208 HOW TO KEEP BEES 



the study of the habits of the bee by the blind Huber, 

 who was born in Geneva in 1750. His observations 

 made with his own brain, but with the eyes of his 

 wife, niece and servant, form a classic in bee- 

 literature. In 1811 there were born, a continent 

 apart, two great bee-keepers: Langstroth in Phila- 

 delphia, and Dzierzon in Silesia. Both were clergy- 

 men, but were also true scientists, and both invented 

 means by which the combs could be moved and 

 examined. Langstroth carried his invention farther, 

 and in 1852 devised the movable frame which revolu- 

 tionised bee-keeping. 



Up to this time the business of the bee-man was 

 largely guess-work. He did not know anything 

 about the condition of his bees in the hive, for 

 he had no way of penetrating that dark chamber. 

 The ways of reaping the honey-harvest were devious; 

 at best the combs were torn from the hives with 

 little regard for the rights and lives of the bees. 

 Finally, there was devised the truly infernal plan of 

 killing the bees with the fumes of burning brimstone, 

 before taking their treasure ; this method undoubtedly 

 originating in the turgid theology of the times. 



However, about the time of Langstroth, someone, 

 or perhaps many, had discovered that bees stored 

 their honey in the upper part of the hive; and the old 

 box-hive had a few auger-holes in the top, over 

 which was inverted a box, which the bees usually 

 filled, and thus saved themselves from the brimstone 

 pit. We remember well the delight in our family 

 when we used, for the first time, such boxes with glass 



