be started by taking a piece of board upon " which is a small piece of comb filled with diluted " honey. You will also need a glass tumbler and " a piece of brown paper, or dark coloured cloth. " Having found a Bee upon a flower, place over it the " tumbler and leave it inverted upon the cloth till the " Bee rises to the top. Wait till' it has done buzzing " (that it may not get bessmeared with honey), then " carefully rause the tumbler and place over it the * " honey on the plate, wrapping the cloth around the " upper part of the tumbler to darken it. The Bee " will descend towards the light when, coming in " contact with the honey, it will commence loading " up. Gently remove the tumbler while the Bee is at " work, and, stepping a few feet, place your eye near " the ground. With the clear sky for a background " it is easy to keep sight of the Bee as it rises, " describing several circles at first, then striking 'a " Bee line' for home. It soon returns with many " others. When a number of Bees have got to work, " over them with the tumbler and, moving them " along the line towards where the hive is supposed to be, again liberate them. Care must be taken not " to go too far, or else the Bees may not return. If " the place is now supposed to be near, mark the line" of Bees by letting an assistant, stick in range a few " stakes. Again cover the Bees and carry them a few " rods right or left of the line in order to get a cross " line. " Mark this also with stakes, then lengthen both " lines by sticking more stakes, and the hive will be " found where the lines meet." An old book, _Letters from an American Farmer_, contains the following graphic description of Beeshunting :-- " After I have done sowing, by way of recreation I prepare for a week's jaunt in the woods, not to hurt " either the deer or the bears, as my neighbours do, " but to catch the more harmless Bees. I cannot boast " that this chase is so noble or so famous among men, but I find it less fatiguing and fully as profitable ; and the last consideration is the only one that moves me.
* **I** take with me my dog as a companion, for he is useless as to this game; my gun, for no one ought to enter the woods without one; my blanket, some pro-
* **"** visions, some wax vermilation, honey, and a small pocket-compass. With these implements **I** proceed
* **"** to such woods as are at considerable distance from any settlements. I carefully examine whether they
* **"** abound with large trees; if so, **I** make a small fire
* **"** on some flat stones in a convenient place. On the
* **"** fire I put some wax; close by this fire, on another
* **"** stone, I drop honey in distinct drops, which **I**
* **"** surround with small quantities of vermion laid on
* **"** the stone, and then I retire carefully to watch whether
* **"** any Bees appear. If there are any in that neigh-
* **"** bourhood, I rest assured that the smell of the burnt
* **"** wax will, unavoidably, attract them. They will soon
* **"** find out the honey, for they are fond of preying on
* **"** that which is not their own, and in their approach
* **"** they will necessarily tinge themselves with some
* **"** particles of vermion which will adhere long to their
* **"** bodies. I next fix my compass to find out 'their
* **"** course, which they keep invariably straight, when
* **"** they are returning home loaded. By the assistance of
* **"** my watch, I observe how long those are returning
* **"** which are marked with vermion; thus possessed of
* **"** the course, and in some measure with the distance
* **"** which I can easily guess at, I follow the first, and
* **"** seldom fail of coming to the tree where the Bees are
* **"** lodged. I then mark it, and thus with patience **I**
* **"** have found out sometimes eleven swarms in a season;
* **"** and it is incredible what a quantity of honey these
* **"** trees will sometimes afford; it entirely depends on
* **"** the size of the hollow, as the Bees never rest or " swarm full it is filled--for, like men, it is only the " want of room that induces them to quit the maternal " hive. The first Bees I ever procured were thus found " in the woods by mere accident, for at that time I had " no kind of skill in this method of tracing them. " The body of the tree being perfectly sound, they had " lodged themselves in the hollow of one of its prin-" cipal limbs, which I carefully saved off, and with a " good deal of labour and industry brought it home, " where I fixed it up in the same position in which I " found it growing. This was in April. I had five " swarms that year, and they have been ever since very " prosperous. This business generally takes up a week " of my time every autumn, and to me it is a week " of solitary ease and relaxation."
Bee-keeping is more or less carried on in all civilized and many semi-civilized countries ; from the cold inhospitable region of Siberia, to the sultry shores of Africa, we may find Bee-hives often in vast numbers. Spain teems with them ; in the rural districts they are everywhere found, as also in Russia where, in the province of Yekarterinoslaw, there are nearly four hives to every human being.
In former times, Poland was celebrated for its Bee culture, and is still so now to some extent in the province of Lublin, it having everywhere else fallen into decay. The reason why Bee-keeping is so industriously carried on in Russia is twofold. Firstly, because the peasants use honey instead of sugar ; and secondly, because wax tapers to the value of 1,200,000 rubles (nearly $182,500) are required for the churches. Buschen states the quantity of honey annually produced in European Russia to be 600,000 to 700,000pounds (9,643 to 11,250 tons), and a proportionate quantity of wax.
In the United States, apiculture is carried on largely, both as a distinct trade and adjunct to other farming, with a great amount of scientific attention. Many of our most valuable apicultural improvements and inventions have had their origin there, and in no other country would the old straw skep and death-and-brim-stone system meet with greater contempt.
California may, probably, boast of one of the largest and certainly the most productive apiary in the world ; and its owner, Mr. Harbison, undoubtedly occupies the position of one of the foremost Bee-masters, at any rate as far as money-making from the business is concerned. This gentleman has now 2,000 colonies, which last year produced 150,000 pounds or 67 tons of surplus honey of very excellent quality, netting by sales the nice little sum of 30,000 dollars! The labour in attending to all these Bees is done by eight young men who are apprentices to the business ; and some of them are very expert in apiarian manipulations.
Germany, too, boasts of many famous Bee-keepers, and in comparison with that Empire, Great Britain is far behind. Here, where one hive is kept, we might have a thousand ; where one pound of honey is gathered, a ton is wasted. Vast quantities of honey are annually imported from ; France and the West Indies which should be supplied by our own rural labouring population who, in addition, might, as \(\mathbf{I}\) have above stated they do in Russia, use it in lieu of sugar. According to the best authorities, it is impossible to overstock a neighbourhood with Bees--at least it never has been done--and, therefore, we may conclude there is no danger here. In Germany, many apinaries contain in close proximity 200 to 300 hives. Ehrenfels had 1,000 in three separate establishments, but sufficiently near together that he could visit them all in half an hour's ride. In Russia and Hungary, apinaries numbering from 2,000 to 3,000 hives are not unfrequent, and as many as 4,000 are often congregated together at one point on the heaths of Germany. It is calculated that in Hanover there are 141 hives to each square mile and a German writer alleges that the Bees of Lunenberg pay all the taxes assessed on their propriators, and leave a surplus besides--this in a district so barren that it has been called the Arabia Petrea of Germany.
In former times, the Island of Corsica, comprising 3,790 square miles, paid to Rome an annual tribute of 200,000 pounds of wax, which presupposes a production of two to three million pounds of honey ; and East Friesland, a province of Holland, maintains at the present day an average of 2,000 hives per square mile. These statistics could be indefinitely increased, and they show that, comparatively, Great Britain is bare of Bees. I question if we have _one_ colony to a square mile.
Oettl says : " When a large flock of sheep is grazing "on a limited area, there may soon be a deficiency of "pasturage. But this cannot be the case with Bees, as "a good honey district cannot be readily overstocked by "them. To-day, when the air is moist and warm, the "plants may yield a superabundance of nectar ; while "to-morrow, being cold and wet, there may be a total "want of it. When there is sufficient heat and moisture, "the saccharine juices of plants will readily fill the nec" taries, and be as quickly replenished when carried off "by the Bees. Every cold night checks the flow of " honey, and every clear warm day reopens the fountain. "_The flowers expanded to-day, must be visited while open, "_for if left to wither, their stores are lost._ Bees cannot " collect to-morrow what is left ungathered to-day."
How long shall it continue to be said that we 'thus allow God's gifts to be vasted before our eyes? This has become an age of utilization. See the multitude of formerly " waste " products that are now made useful; and yet, throughout the length and breadth of this flowery land :
" Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its fragrance on the desert air."--Gray.
I appeal, therefore, to the clergymen, the country gentlemen, and all those who, by their rank and position, are looked up to, and have influence with the labouring classes, and would say to them : Encourage by every means in your power the spread and growth of Bee-keeping. Teach by the force of example what satisfactory results may be obtained by improved hives, and a more sensible and humane policy towards our interesting and industrious little fellow labourers ; let it be seen that the produce of a dozen hives, with little labour, and scarcely any outlay, will suffice to pay the rent or find shoes for the little ones; and in the course of a few years, we shall find no outage without its hive or hives, and the old barabrous system of Bee slaughter will be quite a thing of the past.
## II V.1.
"And behold there was a swarm of Bees and honey in the
carcass of the Lion."--Jucoes, Chap. xiv., v. 8.
One of the primary considerations to the Bee-keeper is a proper selection of hives ; and in this chapter it is my purpose to give an impartial description of the most useful patterns with which I am acquainted. It does not always follow that the most perfect have is suitable to all ; in the first place, cost is oftimes a great consideration. One person will desire to study the natural history of the Bee, and use his apiary very much for scientific investigation, without regard to pecuniary profit; another will look to the latter point alone ; while a third will, perhaps, for want of leisure, or of education, only be able to manage the hive which gives the least possible trouble, content to sacrifice a large portion of profit. Hives naturally divide themselves into two great classes, viz.: straw skeps, where the combs are immoveable, and wooden frame hives, where the combs can be removed at will, and the whole internal economy of the hive investigated by the Bee-master. To the latter class of Bee-dwellings we are indebted for a great multitude of facts, which have in modern times come to light in apiarian science, as well as many physiological discoveries, of great interest to the naturalist.
The crude idea of moveable combs is, indeed, of very ancient date, having been adopted by the Greeks in the days of their prosperity, but,having been of a very rude character, appear to have fallen into disuse ; the plan adopted was to induce the Beces to start their combs from moveable bars, but as they were generally attached to the sides of the hives, they required cutting away before removal, which in some measure prevented constant observation from the natural objection of the Beces to have their works destroyed. It was reserved for our own times to make a great stride in management by the invention of the moveable frames (in lieu of bars), suspended free in the hives, and removeable at pleasure without greatly disturbing the Beces. The credit of this device is attributable to the Rev. L. L. Langstroh, an American Bee-keeper of great renown, and another equally celebrated German Bee-master named Dzierzon, who seem simultaneously to have hit on the same plan, and who each constructed hives on this idea about twenty-three years ago, which, with many slight modifications and improvements, form the governing principles of our most popular hives at the present day. Commencing with a description of
Straw Skeps**,**--The general form of which is known to all. These, although fast being superseded, are yet used, and will be for many years to come, as the common hives of the coutager. I will endeavour to point out the best varieties. Now, the straw skep, although very far from the _best_ hive, is not to be despised ; indeed, it is a very useful hive, and however advanced the Bee-keeper may be generally, he is not wholly without it in one pattern or the other. If a census were taken of the Beces' dwellings throughout Britain, the skeps would far outnumber all other kinds put together. A well-made straw hive is warm and healthy for the Bees and cheap to their owner; indeed, most outagers make their own, costing almost nil, and affording employment for a wet winter's day when other work is scarce. I like a skep, it is so nice and handy; and if its interior were not like a sealed book it should have an honoured place in my apiary; but its great disadvantage is the impossibility of investigating its interior with satisfaction.
Common Cotage Straw Srep.--Two patterns are generally followed in making these hives. The one which I suppose we may call the "original," Fig. 5, a closed dome, usually with a ring at the top; the other the "improved," Fig. 6, has a flat top, with a feeding hole in the centre, which should not exceed 2 inches in diameter. This latter is incomparably the best, as it affords proper facilities for feeding the Bees, which will often save their lives; its cost is not more than from 1\(s\). to 2\(s\). 6\(d\)., and it may be purchased in most country towns. All straw hives are much improved and their durability increased by encircling their bases with a flat wooden hoop 2 or 21 inches broad. The hive known as the "Pettingre
Figure 5: Fig. 6.