THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



53 



The operation of deprivation, when the fu- 

 migating bellows are not at hand, is one which 

 we would recommend few persons to under- 

 take. It is one of extreme difficulty and hazard, 

 and in many instances has exhausted the pa- 

 tience of the most enthusiastic apiarian. We 

 will, however, give the description of it for the 

 benefit of those who may feel disposed to try 

 the experiment. 



In the first place, an empty hive must be pro- 

 cured of the exact diameter of the hive which 

 is to be deprived; the full hive being lifted from 

 the pedestal and reverted as before, the empty 

 one is placed over it, and the hives being con- 

 solidated, a sheet or a large table cloth must be 

 wrapped round them at their point of junction, 

 in order to prevent any of the bees from escap- 

 ing out of the hive. This arrangement being 

 com])leted, the lower hive is beaten gently with 

 the flat hands, or with sticks, for the purpose 

 of so alarming the bees as to force them to as- 

 cend into the upper hive; and now arrives the 

 trial of the patience of the operator. In some 

 instances we have known the bees to ascend in 

 ten minutes or a Cjuarter of an hour, in others 

 we have not succeeded after knocking and 

 thumping for three or four hours ; and in some 

 cases, we have been obliged to desist altogether 

 and relinquish it as a hopeless task. The ascent 

 of the bees into the upper hive is to be ascer- 

 tained by a loud humming noise, which is sup- 

 posed to be indicative of the queen having as- 

 gsnded into the upper hive; and the bees make 

 known the fact to each other by the expressions 

 of their joy. The under hive being pretty clear 

 of bees, (for it is in vain to hope that all of 

 them will have left it,) it must be taken into 

 some outhouse, during which time the hive 

 with the bees in it may be left covered up with 

 the table cloth or sheet. The process of extract- 

 ing the combs has already been described, and 

 it having been accomplished in this case, the 

 deprived hive must be taken to its original sta- 

 tion and the bees returned to it. In order to 

 effect this, place a stool or chair exactly level 

 with the entrance of the hive, throw the table 

 cloth over the chair, and, holding the hive with 

 the bees on it over it, give it a smart knock, on 

 which the bees will fall upon the cloth. Then 

 guide a feAV to the entrance, who will begin im- 

 mediately to vibrate their wings with joy; the 

 whole community will on hearing the welcome 

 sound hurry into the hive, and in ten minutes 

 not a bee will be left on the cloth. 



In order however to prevent the suffocation 

 of the bees, and still to obtain a proportionate 

 quantity of their riches, without undergoing 

 the difficult and tedious process of deprivation, 

 let the tollowing plan be adopted: In the month 

 of March cut off three or four bands of the top 

 of the hive, and place over the orifice a small 

 hive of from four to six inches in diameter. As 

 the honey season approaches, the bees will pro- 

 ceed to consta-uct their combs in the small hive, 

 and by August or September it will be full of 

 excellent honey comb, which may be taken 

 away without the least fear of subjecting the 

 bees to famine, as the very act of filling the 

 small hive presupposes that all the cells in the 



hive are full, and consequently an adequate 

 su])ply of provisions exists for the winter. 



There arc two seasons of depriva,tion, the 

 spring and the autumn, and each has its strenu- 

 ous advocates. We, however, strongly recom- 

 mend the former, on account of the certainty 

 which then exists of the bees being able to re- 

 plenish the vacuum before the winter sets In; 

 whereas in the autumnal deprivation, the va- 

 cuum exists during the whole of the winter, 

 which, on account of the foul and humid air 

 which is engendered, is highly injurious to the 

 bees. It may indeed happen, that if the depri- 

 vation take place immediately after the swarm- 

 ing season, the bees will have time to fill up tlie 

 vacuum before the winter sets in, but we very 

 seldom knew it to be the case. One of the ob- 

 jections urged against the spring deprivation 

 is, that it is apt to prevent the hive from swarm- 

 ing, and we admit that there is some validity 

 in the objection; but an isolated case ought not 

 to operate to the injury of a whole system, for 

 although it may happen in particular cases tliat 

 the deprivation will prevent the swarming, yet 

 as it cannot l)e urged as a general principle, a 

 great part of the objection is thereby rendered 

 invalid. On the other hand, the great objec- 

 tion to the autumnal deprivation is, that the 

 proprietor, from an overgreediness to obtain a 

 considerable booty from his bees, is apt to take 

 more than he ought to do, and consequently ex- 

 poses his bees to the danger of famine. It is 

 bad practice to deprive a hive on both sides, but 

 it seldoDi happens that more than two combs 

 can be extracted on one side, without interfer- 

 ing with the brood combs, which, in other 

 words, is tantamount to the destruction of the 

 hive. 



In the works of Varro and Columella, we 

 find some interesting remarks relative to the 

 deprivation of hives, for it would appear in 

 their time as if suffocation were totally un- 

 known. The former of these natui'alists men- 

 tions two methods of proceeding; one by chang- 

 ing the bees from one hive to anotlier, and the 

 other by deprivation. He is however very spar- 

 ing of his information relative to the details of 

 those operations, but he is manifestly in an er- 

 ror when he says that nine tenths of the honey 

 may be extracted. 



The method of collecting the produce of a 

 hive by suffocation is adopted in most countries, 

 but especially in England, France, and Italy. 

 In Germany, the great bee masters were long 

 more inclined to the storifjang system, which, 

 in their opinion, renders the act of deprivation 

 easy and safe. Ranconi, in his Dictionary on 

 Italian Agriculture, says, "that the suffocation 

 of bees is a most abusive practice, as it tends to 

 destroy this species of insects, so interesting by 

 their ingenious industry." — Huisli. 



A well mown and cleanly kept grass plot, or 

 a gravel walk, affords a capital ground for hives 

 to stand upon. They should not, however, be 

 far distant from some wall or thick fence in the 

 rear; but there must be plenty of room heMnd 

 for the performing of every necessary opera- 

 tion. 



