BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
The following detail will show my readers the results of some experiments, relative to the aspect and situation of Bce-hives during winter; and whilst in some degree they corroborate the foregoing observations, they may perhaps induce those, who are anxious for the prosperity of their Bces, to submit to be taught a useful lesson respecting the winter management of them.
In 1824 I had six outage-hives, which had prospered well with me during the summer of that year. In the autumn of the same year I resolved to weigh those six hives, and to place three of them on the north side of my house, and to let the other three remain in their summer situation. The separate weights of my hivcs, in November of the year 1824, were as under, viz.
No. 1........ 35 lbs. No. 4........ 42 lbs.
2........ 38 -- 5........ 32 -- 3........ 40 -- 6........ 97 -- 113 111The first three of these Nos. viz. 1, 2, and 3, weighing together 113 lbs. remained during the winter in their summer situation : Nos. 4, 5, and 6, weighing together 111 lbs. were removed to a cold, dry place, on the north side of my house. On the 26th of March, 1825, I again weighed those six hives, and found their respective weights to be as follows, viz.
No. 1.......... 15 lbs. No. 4.......... 37 lbs.
2.......... 16 -- 5.......... 27 -- 3.......... 19 -- 6.......... 32 -- -- -- -- 50 96 -- -- -- -- --
So that the three hives, remaining in their summer quarters during the winter, had decreased in weight just 63 lbs. being on an average 21 lbs. each; while the three which had wintered on the north side of my house had decreased only 15 lbs. being on an average only 5 lbs. each. This gives an average difference of 16 lbs. a hive, between a proper and improper winter situation and aspect for Becs. It is lamentable to think how many people lose their Becs, either from
from their summer stands, were 33lbs. lighter than when I first weighed them, that is, on an average, 11lbs. a hive ; and even with the weight of their two swarms added to them, there was a falling off in the year of 9 lbs. or, on an average, of 3 lbs. a hive : whilst Nos. 4, 5, and 6, had gained 17 lbs. or, on an average, nearly 6 lbs. each; and with the weight of their swarms added to them, they had gained 107 lbs. or, on an average, nearly 36 lbs. a hive in the year.
I could carry this subject much further in my explanations, as I did in my experiments, but it requires no facts in addition to those just stated to explain the difference of aspect in the winter-season to Bees.
Every cotagger must know that the richer his Bees are in spring, the sooner they will swarm. Then, to make them rich, he must not neglect to place his hives out of the influence of the sun during winter,_in a dry, cold, and quiet situation._ He will find by this practice, that not more than five or six pounds of honey will be consumed by a good stock; but if the suffer his Bees to remain fronting the south, they will in a mild winter, if they survive it at all, become pa
Now what is proper during the winter for stocks in common lives, is equally proper for stocks in collateral-boxes, of which the middle box is the winter-pavilion or stock-live. Long before winter all the Bees of the most populous stock will draw into the middle box and cluster round their Queen ; and when that is the case, the dividing-tins should be put down, in order that all the Bees may be securely kept in the pavilion ; and previously to removing them from their summer situation, the entrance should bc carefully closed with a piece of wire-cloth, or perforated tin ; which, whilst it admits fresh air into the box, will keep the Bees within and all their enemies without. It is hardly possible for the smallcst enemy to make its way into a box thus secured. A perforated tin may also be put over the way down into the drawer. Towards spring this last may be withdrawn, and the Bees, when they begin to revive, will soon rid themselves of those that may have died in the winter, by carrying them down into the drawer. Having made every necessary preparation, remove your stocks to such a situation as that herein before recommended, and there in quictude let them pass the draary months of
## Chapter 27
CIIAPTER XIX.
The encouragement of any internal branch of industry, which will supersede the necessity for the employment of British capital in speculative adventures where no equivalent is returned, is in the mind of every patriot a subject worthy of consideration. And that the prosecution and encouragement of my system of Bee-management, undertaken by those who are qualified by their means, abilities, and powers of patronage, to set the example, and thereby influence others, will effect this to a considerable extent, as far as the production of honey and wax is concerned, will, I think, be sufficiently obvious to those who have witnessed, or who hereafter may witness, the successful results -- the almost incredible quantity of these productions from my apiary alone; or,leaving _my_ apiary entirely out of the account, I will venture modestly to assert, _that from any one set of collateral-boxes, well-stocked and well-managed, the quantity and quality of honey that may be annually taken, without either destroying or imporeishing the Bees, must be seen to be believed; and being seen, will not be disputed._ The exact amount annually paid to other countries for these two commodities--honey and wax--I have not the means of ascertaining with accuracy, but it is probable, that it exceeds $350,000.--a sum lost to this country, because, not only have we in the vegetable world a profusion of these productions, that "waste their sweetness on the desert air," but we have, or might have, if we would but encourage them, the labourers necessary to collect them, and this too without the deterioration of any other department of rural economy. Were Bee-colonies multiplied to any thing like the number that the Bee-pasturage of this country would support; were there, for instance, but one set of well-stocked collateral-boxes on every square mile of England, Wales, and Scotland,--or, to compute moderately, on every square mile of every rural
district of Great Britain, that is fertile in Bee-pasturage,--and were the price of the finest box-honey reduced to a shilling a pound, the annual \(surplus\) produce of these colonies, would realize a sum far exceeding _$350,000_. which would be put into the pockets of, generally speaking, an industrious and deserving part of the community--the rural population, and a profitable remuneration given to them for their indulgence and perseverance in a most rational pursuit, requiring but trifling, and this only incidental attention. I know of no time more proper for throwing out these hints than the present, when the subject of \(rural\)_alotments_ excites, and that justly, almost universal attention amongst those desirous of securing an industrious, prosperous, and virtuous peasantry.
I do not presume to imagine that, antiquated as are the practices hitherto so generally adopted, and so pertinaciously adhered to in Bee-management in this country, and characterized as are these practices by so many superstitious and irrational usages--I do not presume to imagine that my system will, at once, up-root prejudices, dispel superstitions, and be 'inmediately and heartily adopted by the coutager. The generality of a apiarians have yet to be taught that _Bee-management is a system;_ that it is something more than merely stocking a hive or box with a swarm of Bees, and then leaving it to chance alone to prosper or to perish; and, if to prosper, it is only until the time for its final doom--the reckless destruction of every Bee--arrives. They have yet to learn that the whole, or at least, the greater part of the contingencies, to which Bee-colonies are subject, may be averted; that the casualties of Bees are analogous to those of other descriptions of stock; and that, if they would ensure success, or expect to derive profit from them, it must be by attention to their domicils, to their protection from the variations of climate and atmosphere, and from external enemies,--in short, by proper management. If in many instances, the success of my hives has been so unqualified and extensive, it has been because the necessity for careful management has been impressed and adhered to, and because Bees, in whose welfare their owners had been previously uninterested, have been looked upon with some degree of attention, and their labours facilitated and required by
to be attended with beneficial effects. Some feeble attempts, it is true, to establish such societies have been made, but have proved abortive ; whilst premiums on the subject have been offered by other societies * injudiciously, as they have tended to perpetuate mistaken views, and to retard the progress of more correct ones. I am not insensible of the extreme benefit which has resulted to the different branches of industry, and to agriculture and horticulture in particular, by well-regulated scales of premiums, emulating to superiority and necessarily promoting a beneficial stimulus in the different branches with which they are connected. And, in my opinion, nothing would more easily tend to the inculcation of sounder views of practice, than, if gentlemen, pursuing my principles, would interest themselves in connecting with the objects of such associations more generally, graduated scales of prizes, regulated by the quantity of honey obtained from stocks, the prosperity of the hives afterwards, and the state of the apiary generally, &c. Were they also to countenance the plan of placing colonies under the care of labouring cottagers, giving then premiums as an inducement to careful management, they could not fail of conferring a benefit, by initiating them into the plans of the system, as well as by more advantageously dividing the pasture of the district among the different hives, and thereby rendering the labour of their collecting the stores considerably less to the Bees. This would, undoubtedly, effect much, but I know of no means so decidedly calculated to foster and encourage the culture of Honey-Bees amongst classes, and more particularly among the population of rural districts, as _apiarian societies, formed for the express purpose of extending and improving the cultivation and management of Honey-Bees_: and I would fain hope that the time is not far distant when such societies will be formed, in rural districts especially, and be fostered and encouraged in proportion to their utility, and the important object they should ever have in view--_the humane management of Honey-Bees_.
## Chapter 2X.
miscellaneous directions.
In undertaking this work, as I originally did, at the pressing solicitations of several of those Noblemen and Gentlemen whose names graced the list of the subscribers for the first edition, I had two main objects in view; of which a full and particular explanation of the mode of managing Honey-Bees, in my boxes and upon my principles, was one,--and the other, which I do ardently hope will result from the adoption and encouragement of my long-tried plan, is--the prospective improvement, not only of the culture and condition of those ingenious, admired, and most interesting little creatures, but also of honey and wax--the two valuable articles which Bees, and Bees alone, afford us. To prepare the way for the accomplishment of the latter of these objects, I have exerted my best endeavours--I have spared neither pain nor expense to give minute, and, I trust, intelligible descriptions of all my boxes and hives, of my Bee-machinery, and of every thing thereto pertaining; which descriptions have been accompanied with such practical directions and relations of experiments, as will, _if duly attended to,_ enable my Bee-friends to put their apiaries upon my _human and profitable system of management._ Therefore I do not think it is incumbent upon me to proceed farther at present. The size of the book might easily be doubled, by entering into and giving lengthy details of several matters relative to Bees, which are not here so much as hinted at; such, for instance, as the distance that they sometimes fly from their hives in quest of honey, and the experiments that have been made to ascertain and determine that distance; --the nature of honey-dew, and how it is occasioned,--why it abounds on some trees and plants, whilst others are entirely destitute of it, whether it be a natural exudation of the plants that afford it,--or whether it be produced by the leaf-lice, called aphides;--why, if the impregnation of a virgin-Queen be retarded beyond a certain number of days after her coming into existence, all the eggs she lays during her whole life should invariably produce _drones;--_the language of Bees, for Bces, it has been held, have their peculiar language, though I profess not to understand it, nor even to have studied it, my business being with their _habits;_--the various diseases or maladies with which skilful men assure us they are;occasionally affected;--their senses, their anatomy,* and their instinct;--their affi-
* Dr. Bevan seems to be as intimately acquainted with _fleas_ as he is with Bees. In the chapter (99th) of his book, in which he treats of the anatomy and physiology of the Bee, he has introduced a page or so (317, 318, in Bevan's book) to inform his readers that the _flea_ is a wonderful insect;--that " it can leap 200 times the length of its own body;"--that one of the species has been known "to drag a cannon twenty-four times its own weight;"aye,an then, "fire it off" too, like an undaunted artillery-man;--and that "_a single flea_ is said to have dragged an ivory coach, with six horses, a coachman on the seat with a dog between his legs, a postillion, four persons in the coach, and four lacqueys behind." What profundity of research is here displayed! To professed entomologists and to children these _flea-feats_ may perhaps be amusing: to the practical apiarian they are utterly useless. But then the introduction of them afforded Dr. Bevan an opportunity of mentioning Latreille, Socrates, and Aristophanes: and who could resist so favourable an opportunity of endeavoring to look _learned, deep-read, profound?!_Ed.
nity to the way;--exotic Bces from those of Lapland to those of China; and from those of Siberia to those of the Cape of Good Hope;--the stingless Bees of South America, mentioned by Dr. Hancock, that from the luxurian, ever-blooming, tropical plants and flowers, produce black wax;--\({}^{\#}\) what Aristotle + hath
* See page 11, antea.
+ With singular infelicity Dr. Bevan, in at least four pages of his book, viz. in the 10th, 31st, 354th, and 411th, has quoted Aristotle as a Latin author. Does Dr. Bevan not know that the great Stagarite philosopher was a Grecian, and wrote in Greek, _not in Latin_? A cursory reader of the Doctor's book would suppose from the frequent mention of great names, e. g. Aristomachus, Socrates, Xenophon, Aristotle, Aristophanes, Virgil, Pliny, Horace, Lucretius, &c. that Dr. Bevan must be a very learned man: but to make Aristotle talk Latin mars all; and must be set down as a sad blot in his classic lore.
Another great defect in the Doctor's book is the want of references to the particular passages in the authors quoted, or alluded to. It smacks of quackery--literary quackery, to be perpetually lugging great names into his pages without at the same time referring his readers to the page and paragraph of the author quoted, or _pretended_ to be quoted. "Lyonnet informs us:"--" According to Linnaeus:"--" Lord Bacon says:"--"If, says Mr. Knight:"--" Huber relates:"--" But the most striking fact, says Mr. Kirby." Here, within the space of two pages--304, 305, of Bevan--are six instances of quotations from six different authors, but not a single reference to the pages of the work of any one of the authors whereby to test the Doctor's accuracy and _honesty_.
place before the honey is stored in the cells--that, as the nexterious exud of plants is not of the same consistence as honey from the lives, it is reasonable to suppose that it undergoes some change _in transitu_ whilst in the body of the Bee; that, as far as my experience has enabled me to make observations on this subject, I am disposed to lean to the opinion of Reaumur, Kirby, and Spence, and to ascribe the difference between honey in the incatarium of a flower or on the leaf of a tree, and honey in the cells of a comb, to the absorption of the volatile parts of the saccharine of the plants and flowers whilst in the honeycomb; which absorption is aided and accelerated by the natural heat of the Bee, and by which process honey is rendered of uniform consistence. In the graphic language of my chemical friend--Mr. Booth--I might explain, "How necessarily do the least valued products in the economy of nature, eliminated in the most miniature laboratory of her operations, confirm us in the belief of the existence, wisdom, and power of nature's God--the Great Chenist--who has not only imbued matter to act upon its fellow matter in the infinity of space, to produce an infinite diversity of the universe.
of changes in the material world; but, within the small compass of a Bee, has provided apparatus for certain changes to take place, which are more elaborate, important, and complicated, than are produced in the largest apparatus of the manufacturer! In this little insect are performed all those chemical processes of life, by which nature is kept in the equanimity and beauty of existence--here composition and decomposition, solution, and precipitation, sublimation, volatilization, distillation, and absorption, through the agency of heat and attraction, take place on the minutest matters, secreted by the plants and collected by the Bees; and in the hive, by the concentration of their individual efforts, is elaborated that immense quantity of those important products, which constitute such useful commodities in the arts and economy of life."
The discussion of some of these topics, and dissertations on others, might be made amusing, perhaps interesting, and would, at all events, swell the size of my book; but whether I should thereby enhance its intrinsic merits (if intrinsic merit it possess) is more than I dare venture to affirm. In short, these topics come not within my plan,--they are foreign to it, and I gladly leave them to be treated of by others, whose learning is more able to cope with them, and whose taste may direct then to such subjects. _I have withheld nothing that I deem to be essentially necessary to the thorough understanding of my mode of Bee-management;_ consequently, I anticipate that my two main objects will eventually be attained--that Bee-culture will become a pleasing and a profitable study--a source of instructive amusement and of profit too,--and that our country will, at no great distance of time, be everywhere studded and ornamented with neat, well-ordered aqiaries. I will, therefore, now close my present labours with a few niscellaneous directions, chiefly recapitulatory, which, on account of their importance, every apiarian should constantly bear in mind.
Have your Bee-boxes _well made,_ and _of good substantial materials._ Strength and durability are of greater consequence than neatness, though that need not be neglected--nactness and strength are not incompatible--they may be combined.
Paint your boxes annually, when they are in their winter situation.
Make a clear ground or floor-way from the position into each of the end-boxes by cutting away about two inches from the lower edge of each of the corresponding ends, to the depth of half an inch; and make this way or passage as near the front entrance as it conveniently may be. This convenience has been suggested to me _since_ the directions for making collateral boxes were printed, and I therefore mention it here as an improvement, because such a way on the floor, and _weilhout any climbing_, will afford an additional accommodation to Bees on many occasions.
Boxes will not work Bees, neither will Bees work boxes to advantage, unless due attention be paid to them--i. e. both to boxes and to Bees.
Situation is of prime importance : for summer it should be clear and open in front of your boxes, and sheltered at their back by a north-wall or by a thick hedge.
In summer let their aspect be south-east :- early in spring, and again in autumn, due south is the best point to be in front: therefore, as spring advances turn the front of your boxeseastward, and as summer declines move them back again to their spring aspect; or, in other words, when there is not more than twelve hours' sun, let the front of your boxes be due south; and during the time that the sun is more than twelve hours above the horizon, let it be south-east.
Always have the cheerful rays of the morning sun fall upon your boxes: but contrive to throw a shade upon their front for a few hours in the middle of the day, when the weather is very hot. Such a shade will be grateful to your Bees.
Elcvate your boxes twenty inches or two feet above the ground: and always keep the grass or ground, under and near them, neat and clean, and entirely free from all nuisances.
A constant supply of water in the immediate vicinity of your apiary is highly desirable; if therefore you have not a natural supply of that element, _so necessary for Bees,_ contrive to let them have it by artificial means--by placing it in or near your apiary, in large, shallow dishes, or in wooden troughs, partially covering the surface with red or moss, and be careful to replenish them, so that your Bees may always find it there.
Sulfer not ants to burrow near your Bees. Ants are enemies to Bees, and will annoy them, if they get among them.
Spiders also are Bee-destroyers ; therefore, brush away their entangling webs, whenever and wherever you find them about your boxes.
Fowls should not be permitted in an apiary.
Early in spring let the entrance be not more than an inch, and increase it gradually to its full extent, as you find occasion : contract it again towards the fall of the year ; and, if the moths be troublesome in summer evenings, nearly close it every evening ; but take care to open it again either early next morning, or as soon as the evening flight of the moths is over. This attention is more particularly due to weak stocks, and affords them great protection against the attacks of moths, which are among the boldest, the most persevering, and, when once they have got into a hive, most destructive enemies to Bees.
Destroy wasps and wasps' nests wherever you find them in the vicinity of your apiary. The destruction of queen-wasps in spring is the most effectual method of diminishing the number of these formidable Bec-enemies ;because the destruction of a queen-wasp in spring is tantamount to the destruction of a whole nest afterwards.
Light in the domicil of Bees, if not actually prejudicial to them, is, at any rate, displeasing to them ; therefore, be careful never to expose your Bees unnecessarily to its glare : never leave the window-doors open, nor suffer careless visitors to do so.
My friend, the Rev. T. Clark, of Gedney-Hill, suggests the propriety of recommending that the window-doors be _self-shutting doors_. This, he says, may be done by fixing upon each door a light, easy spring, similar to those made use of to shut doors in good houses ; or by a cord attached to each door, and passed through an eye, and over a small pulley fixed to the side of each box ; from the end of which cord a weight of two or three ounces must be suspended. This weight, acting upon the cord, will draw the little doors to the windows, that is, it will shut them. The cords, cyes, and pulleys, he further says, may be so arranged, that one small weight will keep all the hive doors, in a set of collateral-boxes, closed and safe, and may be made to hang under the floor. I have
practice : it is like cutting down a tree to get at its fruit, which may easily be gathered by less laborious and indestructive means. Encourage your Bees,--acomnodate them,--support then,--and _by all means preserve them:_ and, when seasons are favourable, they will _richly_ reward you for your attention to them.