1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



649 



than one bee at a time : they were thus propor- 

 tioned to the size of iheir enemies, and couici he 

 suliu'iently guarded by two workers. But, in the 

 sequel, lliey were enlarged, and on tlie 2'ind. they 

 would have allowed two or three bees to pass at 

 once. "Was this," tlie observer asks, "because 

 they were sensible oCiiaving drones among them, 

 for which these openiuL^^ were too small V No 

 farina being in the country at liiat period, the be^s 

 had built their wall ol' pure wax laken Irom the 

 edges of their combs. In a subsequent forlifica- 

 tion erected during September, they used iarina 

 along with the wax employed in it. It is inifior- 

 tant to atlend to the circumstances which we have 

 now exposed, (or they demonstrate the precise 

 plan that should be Ibllowed by a cultivator in pro- 

 tecting his hives. As tlie seasons of danger ap- 

 proach, he ought himself to diminish their en- 

 trances, an expedient which will prove the chiel' 

 means of security. During the period of swarm- 

 ing, they should be left altogether free, but after 

 that time, they must be contracted. When in 

 danger of being pillaged by their neighbors, there 

 may be only two apertures, each so large as to al- 

 low two or three bees to pass : and in countries 

 where their great enemy, the sphynx atropos, 

 abounds, the apertures, when the chief collection 

 of honey takes place, must be made very low, that 

 this insect may be excluded. Some observers 

 liave used a longitudinal or triangular cover of the 

 entrance, turning by one corner on a pivot; by 

 sinij)ly elevating or depressing which, the access 

 was impeded or lacilitated. An intelligent natu- 

 ralist recommends adapting a slider, containing 

 various apertures, at the entrance of the hive: 

 merely by shifting it alonir, those suitable to the 

 diH'erent seasons and conditions will be presented 

 I'ov the exit of the bees. 



From the preceding remarks, the necessity of 

 frequently inspecting hives is evident ; not by tear- 

 ing them h'oin the boards, as is usually done, to 

 the manifest destruction of the combs and derange- 

 ment of tlie whole colon_v, but by examining the 

 entrance with caution, and by using hives of such 

 a construction that part ol" them opens to expose 

 what is contained witliin. An apparatus of the 

 description proposed by Bergman, should be kept 

 for weighing the hives from time to time, that the 

 increase or diminution may be known. This con- 

 sists of a steelyard hung to a small frame; ii-om 

 one arm of the steelyard the hive is suspended by 

 three sliirht chains, and a weight shifi^ along the 

 other. The common iron spring steelyards may 

 be conveniently employed, providing their accu- 

 racy has been previously ascertainsd. 



"When seasons are peculiarly unfavorable for 

 the secretion of honey, sometimes, we have said, 

 a whole swarm may perish in the middle of sum- 

 mer. Then, or when they are deprived of too 

 great a portion of their hone}', it becomes the cul- 

 tivator's care to supply the deficiency. There are 

 various methods of doing so, always regulating 

 the supply by the number of bees and the temper- 

 ature of the atmosphere. The hive may be 

 placed above a section of another hive containing 

 several combs with honey ; or combs may be laid 

 on the boards of the hive before the entrance, 

 which is less to be recommended from exposing 

 the bees and their provisions to the invasion of 

 strangers. Syrup of sugar, treacle, and other 

 sweet substances, may be given them as food, in- 



troducing their allowance every afternoon in nut- 

 shells, or in a vessel wiih a grated coverinir, by an 

 opening in the back of the hive. Unless the sup- 

 ply be daily administered, it is extremely difficult 

 to preserve the bees; and by admitting of longer 

 intervals, the most skillLi! cultivators have lailed. 

 A practical operator inlbrms us, that he takes an 

 oblong box, in one end of which is a reservoir con- 

 taining lioiiey, that is allowed to flow iVom the 

 bottom of the reservoir under a thin float buoyed 

 up by cork. This float has many small perlbra- 

 lions, through which the bees standing on it sup- 

 ply themselves with the honey. There is one 

 iiole in ihe side of the box, which is to be applied 

 to the enirance of the hive, (or admitting the bees 

 above the float, and anoiher on the opposiie side, 

 which is opened at pleasure, to allow them to es- 

 cape, should the box be too much crowded. The 

 lid of the box is a glass pane. On pouring honey 

 into the reservoir, the float rises, whence there 

 should not be such a quantity as to raise it close to 

 the lid or pane above. The box is about ten 

 inches long, (bur broad, two and a half deep, and 

 the reservoir is an inch wide. When used, the 

 hole in the side is to be placed close to the entrance 

 of the hive, which must be gently rapped on if the 

 bees do not immediately find the way down. It 

 is entertaining to observe bees accustomed to be 

 It^d in this manner, watching the approach of the 

 feeder ; when the ordinary time draws near, they 

 rush down to the l)ox the moment that it is put on 

 I he board, and alter speedily filling themselves 

 they return to the hive, from which they very soon 

 come back for a second supply. By throwing a 

 little fine flour on those leavmg.the box, it wilfbe 

 seen that they can fill themselves in three minutes, 

 and are absent not above five. One convenience 

 that attends feeding in such a box, is the exclusion 

 of stranger bees ; as the sole communication with 

 the interior is from the entrance of the hive. Se- 

 veral practical operators recommend a mixture of 

 sugar and small beer as food, which we should 

 warn 01 hers to be cautious of adopting, as they 

 will find honey or syruj) quiie adequate to their 

 purpose. It is mainiained that fluit may likewise 

 be presented to bees lor feeding them. 



Supposing, by a concurrence of favorable cir- 

 cumstances, that a hive is well provided with bees; 

 that they are protected (rom enemies, their collec- 

 tions ample, and their brood abundant ; the culti- 

 vator has to watch it strictly during the summer 

 season when swarming takes place ; it is only du- 

 ring the warmer wcaiiier that bees swarm, on fine 

 days, and when the heavens are unclouded : if the 

 sun be overcast, they hesitate to depart, awaiting 

 the moment when he shines forth in full lustre. 

 Though what are called precursors cannot be de- 

 pended on, as we have shown, they are not to be 

 altogether nefrlecieil ; and in attending to them 

 the time of swarming will scarcely be overlooked. 

 It is commonly between ten and three o'clock, 

 sometimes a little eatlier or later, that a swarm 

 leaves Ihe hive, during which interval the owner 

 should be on the watch lo follow it. A sudden 

 buzzing is heard, the bees are seen in innumerable 

 mulntudes traversing the air in all possible direc- 

 tions, and the entrance of the hive soon appears 

 deserted. After wandering about for some mi- 

 nutes, they are generally seen in small clusters, on 

 some neighboring shrub or tree, which gradually 

 unite round the queen, and all iire eollccicd together 



