158 THE FARMER'S MANUAL. 



spring, 1814, this hive will be 21 months old; nine 

 months as a simple hive, and twelve with one story. 

 It commences, on the 21st of March, 1814, its pyrami- 

 dal form, at the age of 21 months. These three hives 

 are plastered with mortar, or clay, at their junction, by 

 which they appear to form but one distinct hive, and 

 the Bees can only enter and depart at one open- 

 ing in the lower tory. By means of holes bored 

 in the top of the lower stories, the Bees can pass 

 from one story to the other freely. This colony will 

 exist in the state of a two storied hive from the 21st 

 of March to the 21st of September of the same year 5 

 it will then be 27 months old. Several swarms will 

 have been obtained through all the different stages, 

 from the single one, to the pyramidal one. The 

 swarms of the latter are considerable ; especially 

 those of the second and subsequent years. They 

 generally weigh from twelve to twenty pounds. On 

 the 21st of September, as soon as the drones have 

 been destroyed by the Bees, you may remove the 

 iirst story of the colony, it will be found full of wax 

 and honey, without Bees and brood ; the honey will 

 be of the present year, as the Bees will have consum- 

 ed that of the preceding years. When, on the 21st 

 of September, the first story is removed, the hive 

 will cease to be pyramidal, and will return to its for- 

 mer state of two stories ; in this state it will pass the 

 6 months of autumn and winter, but on the return of 

 March, another story must be given to it, and it again 

 becomes a pyramidal hive. The Bees of a pyramidal 

 hive never perish with hunger, nor cold. It is too 

 rich to want provisions, and too numerous to be ef- 

 fected by the seventy of winter, and by their heat, 

 they bring forward their spring brood one month 

 earlier than a single hive. Such is the character 

 given by Ducouedic of the storied hive. Let me re- 

 mark that their swarming one month earlier in spring 

 than the single hive, is no small advantage in the es 



