BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
_ferve in general, that long confinement is prejudicial to the health of the bees; and that, as they do eat a little during their confinement, it is neceffary that they_ _should get out to void their ordure; for, I have even feen bees, in Rome hives that have been long confined, fwell-ed to fuch a fize, for want of fuch opportunities, that they feened larger than a Queen bee; and, when they did at laft get liberty to go out of their hives, being unable to fly, they would fall over the edge of their ftool, and creep about on the ground, till they died in great numbers; fo that fcarce one of a dozen of them ever recovered. But when they are permitted to go out occasionally, in fine winter days, they get fo much benefit by the free air, and by eafing their bodies in flying, that, when they return to their hives, they are able to turn out the dead bees, and they conclude the day with a _fong_;--a fure fign that they are healthy and happy. In fhort, I find by experience, that bees thrive left, when the hives are allowed to fland out, and when the,bees are at liberty to go out and in at pleafure in fine days, even in winter; for they are wife enough to know when they may venture out with fafety; and they will come to the door of How to manage Bees in Winter. 103 of their hive to cafe nature, and return again, when the weather forbids their going abroad. It is faid by many writers on this fubject, that a fine winter is dangerous to the bees, and that many more of them die in a mild winter than in a cold one. They argue, that as the appetite of the bees increafes by their going often out, they confume their provisions, and die of famine ; whereas, when long confined in their hives, they hardly eat any. * I acknowledge
Some Authors, particularly Ms. Stephen Witter, alledge, that fevere cold is rather faltuary for bees, as it keeps them in a torpid flate, in confequence of which they eat none at all. I acknowledge, that they eat much lefs in cold weather than in warm; because they have little or no exercic, and their appetite increafes or decreafes in proportion to the exercic they take. In November, December, and January, bees eat very little food, as any perfon may be convinced, by weighing their hives in the begining and the end of thefe months, when he will find very little difference in point of weight. But if he will weigh a hive in the beginning of March, and weigh it again at the end of it, he will find a confiderable decreafe ; for the bees, having now much exercise, eat more honey during that month, than during all the three above mentioned cold months ; and I am perfuaded, that they devour three times as much in May as in March, owing to the fame caufe operating in an increasing proportion. But that the bees eat _none at all_ in cold weather is a great mifakc, and may easily be refuted : For let any perfon, in winter, put a number of bees into a hive that has nothing but empty combs, and 104_How to manage Bees in Winter._
knowledge, that, in a mild winter, they do eat more food than in a cold one, when they cannot get out ; but this, as well as the fine air, contributes greatly to their health ; befides that they hatch earlier, and confequently increafe the number of bees in the hives foner. The fact is, that experience, which is preferable to the conjectural refoning of the moft eminent authors, may convince any perfon, that many more bees die in fvere writers than in mild ones. In winter 1776 which was very cold, a great number of Bee-hives perifhed ; and alfo during laft winter, (1794-5) being an exciffe-ly
and let them be kept equally cold with thofe?n hives that contain both honey and bees, and a trial of eight or ten days will convince him, that _boney_, and not _co/d_, is the proper food of bees.
In the very midf of a fveree froft, I have often feen my hives with young broods in them ; a fure fign, that they were neither motionlefs, nor in a flate of inactivity. This fad also proves how greatly miffaken many authors are, who affert, that bees do not breed, till they begin to carry home loads in bring. I am confident, that there is not a month in the whole year, in which I have not feen many of my hives, with fome eggs as well as young bees in the cells ; although there are at leaf four months in the year in which the bees carry home no loads. I will allow, however, that although they do breed fome in winter, the number is very small. Perhaps the Queen does not'lay above three or four eggs in a day, whereas in fummer the will'lay daily above a hundred.
_How to manage Bees in Winter._ 10$
_by_ fever one, many hives were defroved from that caufe alone; whereas in winter 1779, which was remarkably mild, not one hive in twenty failed; and the bees, in general, fwarmed a month earlier than ufual.*
I have feen the bees of a hive that had been long confined by cold, (perhaps for ten weeks,)
**Mx Wildman**: _fays, page 249, " The degree of cold, which_
_bees can endure has not been ascertained. We find that they_
_live in the cold parts of Ruffia, and often in hollow-trees,_
_without any care being taken of them." Page 252, he fays,_
_that bees fuffer fuch degrees of cold, as we here are frangers_
_to, without detriment, fecms certain; nor is it_
_for, why a much lefs degree of cold becomes fatal to them_
_in our mild climate. If I may venture my opinion, I think_
_that in thefe extreme colds, the bees are fo perfectly frozen;_
_that their juices cannot corrupt or puttify but they remain in the_
_fame fate till the return of firing; when the change of the_
_weather being fudden, the bees foon come to life; whereas in_
_our climate they are fo far chilled as to lofe the figns of life,_
_and their juices being filli in a liquid fate, foon puttify, and_
_real death enfices with corruption."_
_With all due deference, I shall now venture to give my opinion, on this point. I would account for it in this manner; that the fame degree of cold will prove equally fat:1 to bees in Bari-tain, Russia, Siberia, or any other place in the world; and that whenever the cold is fo great, as to render the bees entirely motion/cf, they will continue in that fate for ever; or, in other words, they will die; unlefs they be recovered by heat, before_106 _How to manage Bees in Winter._
fo difleafed, that, when good weather returned, and they came abroad, very great numbers would have died within a day or two thereafter; and the hive in general would have been greatly reduced. It is evident, that their long confinement
before putrifaction takes place, which will otherwise happen within two days at moft; after they are frozen. Laft winter (1794-5) it was perhaps as cold here, at leaft for one week during the form, as it is in Ruffia or Siberia, in fome moderate winters. Some of our bees were, at that period, as completely and irrecoverably frozen, during thofe eight days, as ever any hive could be in Ruffia; and all: the heat that human power could apply, however gradual or moderate, could not have recovered them to life again.
As a proof of this, any perfon may make the following experiment: Take a bee, during a hard froft, and lay it upon a flone; within two minutes it will be frozen, and to all appearance dead. If it ly on the flone, for fix or eight hours, it will be as completely frozen, as if it had been eight days in the cold-eff place in the world. Yet, by warming it in a warm bed, for half an hour, it may be brought to life again; whereas, if it be allowed to ly for eight days upon the fame flone, (during which time it would be as completely frozen, as if it had been eight days in Ruffia) neither the heat of a bed, nor any other degree of heat whatever, will ever be able to recover it. On the whole, I am of opinion, that all pofible care should be taken to preferve bees from fvere cold in every corner of the world; and I doubt much, if ever there was a flingle hive, that was once completely frozen for twenty days, that, even in Ruffia itself, or any other part of the globe, was ever recovered to life again.
**foo**: _How to manage Bees in Winter, was the caufe of her death; whereas the inteftimes of the thriving bees had very little matter in them, and therefore, I am inclined to think that this was the reason of their continuing healthy and active._ Whether the original difeafe of the former clafs, and their premature deaths, proceeded from their gluttony, in gormandizing more food than was neceffa-ry; or whether it was an epidemical difeafe that had got in among them, and carried them off in fuch numbers, I will not prefume to determine; though I rather incline to the former opinion. But, from whatever caufe the difeafe proceeds, fuch hives often lofe their inhabitants at the rate of a dozen or more _per day_, till they are greatly reduced, or perhaps quite defolated at laft.
For fuch misfortunes, I know of no remedy or even preventative; but it is fortunate, that farcely one or two hives of a dozen meet with them. Sometimes I have united the living bees, that remained of fuch a hive, with thofe of a healthy one, but feldom found it turn out well; owing perhaps to this caufe, that the difeafe was really contagious, and the difeafed bees might carry the infection along with them, and thereby hurt the healthy hive. I generally,_How to manage Bees in Winter._ 109
generally, therefore, let the remaining bees of
fuch an unfortunate hive, take their chance;
and on the firft favourable day allow them to
fly about, and difcharge their burdens, which
mut doubtlefs enable them to returfn to the
hive with a greater degree of health; but I am
confident that many of the difeaded ones never
return, and indeed the hive will be fully as
well without them.
About the middle of January, every hive
may be gently lifted off the fool, and the
fate of it examined. The fool should then
be carefully cleanfed of dead bees, or any fild
that may have gathered upon it during the
winter. The hive fool then be replaced u-
pon the fool, and carefully plattered about the
fikirts again, and covered over as formerly. If
the bees of any hive have deferred it, and
gone into another, which they fometimes do,
(as fhall be further noticed in a fubfequent
chapter,) the hive may be carefully kept, in order to feed bees with the honey it contains in
fpring, or to receive a young fwarm in fummer,
CHAP
The _Directions how to fapply Bees with Food_.
C H A P. XV.
Directions how to SUPLY BES WITH FOOD.
s bees fometimes run flort of provifions, especially when there is a long continuanceof cold or wet weather, during Spring, or even in the beginning of Summer, it is abfolutely necffary to re-inforce the hives, efpecially the light ones, with additional fore. There are four methods of fupplying the hives in fuch cafes, which I shall lay before the reader, and one or other of which, every bee-mafter flould attend to, at fuch feafons of the year as he finds his bees will need a re-inforcement of provision.
I. The firit, and indeed the beft method is by _eking*_. Take an eek,* of fix or eight rows deep, and place it on a flool, with the quantity
* To _eek_, in the Scotch dialect, fignifies literally to _add_ to any thing. The _eek_, or _addition_ here meant, is a part of an old hive, cut down on purpofe, to give room for placing the fupply of povifion under the deficient hive,Directions how to supply Bees with Food. 111
**ty** of honey, neceffary to 'fupply the deficient
**hive,** within it, which may be from one to
**four,** or even eight pounds of honey, according to the deficiency that appears, and the
**number of bees in the hive. The combs
**flould be placed in the eek, in fuch a pofition,**
**that the bees may have free acces to the honey,**
**on all fides. At night, let the deficient hive be**
**gently placed upon the eek, and let the inter-
**fices between the hive and the eek be**
**def up with lime ; after which let the entry be**
**flut, that** neither native bees nor
**may get acces. Let the hive and the eek continue in this**
**fuation for 24 hours ; in which**
**time the bees will have removed all the loofe particles of the honey, and the fell of it will**
**not be fo apt to invite**
**frange bees. The entry at the bottom of the eek may, therefore,**
**now be opened, and the bees allowed free e-
**grefs and acces. 'If the additional quantity of**
**honey given in the eek did not exceed a**
**of two, the eek may be removed within three or four days ; but if it**
**round to fix or eight pounds, it may be allowed to remain for fix weeks in Spring. +**
**If, in September, a hive**
**has**
**This method may be**
**provided at all fafons of the year,**
**and**112_Directions: how to fapply Bees with Food._
has got an additional fupply of twelve or fix-
teen pounds, it should be allowed to remain at
leaf as many weeks, if not altogether ; only at
this feafon, place all the combs in the eek, in
the fame order in which they were naturally
in the hive they were taken from ;--the uppermost cells to be full upermoft, and fo of
the reft, leaving a fpace of an inch and a half
between the combs. The combs mult be fixed
with flicks to make them fand on their edges,
and they should run as much in the fame direction as pofible, with thofe in the hive. The
bees will foon join the combs together, and
render them fit to be lifted all at once. In
Spring, 'if the original hive be large, the eek
and combs may be removed, but if fmail, they
flould both remain during Summer.
and it has this additional advantage, that it may be executed at
Title expence, and occasion a faving of all the honey in the old
combs that will not run out, or that happens to be mixed with
bee-bread, eggs, or young bees. All fuch honey ought to be
thrown into thefegranties, and the bees will foon carry up all
the honey, and place it in their own refervoirs, leaving only the
empty combs, which can be melted and made into wax afterwards. It need hardly be added, that the bees do not, in fuch
cafe, infantly eat all the additional honey that is given them,
but only lay it up for future ufe.
Directions how to fapply Bees with Food. i i 3
II. The feond method is the fame with the preceding, but differs only in this particular 3 that when the Bee-mafter has no old combs with honey in them, he muft melt fresh honey, and pour it into large empty combs, of which drone combs are the belt, and place them into the eek as above directed.
III. The third method is, to fave the trouble of eeking the hive, (when a fanil quantity may ferve,) by placing a comb, with melted honey in it, upon the fool, immediately before the entry of the deficient hive, and leaving it entirely to the induftry of the bees, to collect and carry it into the hive. The only difadvantage of this method is, that frange bees will be tempted to model the natives, in consequence of which a battle may enfue, and fome lives may be loft. But, to prevent this, let the honey be given at a time of the day when no bees are a-broad, and the danger will be avoided. I have fometimes had a dozen of hives in one apiary, with a feeding comb placed before each ; which gave all the bees of each hive fo much employment at their own doors, that they had neither time nor inclination to moleft or rob their neighbours.
**IV.** The fourth method is, to turn up the 114 Directions bore to fapply Bees with Food. deficient hive, and, laying it on one fide, to pour melted honeyinto the empty cells, where there are few or no bees ; and, when the one fide of all the combs are properly filled, to turn up the other, and fill their empty cells with honey alfo. A tea-pot is moft proper for executing this plan. In this manner I have fometimes poured two pounds of honey into a hive at a time. When the hive is again placed on the ftool, a little honey will run down from the combs upon it ; but the entry being clofe flut up, will prevent robbers from fimelling the trafure, and will keep fuch bees, as may have been befmeared with honey during the operation, within the hive. The native bees will foon not only lick up all the fipit honey from the ftool, but will alfo fuck it off the backs of their befmeared brethren, and lay it up in their fervoirs, with fo much expedition, that next day not a drop of it will be vifible, either on the ftool or on the bodies of the bees.
It is not to be doubted, that, in cafes of necefty, bees may be fed and prcferved with other articles, befides honey ; fuch as fugar, fwet wort, treacle and the like : but I am of opinion, that they cannot be fed, either at lefs expence or with as much fafety, with any other thing than _Directions: how to fapply Bess with Food._ 115
than their own natural food. To give them any other fubfitute, would occasion as much
expence, and a great deal of more trouble, especially when the hives are well filled with inhabitants : and I dare venture to fay, that as fuch
methods have never yet been much adopted, fo,
if ever they should, they will not turn out to
the proprietorsadvantage, or become of general
**ufe,** in the prefervation of bees. But it muff
be owned, that, if no honey can be obtained to
feed bees with, in fpring, fome of the above
fubfitutes will fupply the deficiency tolerably
well. In fuch a cafe, let I lb. of brown fugar
be mixed with half a gill, (or half a quartern)
of fmail beer, and let a table fpoonful at a time
be placed before the entry to the hive, as above
recommended in the third method. Let this
be repeated daily as long as is neceffary, and
the hive will be prefered from famine, and
will in all probability do well; but when a
hive is light in September, it ought to be fupplied with nothing but honey.
### _Wars and Roberts of Best._
**C H A P. XVI.**
**Of the wats and robberies that take place among the**
**, BEES.**
**T** cannot be denied, that the animals, who are the fubject of this treatife, have their _vices_, as well as their _virtues_. To the virtues of _individry_ and _oeconomy_, which they are endued with in an eminent degree, we muff add, what fome would call a _martial/fpirit_, but which rather deferves to be denominated, a fpirit of _theiving_ and _robbery_. For when the weather is good, and there are not flowers in the fields for the bees to work on, they will riff their lives'by robbing other hives, and frive to enrich their own hive at the expence and ruin of their neighbours. In fuch cafes, the hives that are thinly inhabited, are ready to fall a prey to the bold invaders; for hardly one hive within their reach is left unaffaulted; and as, among _mankind_, the ftrong overpower and fubjugate
**Wars and Robberies of Beers.** 117
**fubjugate the weak,** **fo a weak hive fometines falls a prey to a fet of** **firong invaders; but when** **firong and** _populons_**. hives (fo to** **fpeak,) are attacked by a** **lefts numerous body of robbers, they give them a terrible reception, and hardly a single bee, that they can get hold of, gets off to tell his neighbours the fate of his brethren. Sometimes a good number of hives will join in robbing one single hive. In fuch a cafe, all is confuition and rage, and great flaughter takes place. The bees are feen flying in the air like fo many fiery dragons ready to attack every one; and whoever dares obstruct their flight, will feel their poifonous fyears in a moment. At fuch a time, one dare farcely venture near them, unlefs he is refolv-ed to receive wounds from all quarters. When they are engaged thus, their found in the air is eafily diffinguified.**
_The people's actions will their thoughts declare,_
_All their hearts tremble, and beat tick for war._
_Hoarfe broken founds, like trunbets bar/b alarms,_
_Run through the bive, and call them forb to arm:_
_All in a burry fpread tieir/biv'ring wings,_
_And fit their claws, and point their angry fings:_
_In crowd before tbe bive they all do light,_
_And boldly challenge out, ibe fo to fight._
VIRGIL.
**118** _Wars and Robberies of Beer._
**Various** **reafons** **have been affigned for this** **propenfity of the bees to rob one another. A majority of writers** **impute it to the following** **caufes :**
**1/**, The fcarcity of provisions : The bees of one hive, finding they have not sufficient** **vifion for themselves, and the feafon being backward, try to enrich themselves at the expence of their neighbours.**
**2/**, The artificial feeding of hives : When one hive is fed, their neighbours, felling the frefh honey, with for a flare of it, and will take no denial, though it** **flould** **coft them their lives : which it often does, the inhabitants of the fed hives fanding up** **mott heroically in defence of their property. This** **confideration will lead the attentive Bee-mafter to** **fudy the** **utmodt caution and prudence in feeding fuch hives as require extra fupplies ; elfe the remedy will prove worfe than the difeafe.**
**3/**, But the chief** **reafon is, their** **infatiable** **avarice for honey.-- In fpring and autumn, when the weather is good, but little or no honey can be collected f:om plants, all bees whatsoever are apt to go a** _marauding_ **and plundering their neighbour's hives ; although, it** **mott be**
Wars and Robberies of Best.
**be owned, the poorert are moft addicted to pilfering.**
Here it is nece120 _Wars and Robberies of Bees._
rain, or night coming on, or perhaps a dark cloud intercepting the fun's rays, oblige the invaders to retreat. Next morning, if the weather be good, let the hive be flut up clofe, to prevent the robbers from getting acces; and let it continue fo for dome time, till the invaders give over their attempt; but if they continue their inroads daily, let the hive be removed to the distance of a mile or fo; and indeed this is the moft effectual method to free the hive from farther moleftation.
In my younger years, thefe robberies gave me much uneafinefs, as I was alarmed at the fight of a flaughtered bee; but now I give my-felf no concern, as I either put the bees of the hive that is attacked into another hive, or remove them to a proper diftance from danger. I have frequently, indeed, feen fone for battle take place among my own bees, and laft for perhaps a day or two; after which a peace would have enfued, without my interference. But good hives feldom fuffer much by robberies; perhaps not one in fifty. They may indeed lofe a fcore of bees or fo, but that will never hurt them.
Directions how to manage Bees, 69c. 141
CHAP. XVII.
Directions How to MANAGE BESS IN MAREH, APRIL, AND MAY.
In fpring, hives are fometimes found without a single bee in them, and the owner, in fuch cafes, is at a lofs to account for the caufe. The following circumstance, which occurred among my own bees, will throw fone light on this fubject.
The long continuance of the late form (1794-5) having confined the bees in their hives for about four months, the bees of fome hives contracted dieafes, which, during the falt month of their confinement proved very fatal to them; and fome of them daily fell down, or rather _came_ down of their own accord, from the combs to the fool, in fearch of fome aperture to get out at, in order to void their feces; but, after crawling about on the bottom of the hive for a confiderable time in 122 _Directions bow to manage Bees_
vain, the cold benumbed them fo much, that they could not return to their brethren again, and thus death enfued. Now, fuppofing only three dozen of bees _per_ day to have come down upon this errand, and perhaps not a third of them to have been able to return, it is evident, that fuch hives muff of courfe be foon greatly reduced in the number of their inhabitants. This made me anxious for good weather, that my difeafed and diftreffed fervants might get out, and recover their health, by flying about and getting rid of their fuperfluous matter. The long wifhed for period at laft arrived. The fform broke, and the weather became mild ; and, upon examining my hives, I found, that out of fourteen, which I had in one apiary, there were twelve whole bees were in a healthy flate ; and that thofe of the remaining two were partly difeafed. The day being very fine, and the doors of my hives opened, the bees flew about as thick as hail, making a great noife with their ufual mufic. My wife being prefent, we obferved, that the two difeafed hives gradually diminished in the number of their bees, whereupon I faid, that I fuppofed the bees would foon defert thefives altogether ; to which fhe replied, that the wifiin March, April, and May. 123