# The Naturalist's Library/Bees

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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LIST OF VOLUMES OF THE NATURALIST'S LIBRARY, IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WERE PUBLISHED.
* ↑ See Memoir of Huber by M. de Candolle in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal for April 1833.
* ↑ See Edinburgh Phil. Journal for April 1833.
* ↑ We have to express our acknowledgments to this lady for her ready kindness in permitting a friend in Geneva to have a copy taken of the very interesting miniature likeness of her venerable father in her possession, and which forms the Frontispiece to this volume.
* ↑ We have to acknowledge our special obligations to the Treatises of M. Feburier of Paris, and of Dr. Bevan of South Wales, Author of "The Honey-Bee."
* ↑ Monographia Apum Angliae, II. 342.
* ↑ Huber's Observations on Bees, p. 351.
* ↑ Huber's Observations on Bees, page 324.
* ↑ Natural Theology, page 234.
* ↑ Huber, 284.
* ↑ Page 287.
* ↑ Huber, 157.
* ↑ Huber, 162.
* ↑ It has been said that Bees ballast themselves with sand or gravel when in danger of being blown away by the wind. The notion was first entertained by Aristotle, and repeated by Virgil, to whose poetic imagination such a trait in the habits of his favourite insects would be highly grateful: Saepe lapillos Ut cymbae instabiles, fluctu jactante saburram Tollunt: his sese per inania nubila librant. Pliny has also lent his aid to the currency of this notion; and it is found in Dissertations on the Natural History of Bees, as a surprising instance of bee-instinct, notwithstanding the corrections of Swammerdam and Reaumur, both of whom have shewn that the Mason-Bee has been mistaken for the Honey-Bee, the former of whom is often seen hastening through the air, loaded with sand and gravel, the materials of its nest.
* ↑ Bevan's Honey-Bee, p. 304.
* ↑ The writer stated this fact several years ago in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal.
* ↑ Huber, 235.
* ↑ Huber, page 169.
* ↑ Traité des Abeilles.
* ↑ Wildman.
* ↑ The late Dr. Barclay of Edinburgh, imagined he had discovered that the partitions of the bee-cells are double, and regarded this circumstance as an additional instance of the wonderful architectural powers of the Bee. It is not improbable that what he considered to be separate laminæ of wax, are but the silken linings of the cells.
* ↑ Huber, 44 and 136.
* ↑ Huber, p. 181.
* ↑ See Bonnet, Huber, Virey, Kirby and Spence, Bevan, &c.
* ↑ Huber, 372.
* ↑ Bevan on the Honey-Bee, 2d Edit. p. 391.
* ↑ Feburier, Traité des Abeilles.
* ↑ Feburier.
* ↑ Linnæan Transactions, vol. vi. page 75.
* ↑ See P. Huber's Researches concerning Ants.   Since the above was written, the author has met with the following confirmation of his opinion as to the origin of Honey-dew, in the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, No. 44, March 1839, from the pen of an intelligent contributor to that work; —"The honey-dew was noticed by the ancients, and is mentioned by Pliny by the fanciful designation of 'the sweats of the heavens,' and 'the saliva of the stars,' though he questioned whether it is not a deposition from the air, purging this from some contracted impurity. More modern philosophers have been quite as erroneous and discordant in their opinions relative to its nature. Some, with the most unmitigable asperity, declare that it is the excrement of aphides; others as exclusively maintain that it is an atmospheric deposite; and a third party consider that it arises from bleeding consequent to the wounds of insects. That there may be a glutinous saccharine liquid found upon the leaves of plants, arising from the first and third named causes, is probable, or rather certain; but this is by no means conclusive that there is not a similar liquid extravasated upon the surface of the leaves, owing to some unhealthy action of their vessels. It is with this description of honey-dew that we are here concerned. The error into which writers on this subject appear to have fallen, consists in their having endeavoured to assign the origin of every kind of honey-dew to the same cause." After noticing the theories of White and Curtis, the writer goes on to say, "The various successful application of liquids to plants, in order to prevent the occurrence of honey-dew, and similar diseases, would seem to indicate that a morbid state of the sap is the chief cause of the honey-dew: for otherwise it would be difficult to explain the reason why the use of a solution of common salt in water, applied to the soil in which a plant is growing, can prevent the appearance of a disease caused by insects. But if we admit that the irregular action of the sap is the cause of the disorder, then we can understand that a portion of salt, introduced into the juices of the plant, would naturally have a tendency to correct or vary any morbid tendency, either correcting the too rapid secretion of sap, stimulating it in promoting its regular formation, or preserving its" fluidity. And that by such treatment, the honey-dew may be entirely prevented, I have often myself witnessed in my own garden," &c.
* ↑ Bonner on Bees, p. 195.
* ↑ Feburier, Traité des Abeilles.
* ↑ Bevan on the Honey-Bee.
* ↑ Propolis, compounded of the Greek words pro and polis, signifying "before the city."
* ↑ Feburier.
* ↑ Feburier, Traité des Abeilles.
* ↑ Huber, p. 165.
* ↑ A more detailed account of it will be found in that volume of the Naturalist's Library which treats of British moths and hawk-moths, p. 133.
* ↑ Old Butler, in his "Feminine Monarchie," published at Oxford in 1634, gives, in his quaint way, an amusing description of a scene of bee-pillage. After particularizing various enemies to the honey-gathering tribe, he proceeds—"But not any on$^e$ of des$^e$, nor all des$^e$ togeder, doo half so muc harm to de Bees, as de Bees. Apis api, ut homo homini, Lupus. Dey mak de greatest spoil bot of bees and of hoonnie. Dis robbing is practised all de yeer. In winter, soom wil bee prowling abroad; and soom ar so teevishly disposed, dat all de soommer long, wen abundanc$^e$ of hoonni is every wer to bee had, dey wil yet bee filcing, dowg (though) dey di$^e$ for it. But in Virgo (August) is de most dangerous tim$^e$ of all: den sal all de stalls in your garden bee tryed of wat mettle dey ar mad$^e$. De Robbers ar towgt (thought) to bee poor swarms and stoks, wic hav$^e$ not sufficiently provided demselvs for winter. But indeed, suc ar fitter to bee robbed dan to be robbers. Der is no teef to de rich teef: wo (who) aldowg (although) hee hav$^e$ enoug, and mor dan enoug; yet, by hook or by crook, hee will hav$^e$ mor$^e$, dowg de poor starv$^e$ for it. Wen de teeves, having first mad$^e$ an entri, begin to coom tik, and de tru$^e$ bees perceiv$^e$ demselvs to bee assaulted by many; dey suddenly mak$^e$ an outcri$^e$; and issuing out of deir holds by troops, prepar$^e$ demselvs to battel. Soom keep de gat$^e$s; soom fli$^e$ about; soom run in again, to see wat is doon dere; soom begin to grapple wid de enimi; and dat wit suc a noise and din, as if de drum did sound an all-arm. Besid$^e$s wic bas$^e$ sound, you sal eftsoons in de heat of de battel, hear a mor$^e$ shril and sharp not$^e$, as it wer$^e$ of a flut$^e$; as saith Virgil, ——————"Vox Auditur fractos sonitus imitata tubarum," wic, I am out of doubt, is tuned by deir generall commander, encooraging dem to figt for deir Princ$^e$, deir lives, and deir goods. Den sal you see de enimi$^e$s bestur demselves most venturously; soom violently, toorrow de tickest, trusting in at de gat$^e$s; oders scalling de walls, and tearing dem down. On de oder sid$^e$, de defendants will behav$^e$ demselves as bravely, not giving any rest to de enimi; part encountring wit dem dat ar widout, part wit dem dat hav$^e$ broken in, wom$^e$ in a wile dey draw out by de heels, soom ded, and soom aliv$^e$. Lik$^e$wis$^e$, witout, you may see soom slain outrigt wit de trust of de speer; soom so dedly woonded, dat dey ar$^e$ not able to go tree foot from de plac$^e$; and soom more lightly strooken, presently to los$^e$ de us$^e$ of deir wings, and for a wile to leap up and down, forward and backward, lik$^e$ madd tings; so lot$^e$ ar dese cooragious warriers to yeeld on eider sid$^e$ until der$^e$ bee no remedi$^e$. If de tru$^e$ men cannot kil de teev$^e$s, yet wil dey hold dem by de legs or by de wings, in hop$^e$ to hav$^e$ help, dowg (though) dey bee drawn after. Mor$^e$over, de young soldiers, wic hav$^e$ scarc$^e$ been abroad befor$^e$, you sal see de elder sort go round about dem, smooding (smoothing) and trimming dem in every plac$^e$, as if dey did address and hearten dem to figt. De battel being ended, by repuls of de enimi, dos$^e$ corpses wic de wasps hav$^e$ left—for, like vulturs, de wasps during de battel prey upon de ded carkases—dey honestly buri as far from de hives as dey can ber$^e$ dem. And den dey draw togeder at de citti-gat$^e$s, and der$^e$ dey buz on$^e$ to anoder, as if in deir languag$^e$ dey did talk of de figt, and commend on$^e$ and oder for deir fortitud$^e$."
* ↑ Economy of Vegetation, Canto IV.
* ↑ Poplar, in the opinion of T. A. Knight, Esq., would answer better, from its looser grain, and consequent non-conducting quality.
* ↑ The back and front boards, in consequence of the slope, measure in thickness one inch at the top, and rather more than one inch and six-eighths at the bottom.
* ↑ Since the above was written, Dr. Bevan has published a Second Edition of his excellent work, where, in pages 82 and 98, he gives detailed descriptions of the size and arrangements of his Bee-Boxes.
* ↑ One Guinea is the usual price.
* ↑ Fourteen or fifteen inches at most would be a better size for the uprights.
* ↑ The food given to bees in autumn may be either honey or sugar; but in spring it should always be honey, as sugar does not form so good an ingredient of the jelly which nourishes the young brood.
* ↑ The venom of bees is extremely active; Reaumur conjectures that the weight of a grain would kill a pigeon in a few seconds.
* ↑ This is an error, if we may believe the accounts which travellers within the tropics have given of the bees in those regions.
* ↑ Butler thinks that these noises were originally intended to proclaim to the neighbourhood that a swarm had risen, and that they might know whence it came, and to whom it belonged.
* ↑ See page 95.
* ↑ We repeated this operation on a common hive this season, (1834,) sending off the artificial swarm immediately to the heath. On bringing it back, three weeks afterwards, we found satisfactory proofs of the complete success of the operation. The hive contained a considerable quantity of honey, and, what was of greater consequence to the naturalist, the piece of brood comb which had been inserted, of about two inches square, contained the remains of two royal cells, one of which was open at the end, while the other had its opening in the broadside. From these appearances we infer, that, from the first cell a queen had issued in the natural way, and had succeeded in destroying her rival in the other, effecting her purpose by tearing open the cell in the quarter which afforded direct access to the vital parts of her rival's body."
* ↑ By driving is to be understood the process of forcing the bees out of a full hive into an empty one. The mode of operating is described at length in page 227.
* ↑ Howatson on Bees, page 62.
* ↑ Dr. Bevan
* ↑ See in page 227 directions for the operation of driving.
* ↑ Dr. Bevan practises Nadir-ing only with young swarms, and Super-ing with those of preceding years.
* ↑ Feburier, Traité des Abeilles.
* ↑ Objections are sometimes made to the free use of honey, that it is very apt to produce disorders in the stomach and bowels. Some medical men are of opinion that the sulphur, and not the honey is the cause of the evil.   On submitting this note to Dr. Bevan, he made the following remarks upon it: "The fumes of sulphur are converted into sulphuric acid, (vitriolic acid,) and the quantity which mingles with the honey is very small. I am fully persuaded, that so far from its causing the honey to disagree with the stomach and bowels, its tendency would be to produce a contrary effect. It is the honey, and the honey only that disagrees; to a greater or less extent, of course, according to the pasturage from which it has been collected. I knew a gentleman who could not be in the same room with uncovered honey without having his bowels disordered."
* ↑ The French call this operation "marrying hives."
* ↑ Mr. Nutt, the Lincolnshire Bee-Master alluded to in page 182, gives, in his work, an account of an experiment to ascertain the effect of changing the site of hives from a southern to a northern exposure during winter. He took six hives weighing as under, and placed three on the north side of his house, leaving the other three in their usual situation. In November 1834, No. 1 weighed 35 lbs. No. 4 weighed 42 lbs. 2 — 38 5 — 32 3 — 40 6 — 37 113 111 The first three, Nos. 1, 2, & 3, weighing 113 lbs., remained during winter in their summer situations. Nos, 4, 5, & 6, were removed to a cold dry place on the north side of his house. On the 26th of the following March they weighed as follows No. 1. weighed 15 lbs. No. 4. weighed 37 lbs. 2. — 16 5. — 27 3. — 19 6. — 32 50 96 The three first, therefore, lost 63 lbs., on an average 21 lbs. each; the three last decreased only 15 lbs., average 5 lbs each. The three last swarmed in May, the three first not till July.
* ↑ Ency. Brit., Art. Entomology.
* ↑ Monographia Apum Angliae, i. 207.
* ↑ Reaumur's Mem. tom. vi.
* ↑ Cuvier, Regne Anim. v. 357.
* ↑ Mr. Westwood is of opinion that the colour of the gloss of the wing affords a very good, although hitherto neglected, specific character in this difficult genus.
* ↑ Drury's Illust., Westwood's ed., vol. ii. p. 98.
* ↑ Parks Travels in Africa, vol. i. p. 6.
* ↑ More probably excrement.
* ↑ Alexander's Expedition into the Interior of Africa.
* ↑ Latreille, Obs. de Zool. au voyage de Humboldt.
* ↑ Marsden's Sumatra, p. 175.
* ↑ Loudon's Gardener's Magazine, for Dec. 1835.
* ↑ Vol. i. p. 171.
* ↑ Mr. St. John laid these dead bees on a blanket in the sun, and, mirabile dictu! out of the 171, no fewer than 54 returned to life, licked themselves clean, and joyfully went back to their hives.
* ↑ Edinburgh Encyclop. article Cuba.
* ↑ M. Feburier states, in a note, that M. Michaux, a French botanist, had been informed by the natives of Florida, that bees formerly abounded in that province; but that in one year they had almost all emigrated to Cuba, which is distant twenty-five leagues. Upon this, M. Feburier remarks:—"As that island is covered with orange and lemon trees, the fragrance of the blossoms must have been wafted to Florida, and have attracted the bees; a strong evidence of the acuteness of their sense of smell." We should say, that their strength of wing must have equalled their sense of smell. But the truth is, M. Michaux had been misinformed; for it is a well known fact, that, as we have already stated, when the British obtained possession of Florida, at the peace in 1763, many of the settlers removed to Cuba, and carried their bees along with them.
* ↑ Since writing the above, the author has received a swarm of Bees from Jamaica, which unfortunately died on the passage. Upon the most minute examination, no difference could be perceived between these strangers and our own home-bred insects, either in the class of Workers or Males; the Queen could not be found. It must be observed, however, that besides this, which we consider identical with the domestic bee of Northern Europe, there is another species cultivated in Jamaica of a small black kind, of the habits of which we are not aware. In one of the combs of the above imported hive, was found the larva represented in Pl. VIII. with the moth into which it was metamorphosed.
* ↑ Voyage du Chevalier des Marchais a Cayenne, vol. iii. 253.
* ↑ Travels in Brazil, by Henry Koster, in 1810.
* ↑ A hive of this kind was sent to the celebrated Huber.
* ↑ Kirby's Bridgewater Treatise.
* ↑ Edinburgh Encyclopædia, Article Ornithology.