CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



by the scythe ; and the heath itself remains in 

 bloom till late in the season. The plane-tree, the 

 whole willow tribe, the furze or whin, the broom, 

 especially the Spanish kind, furnish a rich store 

 both of honey and farina. Bees do not feed 

 indiscriminately on every species of flowers ; 

 several of the most splendid and odoriferous are 

 wholly neglected by them, while they select others, 

 the flowers of which are extremely small, and not 

 apparently possessed of any valuable qualities. 

 Moreover, they give a decided preference to those 

 spots where a great quantity of their favourite 

 flowers grow together. On the continent, fields 

 of buckwheat afford a copious supply, though the 

 honey extracted from it is of a coarser kind ; 

 and in our own country, the white clover will, in 

 fine weather, be found thronged with them, while 

 scattered plants that afford more honey are 

 neglected. When a variety of bee-flowers flourish 

 in the same field, it is said they will first collect 

 from those which furnish the best honey ; if, for 

 example, several kinds of thyme grow together, 

 they prefer the lemon variety, which is of a sweeter 

 and richer fragrance. 



' But while mainly depending, as they must 

 always do, on the natural products of the country, 

 the bee-master will do well to supply his favourites 

 with such flowers, &c. as are not found growing 

 spontaneously in his neighbourhood. In addition 

 to the gooseberry, currant, and raspberry bushes, 

 and the several orchard trees, the flower-borders 

 in his garden should be well stocked with snow- 

 drops, crocuses, wall-flower, and, above all, the 

 mignonette, which affords honey of the richest 

 flavour, and which continues flowering till the 

 near approach of winter. The rich melliferous 

 blossoms of the Buddlea globosa, too, the bees 

 are very fond of ; and some of the Cacalia tribe 

 afford an ample store. " The Cacalea suaveolens" 

 says Darwin, " produces so much honey, that on 

 some days it may be smelt at a great distance 

 from the plant. I remember once counting on 

 one of these plants above two hundred painted 

 butterflies, which gave it the appearance of 

 being covered with additional flowers." Besides 

 these, the plants of borage and viper's bugloss 

 yield a very considerable quantity of the rich 

 liquid. The former is eagerly resorted to by the 

 bees ; it is an annual, and blossoms during the 

 whole season, till destroyed by the frost. In cold 

 and showery weather, the bees feed on it in pref- 

 erence to every other plant, owing to its flowers 

 being pendulous. The bugloss appears as a 

 troublesome weed among corn, and grows on dry 

 soils in great profusion ; it is a biennial plant. 

 Turnips, particularly the early garden kind, should 

 be sown, and allowed to remain in their beds 

 during the winter ; and they will in consequence, 

 by their early flowering, afford a seasonable supply 

 of farina, and also a small portion of honey early 

 in spring. The whole cabbage tribe also may be 

 made to contribute their share ; and mustard, 

 when sown in successive crops, will continue to 

 blossom for many weeks together.' 



Hives. 



The important question of the size, form, and 

 materials of' the hive, or artificial habitation, has 

 of course received much attention. Whatever be 

 the form adopted, it is found that bees accom- 



682 



modate their labours to it, and fashion their combs 

 of honey accordingly. 



Straw hives, of which a sketch is given in the 

 preceding page, are those most commonly used 

 in cottage-gardens ; and being easily and cheaply 

 constructed, they still maintain their place, though 

 much better kinds of hive have been suggested. 

 They are of a dome shape, ordinarily measuring 

 about twelve inches deep and nine inches wide in 

 the lower part. Made of unbroken straw, and 

 well bound, they will, if tolerably well sheltered, 

 last many years. It is customary to place sticks 

 across the interior, from an idea that they are 

 necessary for supporting the combs ; but Mr 

 Taylor, in his Beekeeper's Manual, combats this 

 opinion. ' The sticks,' he says, ' are only an 

 annoyance to the bees ; and there is little fear of 

 the combs falling, except in very deep hives ; at 

 anyrate, it may be prevented by contracting the 

 lower part a little. The best way of doing this is 

 by working a wooden hoop inside the bottom 

 band of the hive. The hoop gives greater stability 

 to the hive, preserves the lower edge from decay, 

 and affords facility in moving it. Of whatever 

 material the outer covering consists, it must pro- 

 tect the hive from moisture. This cannot be too 

 much guarded against ; hives ought to be well 

 painted at the beginning, and periodically after- 

 wards.' 



Wooden hives are superior to those made of 

 straw, the square shape being better adapted. for 

 the deposit of combs than the round form. Mr 

 Taylor's observations may be quoted on this 

 important point ' It matters not much of what 

 wood the boxes are made, provided it is sound, 

 thoroughly seasoned, and well put together. 

 Different opinions are entertained as to the best 

 size of bee-boxes, but I think that much must 

 depend on the number of bees they are to contain, 

 and on the honey locality ; there must also be a 

 reference to the proposed mode of working them ; 

 for where no swarming is permitted, a larger hive 

 may be advantageously used. A good size is 

 twelve inches square and nine inches deep within ; 

 the thickness throughout being not less than an 

 inch. The top of the box ought to project on all 

 sides nearly three-quarters of an inch, for better 

 protection and appearance, and as affording con- 

 venience for lifting. On the top, a two-inch hole 

 should be cut in the centre, for placing a bell- 

 glass, and for the purpose of feeding ; and another 

 hole, to receive a ventilator, may be made near 

 the back window, that position being better for 

 inspection, and less in the way of the bees, than 

 the centre of the hive, which is, or ought to be, 

 the seat of breeding, and should not be disturbed. 

 A window may be placed at the back and front, 

 five inches high, and six or seven inches wide. 

 The best and neatest way of securing the windows 

 that I have seen, is by a sliding shutter of zinc.' 



To these explanations it should be added, that 

 the hive of either form must be placed on a clean 

 wooden floor or board, raised a foot and a half 

 from the ground ; and if there be several hives 

 together, each should have its own separate floor. 

 Do not cement the hives to the board, that being 

 a duty which the bees will themselves perform. 

 The entrance to the hive requires to be small, a 

 little larger than a shilling, but rather wider than 

 deep, and ought to be at the lower edge of the 

 hive, on the side which is exposed. Numberless 



