168 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL AND GAZETTE. 



For the Ainericau Beo Journal and Gazette. 



Unaaimosity of Bees, as Effected by Ex- 

 perimental Science. 



Mr. Editor : T\'itli feelings of unavoidable 

 diffidence, mingled witli a good share of tre- 

 pidation, I solicit of you the favor to allot to 

 me, occasionally, a column or so in your Jour- 

 nal, that I may lai/ before your readers my 

 many experiences, philosophic experimenta- 

 tions, as well as practical manipulations in api- 

 culture! I am only a few years old bee-keeper, 

 hence my diffidence, of an unabateable philo- 

 sophic turn of mind, and, therefore, my trepi- 

 dation in anticipation tliat my communications 

 may, at times, collide with the views of those 

 of maturer years who have copied after the 

 blind Geneva philosopher, and others less en- 

 tit' ed to lyerfert msion. Yet, though my articles 

 may not always meet with general approbation 

 from this class of observers, whose crude, im- 

 metamorphosed aboriginalities I shall avoid as 

 much as possible, they may, on account of this 

 very novelty of treating the subject, possibly be 

 the means of evolving one or more fact or facts 

 before unknown, and thus save, perchance, many 

 a sting and half a dollar to my younger and 

 more inexperienced bee-friends. For these 

 reasons, therefore, Mr. Editor, I propose to 

 exhaust the subject under consideration with- 

 out an apology. 



The three experimental swarms of bees which 

 were obtained in such a novel manner from my 

 old-fashi ned bee-keeping neighbors, as stated 

 in the February number, page 147, of your Jour- 

 nal, were placed, after they had been brought j 

 to their standard weight with sorgho molasses, 

 at some distance from all others, on isolated 

 stands in the cellar — entrance open, with half 

 honey-board removed. Here they stood till the 

 16th day of January, when late in the night I 

 discovered that the occupants of one of these 

 stocks were very boisterous inside the hive. I 

 procured a light, and found, to my surjirise, 

 that hundreds of bees were perambulating the 

 entrance-end, whisle a great number of them 

 continually entered and reissued in precipita- 

 tion. I also found that moisture was oozing 

 out from between the hive and the bottom- 

 board. Immediately I took off the cap, and 

 what do you think was the matter ? Why — I 

 had forgotten, in tliis instance, to remove the 

 honey-board, the holes of which were covered 

 with pieces of glass hermetically sealed thereto. 

 On removing the board, a steam quite visible 

 ascended from the combs, emitting at the same 

 time a mingled perfume of Allspice, not in the 

 least gratifying to a refined sense of smell. On 

 examining the combs, it Avas found that those 

 on the outside, the honey of which being capped 

 over, were in good condition on top, but mouldy 

 at their lower extremities. The middle combs, 

 the contents of three of which being mostlyun- 

 covered, presented themselves to my view as if 

 they had been dipped in brewers' yeast, and 

 were, of course, the cause of the unpleasant 

 odor. I now replaced the frames, leaving this 

 time the cover and the honey-boards off for the 

 night, and retired. 



Early in the morning of the 17th I proceeds . 

 to the cellar and removed the hive in (lucptic .i 

 to an up-stairs room, brought an empty hivv*, 

 two wash-tubs, and tilled one of them with 

 clean water, kindled a fire in the grate, spread 

 a wollen blanket on the carpet, an old bed sheet 

 thereon, the empty hive in the midst thereof, 

 the outside frames of the mcphytic hive in the 

 middle herein, the central, froth-covered combs 

 round about it, and left with a heavy heart to 

 attend to a more cleanly stock. 



Now, thought I, during my absence from 

 them my bees will be sure to enter the new 

 hive, and cluster among the comparatively 

 clean combs, and thus will be out of my way 

 when I shall attempt to cleanse the filthy ones. 

 But judge of my consternation when, after an 

 hour of absence, on re-entering the room, I 

 found the fire brightly blazing in the grate, and 

 the bees a-humming and a-buzzing around and 

 above me, thousands of them endeavoring to 

 escape through the window panes, other thou- 

 sands crawling over the costly tapestry, the 

 clean, wliite bed-clothes and the French plate, 

 gilt-framed mirror ! Horror of horrors ! What 

 a buzz, and what a fuss, and what a mess they 

 made ! They did not attempt to sting, for they 

 well knew I expected a bottle of Prof Flander's 

 Bee-Charm, per mail, that day. My ! My ! 

 W'hat's to be done ! 



The liees, to be sure, were out of myAvay, 

 but look at the walls, and the mirror, and the 

 bed, and * * Just at this moment 



a sprightly, little, alternate bee popped its head 

 from the China-urn beneath, when I was struck 

 instanter with the idea that this must be what 

 our old-fashioned bee-doctors call "Dis-end- 

 airy, " and the more thought and study I be- 

 stow upon the matter, the more sure am I that 

 it was a disease nearly akin to the above, and 

 which I will commemorate in apistical litera- 

 ture by the more modern and appropriate name 

 of kalccjexy. But to return to our unclean 

 combs. 



I took each of them individually, holding it 

 Avith one hand over the empty wash-tub and 

 pouring one dipper full of water after another 

 over it, till it was free from the protruding, 

 j^east-like froth, and when all were made as 

 clean as could be well expected, I immersed 

 each one separately into the clean water remain- 

 ing, gave it a good shaking over the other tub, 

 and placed them again around the hive from 

 which the bees had previously absconded, and 

 thus allowed them in a measure to dry. After 

 cleaning the old hive of dead bees and other 

 impurities, I returned all the frames into it, 

 and it thus was ready for the reception of the 

 bees; but, 



" A Bee or not a Bee, that was tho 'xuestion;" 



and not till I thought of the empty bottle of 

 "Prof. Flander's Voluble Extracts (see note) 

 of the Quinbee, A. Nisc, Funny Greek, and 

 other vegetable productions,'.' (Home, Sw-cet 

 Home, and other songs,) page 14, could they 

 be induced to stir from the walls and the win- 

 dows. 

 These cunning little insects, as soon as they 



