Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-10-22


perIshed at once or became drone. Null !
'''udlnous were their enemies supposed to
De. Swallows, bee-eaters, wasp, hornets,
gnats, either seized bees on the wing, or
stole into the hives, and made free with
the honey; frogs and toads laid wait for
them at the waters ed &c as they came to
drink even sheep were thought baleful, |
as the bees entangled themselves hopelessy
in their W OIL The popular voice at the
present day adds to this black list off
their Toes, sparrows, tomtits and hens. 1t |
is certain that mice are among their worst
enemies. Happy is the bee keeper who
has not fancled his hives unusually still
some winter, and on opening one discover
ed that colony of mice had taken up its
abode among the combs, laying waste the
honey. Snails, too, frequently enter and
plunder the honey and as the bees have
great repuguance to touching such cold
Shiny creatures, they are allowed to come
and 90 at will. The death s. head moth is
also said to enter, deceving the bees by
Initiating the buzzng of their queen, and
SO getting at the stores unmolested. Many
are the stories tod of the bees immurlng
such robbers in cells of wax, and so de-
stroying them. The truth, however, seems
to be that when the door is once forced,
bees yield the rest of their fortress up to
the invader il sheer despair.
Great as is the difference between the
facts which modern science and more ex-
act observation have established with ref
erence to bees, and the vague, popular
ideas on their economy, which. as we have
strlven to show, we're entertained respect
ing them by antiquity, not the least Gu
rlous circumstance is that ancient and mod
ern bee-keepers, alike meet on the common
ground of bee superstitons and folk lore
Some of the old beliefs respecting bees,
have already been given. Their hatred
to an echo, which was an ancient article of
| the bee-master's faith, does not seem to be
confirmed on investigation. Much modern
| folklore on bees may be picked up by
any one who converses with the peasantry
IN almost any part of England. From
some reason or other, bees are looked up
on as peculiarly uncanuy," creatures.
Thus we were told in Lincolnshire that
bees would desert hive on the occasion
OF death in the family, unless some one
knocked at their hive and told them of it.
The same superstition We find to prevail in
| Essex, and even Cornwall. Similarly the
belet that after death hives ought to be
wrapped in Grape or mourning of some
kind, is current IN Lincolnshire and East
Angla generally. 1t is even found in
Llthuanla, and Is probably connected with
an ancient idea that honey was symbol
OF death. In Yorkshire there is custom
of inviting bees to the funeral. If wild,
or humblebee, enter a Northamptonshire
cottage, it is deemed certain sign of
death If a swarm Of bees alight on a
dead tree, or the dead branch of living
one, there viii be death in the family
within the year, 1t is curious why the
bee should, in Europe, be SO connected
with death, whereas, IN Hlndoo mythology
the bowstring OF hama (the Hindoo Gu
pid) is formed of bees, perhaps as sym
boil Of love strong as death. 1t is worth
while mentioning one or two more bee su-
perstitions. They will never thrive, it is
SAID, in a quarrelsome family, nor when
they have been stolen. There can be no
greater piece of i'll luck than to purchase
a swarm; it must always be gwen, and
then the custom is to return something for
it In kinda small pig, say, or some other
equivalent. Money should be avoided in
the transaction as much as possible. In
Hampshire it is a common saying that
bees are idle or unfortunate in their work
whenever there are wars At the risk of
being esteemed credulous. we may remark
that the martial year 1o7O,) was an un-
lucky honey year. East winds and drought
seemed in that year to have repressed the
secretion of honey in the nectares of many
fiowers.-Harper's Weekly.