BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
**1 A veffel made fomething like a flower pot, that is both narrow and deep, anfwers beft for this purpose : as the good wax rides to the top, and the droff part is much more esfily federated from it, than when the veffel is broad and flallow ; as in this cafe, the cake of wax is thin, and not fo easily federated from the drofs, when cold.**
**D d 2** CHAP.
**C H A P. XXVII.**
**OF THE DIFFERENT Kinds OF HONEY.**
**T** appears that honey does not candy from cold alone, without fcme other concurring circumstances; for among a number of hives, all equally expofed to the fame degree of cold, fome will be found to have candided honey in them, while others have none. Even in the fame hive, a comb will fometimes be found, with honey in it, partly candided and partly liquid: And it is well known, that fome honey will turn thick and candy, almott as foon as it is run out of the cells, fo early as the month of Auguft; while other honey will continue liquid till November, December, or January: And fome very fine honey will remain till April, before it candy. From all thefe facts, it muff be inferred, that there are other concurring circumstances befides cold, that co-operate with it in occafioning honey to candy. What thefe circumstances are, it is difficult to determine.
Of the different Kind of Honey. 213
mine. My opinion is, that the candying of honey proceeds partly from the nature of the flowers from which it is collected, and partly from the time that it has remained in the hive. But againft this laff toppofition an objection arifes, from this confideration, that the very finelt of what is called _virgin boney_, will fometures candy very foon after it has run from the combs,' and become like fine white fugar *.
This fine white honey is collected from white clover, and alfo from fome other flowers which yield a white juice, and it is reckoned by moft people the finelt of honey. But the fpecies of honey which continues longeft in a liquid state, and
Many authors affirm, that honey, candidied in the comb, is ve-ry defturotive to bees, and alledge, that they may as well eat poifon; others infift, that it chokes them; while a third clafis alledge, that it hurts them by bedaubing them, with many o-ther whimfical fuppofitions. But thefe authors certainly have either taken their own dreams for realities, or have wrote upon truft; which they certainly ought not, in a cafe that can be fo easily decided by experiment. For let any perfon put a piece of comb into a hive, with the honey in the cells, partly candidied and partly liquid, and he will find, that the bees will foon fuck up all the liquid honey in the upper parts of the cells; and if the middle part of the honey be candidied, they will throw it out, and thus get at the liquid honey in the under parts;--which they will chearfully feed upon, without either choking, bedaubing, or poifoning themselves with it, and rejoic that they have got fo much provision at fo little expence of time and labour.
and is effeemed by many connoiffeurs the very bett of honey, (as it undoubtedly is as good as any,) is of a flighty greenifh colour, and is likewise collected from white flowers. When candidied, it fometimes confifts of fine white particles, refembling f _Of the different kinds of Honey._ 215 with butter, fugar, flower, and the like. This miftake prevails in many parts of the country, and it is much to be regretted ; as this fufpicion, fo injurious to the characters of honett country people, who, in reality, fell their honey as it run from the combs, is even fometimes entertained by perfons in the higher ranks of life, who might be expecled to be better inform-ed. For although the country dealers fometimes fpoil their honey, by fqueezing out the combs, and thereby occafioning bee-bread, eggs, &c. to mingle with it ; yet in all my experience, I have never met with any honey, which I could difcover to have been mixed with butter, fugar or flour. Once indeed, and only once, I faw honey which the owner had mixed with water, but he was jutly punified for his avarice ; for the honey and water, fomented by the carriage in fuch a manner, that the upper part of it had more the appearance of barn or yet than of honey ; and the unfortunate dealer loft both his cargo and his character._
_Some alledge, that honey may be purified by warming or boiling it in pots, &c. which occafions it to throw up a fcum, that is flixmmed off. But I am perfuaded, that honey is always belt in its natural fate ; and that fuch methods of of refining it, inflead of improving the honey, often communicate a bad tafle or flavour to it. I therefore ufe no other method with my honey, than to let it run freely from the combs, as above, and take particular care, that none of the eggs or bee-bread, get amongst it. And indeed this is all the art which is required to make the very finelt of honey ;--namely, clean-linefs : Let it only be keep as clean as the bees kept it, and the finelt of honey will be the produce.
## Appendix C H A P. XXVIII.
of THE VARIOUS ENEMIES OF BEES, AND HOW TO GUARD
AGAINT THEM.
\(\mathbf{O}_{\text{F}}\) all the enemies the bees have hitherto had to encounter, MAN may juitly be considered as the greateft. For while he follows the old bar-
barous cuttom of killing whole hives of that induftrious race, for the fake of their honey, (a cuttom which, in many nations, has begun to yield to a more economical, as well as a more humane _Of the various Enemies of Beer, 57c. 217_
**humane**: practice,) he certainly defroys more of thefe his faithful fervants, annually, than a-ny other clafs of animals whatever, or, indeed, than all the other beafts, birds, and infects u-nited, ever did. Nor are thofe prejudiced murders of the bees, their only enemies among mankind. The predatory clafs, who fetal either their honey, or the whole hives, prove equally defructive to them. But it is to be hoped, that as felf intereft and humanity equally unite in exploding the practice of the murders, fo the effectual execution of the laws will prove a sufficient protection from the thieves \(\uparrow\).
The three next greateft enemies of the bees are, Cold, Famine, and Robbers of their own fpecies : To which may be added, as the fourth moft derivative clafs of enemies, mice. By one or other of thefe, or all of them united, hundreds of hives of bees perifh annually in Britain, while their other enemies hurt them but rarely or partially.
**E e**: Of
* Perhaps I can boaft of a degree of good fortune, in this re-fpecd, that fexercly one in the kingdom can equal ; for, notwithstanding the great number of bee-hives I have had fanding in the midf of mairs, and far from any houfes, I never had a single hive folen but one, nor ever loft one fingle fwarm to my knowledge; by their flying away in fwarming time:218_Of the various Enemies of Bees,_
Of the former, we need fay nothing here, having already given sufficient directions in the preceding part of this work, how to guard against cold, famine, robbers, and mice ; and fhall, therefore, proceed to point out Rome of the latter.
WAsps are great enemies to bees, especially in'warm dry years; and thofe hives that are near plantations,.where they often refer, are the greateft fufferers by them. In my neighbourhood, wafps are feldom very troublesome, except that fometines a mother wafp will appear before a hive in May, and offer to go in; but her hearfe voice and frange drefs foon dif-cover her to the bees, who banifh her from their habitation. I know not if any hive in my neighbourhood was ever much hurt by wafps; but, a few miles diftant from this, fundry hives have been fometines confiderably the worfe of them.
The beft way to extirpate wafps is to deftroy their Queen or mother, in fpring, wherever the can be found; for wafps, in this reflect, as well as in fome other particulars, resemble bees ; and therefore, when a mother wafp is killed, a whole neft of them is in effect deftroyed. Their nets, however, fhould alfo be carefully fought out, and and how to guard against them._ 219
and as many of them detroyed as p
**q2o** _Of the various Enemies of Beers,_
render the remedy worfe than the difaefe. This
flould, therefore, be cautiously avoided; and
indeed, in general, this method is of no great
The large moth, called the wax moth, from
its maggots feeding on the wax, is another
great enemy of the bees. This animal is extremely alert at difcovering any crevice, about
the outfide of the fixirts of the hive, to deposit
her eggs in; and when unfuccefstl in fuch
attempts, the nimbly runs in at the entry, un-
perceived by the bees, and.lays her eggs, which
quickly become large white maggots, above
half an inch each in length. Thef
fpin over themselves a covering for their defence, and become very numerous in f
hives. Their depredations discourage the bees
fo much, that they fometines defer the hive.
For my own part, I never fuffered the f
eff lofs by thefe invaders: I never faw one of
their maggots in any of my hives, except twice
or thrice, that I obferved a few of them in one
hive; and I never heard any bee-mafter in my
neighbourhood complain of them. But, a:
bout twenty miles difant, I once faw a dozen
of wax moths in one hive; and the owner told
me, that he had once two hives in one fand bow to guard againf them._ 221
which had as many of thefe moth maggots in them as bees ; for which reason he burnt them both, with their bees, combs, honey, wax moths and maggots altogether. In doing this he thought he acted prudently ; but, in my opinion, he would have acted a much wifer part, if he had driven all the bees that were in them, into empty hives and made two fwarms of them, or re-inforced weak hives, with them ; and then fnoaked the wax moths and maggots to death : after which, he might have given the bees of his other hives the combs to fuck the honey from them, and then : melted the wax. His empty hive could have ferved another year, and thus he would have buffered no lofs whatever, except that of the young bees, which would have been very trifling in comparison of lofing all. The pooreft and weakest hives are mot infested with wax moths, as well as with other enemies. When any figns of fuch vermin appear, either without or within a hive, they flould be inftantly deftroycd.
Birds of different kinds are alfo enemies to bees ; efpecially in Spring, when they catch them on purpofe to feed their young with; fuch as the fwallow, the fparrow, the lark, the duck, and even the common hen. I myfelf have feen222_Of the variants Enemies of Bei,_
feen hens pick up bees ; but they very feldom hurt them much. Birds, in general, however, ought to be guarded againft by all polible means. A fcare-crow placed near a hive will fometimes frighten away the wild birds.
Spiders likewise deftroy fome bees by catching them in their nets and fucking their blood ; though a ftong bee will fometimes break through the flimfly texture, and efcape. Nothing is eafier than to protect them from this enemy, by deftroying the cob-webs as foon as they appear about the hives, or their ftools or covers.
Earwigs are alfo formidable enemies to bees ; and Mr Keys fays, that " they fetal into " the hive at night and drag out bee after bee, " fucking out their vitals, and leaving nothing " but their fkins, like fo many fcalps or trophies " of their buctchery." They breed between the fkirts of the hive and the ftool, where their nets ought to be fearched for and deftroyed.
"Ants, (fays Mr WILDMAN.) fometines " make their nets between the hive and the " covering, without molefting the bees or being molefled." Although, for my own part, I was never fensible of my bees receiving any injury and bow to guard againf them._ 223
injury from ants, yet I have heard some beemakers fay, that they go into hives during the night, and fuck the honey; and that they have feen hives ruined by them. To guard againf fuch poffible depredations, the covers should be now and then removed, in the end of Summer, and the ants detroyed.
Wood-Lice are alfo hurtful to bees. When old decayed wood, which they harbour in, happens to be near a hive, either the wood floud be removed to a diftance, or the wood-lice carefully fearched for and extirpated.
Bad Weather, wind, rain, and the extremes of cold and heat, &c. have already been repeatedly noticed as prejudicial to bees, and may be guarded againf by the fiquations of the apiaries, covering the hives properly, &c.
Noise is alfo somewhat hurtful to bees, as it diffurbs them in their induftrious operations. This can likewise be in general eafily prevented, by placing the hives in a quiet fiquation, remote from noify operations, high ways and the like.
To conclude,--filt and impurity of e-very kind that may gather upon the flood, or around the outfide of the hive, or be introduced near the hive, fo as to occasion difagreeable. efluvia,124
_Conclusion._
effluvia, ought to be carefully removed and guarded againft, by keeping the hives and e- very thing near them perfectly fweet and clean.
**C. H A P. XXIX.**
As the principal intention of this work is to formulate the attention of the public towards an important object, that has been hitherto too much neglected, I shall conclude with a few words of advice to people of all ranks and degrees amongst us, on the subject.
And, _firl_, I would humbly advife all gentllemen of landed property, to confider, whether they have not multitudes of mellifluous flowers growing in many places of their grounds, which might yield annually feveral hundred pints of honey, as well as many pounds of wax, with very little trouble or expence, but whole fweets being overlooked and neglected, ferve only to feed the caterpillars and the wafps.
**Ia**_Conclusion._ 225
In the next place, I would ferioufly advife every clerogram, whether belonging to the e-fablified church, or to any other fect or party, to keep a few bee hives in his garden, or upon his glebe. I have for feveral years palt paid a clergyman's lady in my neighbourhood fome pounds for honey and wax, which fhe had to fbare after her own family was ferved. I have, in my poffeffion, two books on the fubject of bees, wrote by two clergymen, one of whom had eighty six fwarms in one year.
Mr Wheeler likewise informs us, that while he was viewing the beauties of Parnafus, he was entertained by a clergyman with the fweets of a repaft of honey. " After I had difcourfed " fome time," fays he +, " with the good old " Caloyer,(Prieft) whom they effeemed a Saint, I
" was conducted into a garden well planted with
" beans and peas, (this was at the end of Janu-
" ary,) and another by it, furnifhed with four
" or five hundred flocks of bees. The good old
" Caloyer prefently went, took a flock of bees,
" and brought me a little of delicate white ho-
" ney combs, with bread and olives, and very F f " good *26 _Conclusion._
" good wine; to which he fet us down in his
" hut, and made us a dinner, with far greater
" satisfaction than the moft princely banquet
" in Europe could have afforded us."
That the number of our hives might be greatly incraefed, wherever there is proper patture for bees, appears evidently from Mr Wheeler's narrative, and is confirmed by the following paffage in the account lately published of the sheep in Spain.
" If sheep loved aromatic plants, it would be
" one of the greateft misfortunes that could be
" fal the farmers in Spain. The number of
" bee-hives there is incredible. I am almot
" afhamed to give under my hand, that I knew
" a parifh prift who had five thoufand hives." Gentlemen Farmers ought, therefore, by no means to neglect the culture of bees. They have almot as many advantages as the proprietors themselves. The great quantities of clover, muftard, and heath, with which their grounds in general abound, would maintain a bee-hive for every horfe and cow they have upon their grounds. And gentlemen store-masters might keep at leaft a couple of hives for every fcore of sheep they have in their sheep-walks. Indeed, farmers of every rank will find their advantage _Conclufon._ 227
**advantage in keeping bee-hives, in proportion to the extent of the flowers that grow upon their farms ; as one single acre, planted with turnips, multifard, clover, or heath, will feed many hives. Even the meaneft cottager, who has but a cottage and a kail-yard, might keep two or three hives, and fow a little muffard and turnips, or plant a few goofeberry bufhes, on purpofe to feed his bees. There is fcarce a country village in the kingdom, that might not afford to keep as many bee-hives as there are dwelling houfes in it ; nor a tradefman in fuch a village, who might not eafly keep as many hives as he has hands employed in his bufinefs. Even ferrants might have a few hives kept as their own property, in the gardens of their parents, brothers, or friends. In fhort, perfons of all ranks and degrees, from the King to the cottager, might be profitably employed, or agreeably amufed, by keeping beethives \(\dagger\).**
**F f 2**
\(\dagger\) I am quite certain, and fome others have often told me, that they were of the fame opinion; that the melodious humming of bees, when bufy at work, or fporting in the air for their own amufement, will have fuch an effect upon the animal fpirits, that, however chagined or ruffled the temper of a perfon might be, before he takes a walk among his bees, he generally does not withdraw till the mind enjoys a perfect calm and inward tranquillity:228 _Conclufon._
Let none here alledge, that thefe our induftvious infects are below the attention of the greater(f. Melissus, the frft.inventor of believes, was a king ; but perhaps we should never have heard of him, if he had not paid particular attention to thefe his little fubjects. Encouragement might alfo be given to the culture of bees, by refpeclude focieties, fuch as the Board of Agriculture, the Highland Society, &c. who might advertife fmail premiums, to be given to thofe who fould rear the greateft number of hives, or bring the greateft quantity of honey and wax to the market during the faidon. Perfons properly qualified might alfo be employed, either by focieties or individuals, to infpect the fate of the hives within certain districts. One perfon, thus employed by a fociety, might overfee all the hives within two or three counties in one fefon ; correcting, as he went along, whatever he found amifs either in the fate or in the management of them, and fricly enjoining, that not a single bee should be killed at any fefon of the year. The increafe of beethives might alfo be rapidly forwarded, if proprietors of ground, upon giving leafes to their tenants, were to make it an article in their tack, that the tenant fould furnifh the proprietor with fo many pints of honey produced upon his Conclusion.229 his own ground, annually, in proportion to the fituation and extent of his farm, and for which he fhould be allowed the hingelt market price. And hints might be occasionally given in the newfpapers, calling the attention of the public to perform the neceffary offices about their bees, at the proper featons of the year; as well as to inform the world when any new difcovery of their nature, or improvement in their management, happens to be made. Thus I have laid down a plan, in terms plain and intellegible to every capacity, for increasing the number of Bee-hives in Scotland; and have flowed how honey and wax may be incraefed to a prodigious amount, by a proper exertion upon the part of all who have any favourable fituations for hives, but efpecially of gentlemen of property, who muff be fuppofed to have.the greateft variety of fuch advantages. And I now take farewell of my readers, by affuring them, upon the credit of near thirty years experience, that the plan I have laid down is no chimera, or _Will-o'-the-wip_, but that, by fricly adhering to the preceding directions, they may depend upon meeting with the utmoff fucces. F IN I S. Index.
( 230 )
I N D E X,
_ABORTIONS_ of bees, 128, 129, 130; _See_ Bees, Eggs, and
Hives.
_Afters_, one, of good land, will produce food for twenty hives,
12; one out of an hundred may be allotted for this purpofc,
40-
_Agency_, free, bees ended with a high degree of, 127.
_Agriculture_, the Board of, the author's firft meeting with the
Prefident, x.; the happy confequences, _ib._; xi.; the Board
might encourage the culture of bees, 228.
_Alc_, mead a fubfitute for, 41 ; the face and hands should be
be rubbed over with, previous to re-inforcing a hive, 130-
_Ambafadors_ of the bees fometines treated as fpies, 188.
_America_, the author's plan-will anfwer equally well for, as for
Scotland, vi.
_Ant_, dificovered fipping honey dew, 18; the facl confirmed
by Boiffier de Sauvages, 19: do little or no hurt to bees,
222; the contrary affected by fome, 223; how to guard
againf them, ib.
_Apiary_, the, directions reflecting the futation of, 9, 10; a
low one preferable, _ib._; free from wind and near plenty
of flowers, _ib._; number of hives sufficient for one, 95;
dillance proper between each apiary, 96; neceffary be-
tween the hives of different perfons, 124; hives in the
fame apiary differ in number of inhabitants, 133; dead
hives ought not to be allowed to remain in apiaries, 157;
_April_
I N D E X.
_April,_ how to manage bees in, 121, _et/eq._ See Bees,_ Hives, Management, &c.
_Arifomachus,_ an admirer of bees, 1.
_Artificial_ Queens, two hundred reared by the author, 63; _See_ Queen.
_Artificial_ (warming of bees, 168, _at/eq._ ; _/ee_ Swarming.
_August/s,_ hives cheap in, 89; fometimes become lighter after, 200; and fometimes heavier, _ib._
_Author_ of this work, an admirer of bees from his infancy, 33. iv.; purchafed three hives early, v.; made bees ever fince his chief fludy, _ib._; published his firft treatife fix years ago, viii.; and having met with much encouragement, _ib._ ix.; and made many new difcoreries fince, ix; he now prefents his new plan to the public, _ib._ : encouraged alfo as a honey-dealer, _ib._; his firft interview with Sir John Sinclair, x.; who defires him to draw up his plan, _ib._; and prefents it to the Highland Society, xi.; who grant the author their hingfth premium, _ib._; his confidence in the fucces of his plan, xii. which is founded on experience, _ib._; he compares himfleft to a bee, 8; rejoices in the property of thefice infects, _ib._; but is vexed by their wars and robberies, _ib._ 120; never saw annoy.
_dew on oak leaves, 19; but on wild runches, _ib._; and white thorn, _ib._; experiments made by him, 20, 21; his apology for not entering deep into certain difouitions, 26; his chief defign in this treatife, 27, 28; his reflections in a garden, 33, 34; prices paid by him for honey, wax and hives, 38, 39; could risk four fifths of his property upon a voyage to Dantzick for bees, 49, 50; his experiments fepecding little drones, 71, 72; which proves their non-existence, 73; his offer for fven of them, _ib._; affits the common bees in killing the drones, 74; fuldance of his converfation with two gentlemen, fepecing the ufe of them, _ib._ 75; one of whom propoles an experiment, 77; and offers his hives to try it, 78; which the author means to accept, and communicate the refult to the public, _ib._; he 232 INDEX.
he corrects his own miflakes, 130, 131, 178, 197; celebrates the return of the honey fcaon, 132; can perform any operation, however difficult, or seemingly impofible, that can be done about bees, 140; lift of a few fuch operations, _ib_, 141; he fettles a duel between two Queens, 174; his experiments in artificial fwarning 173, 178, 179; affifts the bees in killing the drones, 183, 184; but not when there are few in a hive, 184; the author's opinion of bee-brcad, 199; and, wax, 196; he has feen the fsmall white fcales mentioned by Thorley, 193, 194; never had a hive ftolen, but one, 217; never lott one by flying off in fwarning, _ib_. : nor ever buffered any lofs by the wax moth, 220; his chief intention in this work, 224; and concluding advice to all ranks, _ib_. _et_fq_.; his plan drawn from near thirty years experience, 229; and no chimera, _ib_.
_Authors_, lift of feveral, who have wrote about bees, 2; miflakes of, corrected; _see_ Miflakes.
_Astum_, bees bulf every fine day in, 132; all hives from which bees are taken should then be united into flock-hives, 200; _for_ Bees, Hives, &c.
_Avarice_ of bees for honey, a chief caufe of their wars and robberies, 118; of a honey dealer, 215; jully punified, _ib_.