The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-12-11
TRADITION ABOUT BEES.
Those Insects Object to Be Kept By
Quarrs1soms Family.

y
Quarrslsoms Family.
There is probably no insect in which
mankind takes more interest than the
bee, SAYS the London Standard, and
there certainly is none around which
so many superstitions have clustered
from time immemorial. The impor-
tant part the busy little bee has ever
PLACED in our domestic life, how its
deeds have been sung by our poets and
moralized on by our preachers. 1t is
not proposed TO dilate on here; but
some of the current superstitions con-
nected with it, though very amusing,
may not be generally known. Pri-
marily. 9narrelsome people. if inclined
to live in the country and keep bees,
are warned to mend their ways. or
their hives will soon become deserted.
Bees may be. and we believe are. very
pugnacious among themselves. but
they strongly object, SO say the country
folk. to belong to contentious house
hold. A querulous family. we are as
sured, will get no honey. keep as many
bees as they may. Another good ex-
ample set bv them is that they object
the contrary. they forthwith pine away
and die. thereby showing a highly
commendable respect for the eighth
commandment. And if they must not
be stolen. neither must they be sold.
To sell them for money is considered
most unlucky proceeding but they
may be bartered away, and all will go
right.
A bushe} of corn was always consid-
cred a fair equivalent for swarm, or
a small pig would be taken in ex-
change. SO long as the bees are bar
tered they are happy. but to be guilty
of selling them is grievous omen in
deed, than which nothing can be more
dreadful;" evidently their self-respect
is touched, and they refuse to work for
an owner who has bought them into
slavery. Their sympathy with man
kind and his troubles were shown in d
variety of ways. 1t is common say
ing in Hampshire that bees do not sue
coed at all in storing up honey when
ever there are wars abroad. A large
bee keeper says he has constantly
noticed this during the last European
wars. though ordinary people will re-
feet that they can not remember any
great scarcity of honey at those par
ticular times. But the most commonly
accepted belief is that the bees in GER
tain cases share our troubles. and this
is more particularly noticeable in con-
nection with death.
In some districts the entrance of a
bumble-bee into a cottage is looked
upon as certain sign of death, and in
others their swarming upon piece of
dead wood is regarded as equally on
nous. A story is told of the wife of a
respectable cottager. living in Sussex.
who died in childbirth. whose husband
accepted the blow quite philosoph-
ically. because he said they had been
warned of the event fortnight before
her confinement. The woman went
into the garden and saw that their
bees. in the act of swarming. had made
choice of dead hedge-stake for their
settling place. This is considered an
infallible token of approaching death
in the family, and in this instance it is
more than probable that the prediction
brought about its own fultillment.
Informing bees of death in the
family is custom still, we believe.
practiced in many parts of England.
The necessary formalities were very
precise, and if they were not fully con-
formed with the bees would certainly
take offense and leave their hives
never to return. So universal was the
custom few years ago that an Inquiry
after cottager's bees would OCCASION
ally elicit some such reply as this:
They have all gone away since the
death of poor Dick, for we forgot to
knock at the hives and tell them he
was gone dead The answer would
be given with as much gravity as if
the speaker were relating how her hen
roost had been devastated by fox, or
her pigs had died of swine fever If
neighbors were talking of the death of
friend some one in the company
would most likely wonder if the bees
had been informed of the sad circum-
stance, and would be comforted by a
reply in the affirmative. and that
piece Of the funeral cake had been de-
posted in their hives. A correspond
ent writing on this subject says this
superstition is common among the
small farmers of Devon. He once
knew an apprentice boy sent back
from the funeral cortege by the nurse
to tell the bees of it. as it had been for
gotten. and, to make up for the omis-
sion, little wine and honey was put
in front of the hives as solace to the
inmates in their presumable sorrow.
In some districts the country people go
even further than this. Not only do
they. on death occurring. deck their
apiaries with Grape after duly inform
ing the inmates of the cause. but they
invite the bees to the funeral