686 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUliE. 



DEC. 



A BIBLICAL VIEW OF BEES AND HONEY. 



fN translating the Hebrew Scriptures, no depart- 

 ment has presented such insuperable difficul- 

 ■ ' ties as that of natural history. On this ac- 

 count, when we read of the pygarg, gier-eagle, night- 

 hawk, fallow-deer, stork, heron, cormorant, ossi- 

 fruge, and some others, we may be pretty sure that 

 we do not know the exact animal the writer had in 

 view when he was commanded to tell the Jews not to 

 eat such and such ones. But as such restrictions are 

 not now in force, it makes no difference to us if we 

 can not say that this or that beast belongs to the bo- 

 vine, equine, saurian, or strigidte family. 



In regard to the correctness of the interpretation 

 of some words, however, there exists no doubt; and 

 one of these words is bee, as the equivalent of 

 the Hebrew word dehnrah. The primary meaning of 

 this word deborah is, to arrange in a row; to regu- 

 late. This is doubtless in allusion to the geometri- 

 cal habits of the bee, observed by man in primeval 

 ages. 



The Old Testament speaks of bees but four times, 

 and not in a very flattering way then, if we are to 

 consider them as mere pets. In Deut. i. 44, Moses 

 says, "The Amorites chased you, as do bees." In 

 that country, the "upper stories" consisted of con- 

 venient cavities high up in the rocks, and couutless 

 thousands of swarms "transferred" themselves 

 from place to place, and not unf requently took abso- 

 lute and undisputed possession of the territory. 

 When we consider the vindictive nature of the Ori- 

 ental bee, it will be evident, that no more formidable 

 enemy could be met, especially in such cloud-like 

 numbers. But how could so maDy bees "winter" 

 successfully? Tropical countries produce a greater 

 nbund.nce of flowers than our latitude, and these 

 flowers have a far higher percentage of honey than 

 those raised here, and this honey can be gathered 

 the year round, and was not eaten five months in a 

 year amid the frosts of an almost arctic winter. 



In Psalms cxviii. 12, David says, " They compassed 

 me about like bees." He was speaking of what he 

 seems to have considered very malignant enemies, 

 and this verse goes far to show that the bee was no 

 insignificant opponent in his day, about three cen- 

 turies and a half after the preceding verse was 

 written. 



Isaiah flings a stick at the bee in the seventh chap- 

 ter of his book. He says, " The Lord shall hiss for the 

 bee that is in the land of Assyria." To describe the 

 horrors of an Assyrian invasion of Judea, the pro- 

 phet compares the attack to the sudden rush of bees 

 upon an enemy. It is said that in those days the bee 

 could be called forth by hissing, and made compara- 

 tively manageable. Surely, the ancients must have 

 missed the old tin pans of our age! 



The first recorded case of "robbing" is that of 

 Samson. The muscular youth was on bis way to 

 Timnath to do a little courting, for he was then pay- 

 ing his addresses to a woman of that place. While 

 on the way, a young lion came out and roared at 

 him. The writer was careful to say young lion, for 

 an experienced lion would not have challenged 

 Samson. The challenge was immediately accepted, 

 and Samson tore the cub as though it had been a kid, 

 and flung the carcass away. The hot, desiccating 

 wind of that country will dry fresh meat in so short 

 time that putrefaction can not ensue; and when 

 Samson returned he found the carcass filled with 

 honey. Reaching down, he pulled out a broad fr— 



no, simply the honey, I guess it was, and went on his 

 way eating it, lacking nothing but milk and apple 

 dumpling to make a good meal. This gave rise to 

 his riddle— "Out of the eater came forth meat, and 

 out of the strong came forth sweetness." Samson 

 was the original " honey extractor," and this is the 

 first time we read of honey being made in the " low- 

 er story." 



"By their fruits ye shall know them." This is just 

 as true of bees as men, and I do not think the mean- 

 ing of Jesus is perverted when I so apply these 

 words. The Bible everywhere makes the most hon- 

 orable mention of honey, which word is also correct- 

 ly given as the correspondent of dabash. 



The first mention of honey in the Bible is Gen. xliii. 

 11. Jacob was about sending his sons back to Egypt ; 

 and, in accordance with the customs of those days, 

 he sent down some presents to the royal heads of 

 that country, and among others was " a little honey." 

 This shows that honey was ranked among the great- 

 est delicacies of earth, lean not agree with those 

 who say that Jacob intended to cell the old king by 

 any such proceeding. 



In Ex. xvi. 31, we read that the miraculous manna 

 tasted like "wafers made with honey." This indi- 

 cates the high esteem in which honey was held as 

 food. This is further evident by these passages:— 



For the Lord bringeth thee into a land of honey.— 

 Deut. viii. 



Make an agreement with me, until I take you into 

 a land of oil olive and honey.— II. Kings xviii— and 

 many other places. 



In Proverbs, we find honey alluded to iu a more 

 specific— almost medicinal— manner. " My son, eat 

 thou honey, for it is good." The son finds it very 

 goud, and apparently eats very liberally. We next 

 see him back of the house, making some literally 

 »neJf»./!(ioMS— honey-flowing — sounds. Ahead appears 

 at the window, and a voice says, "Hast thou found 

 honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou 

 be filled therewith, and vomit it."— (Prov. xxv. 16.) 



The pleasure of eating honey is greatly enhanced, 

 to me, by the fact that Christ partook of it after his 

 resurrection--" They gave him a piece of a honey- 

 comb." 



In this manner do many of the sacred writers men- 

 tion honey, placing it very high among articles 

 which God has kindly given to man through the 

 agency of that respected insect, the bee. 



Medina, O., Oct. 28, 1880. W. P. Root. 



— ■«■ ^ 



A BEE DISEASE IN WAR1 WEATHER. 



^HpTTST a few lines to ask your advice on a case ot 

 qfJJ "bee disease." It is only one colony out of 42 

 that is so affected. It was a black stock in the 

 spring. I introduced an Italian queen, and extract- 

 ed from the upper combs only. They were in a Sim- 

 plicity hive; and so, thinking it would stop the dis- 

 ease, I put them into a chaff hive and tucked them 

 up good and warm, but it has not stopped it. The 

 bees are dragged out of the hive by those not af- 

 fected, and flutter in the dust; they can not fly; 

 their abdomens are very much swollen, and they 

 finally get over on their backs and die. 



It was a very powerful colony before it was so af- 

 fected, but they are decreasing rapidly. I can sweep 

 up a good-sized teacupful every night. 



Would it be advisable to takeaway their honey and 

 feed them with good white-sugar syrup? or what 

 would be your advice? 



