BEE 



BEE 



37 



and in an hour or two the bees will 

 have returned into the hive. It 

 may then be replaced on the stand, 

 and on the following day they will 

 be found at work as usual." 



When a person has been stung 

 by a bee, the sting should immedi- 

 ately be extracted with a steady 

 hand, for if any part of it breaks 

 in, remedies will, in a great meas- 

 ure prove ineflfectual. A strong 

 solution of salt or potash, or liquid 

 laudanum will then speedily effect 

 a cure. 



We shall add to this article a 

 few facts relative to the natural 

 history of these wonderful insects, 

 and the best mode of managing 

 them, their diseases, &;c. 



Every hive must have its queen 

 bee, who is the mother of the whole. 

 If she be lost or destroyed the 

 whole commonwealth is broken up. 

 Besides these, are the drones and 

 the working bees. Drones are 

 larger than the working bees. — 

 They die in the latter part of 

 summer, and are dragged out of the 

 hive by the working bees. 



When more than one swarm 

 leaves the hive in a season, those, 

 following, consist of those which 

 were abroad when the first swarm- 

 ing took place, together with young 

 ones, which have been hatched 

 since the departure of the first 

 swarm. 



The kind of swallow called mar- 

 tins, will destroy bees. " It is ad- 

 visable to have large swarms ; 

 small ones never thrive so well ; 

 and for this purpose two or more 

 small ones should be put together. 

 The swarm should weigh from four 

 to six pounds. To ascertain their 



weight, that of the empty hive 

 should be first known, and mark- 

 ed on it ; and then the addition 

 to that will be the weight of the 

 bees. 

 " For joining two or more swarms, 

 take a full hive, at night, and set it 

 bottom upwards ; then set an emp- 

 ty one of the same size, with its 

 bottom exactly on the other, and 

 let there be cross pieces in the 

 empty one for the bees to light on. 

 Then strike gently on the two sides 

 of the full hive to which the edges 

 of the comb are fastened, and the 

 bees will leave it and ascend into 

 the upper. Then repeat the oper- 

 ation with another full hive, the one 

 with the bees being set uppermost, 

 as before, and you have two swarms 

 together. Repeat it again, as be- 

 fore, and you have three ; and so 

 on, if more swarms are to be ad- 

 ded. Then set the hive with the 

 bees in it where one of the full 

 ones stood, and they will go to 

 work together. The queens how- 

 ever, must be first searched for and 

 all destroyed but one. 



" Another method recommend- 

 ed is to take a full hive, set it on 

 a cloth with the bottom down- 

 wards, and then give it a smart 

 stroke, which will cause all the 

 bees to fall ; search for the queen 

 and destroy her ; have another 

 full hive ready and put it over the 

 bees, and they will soon crawl up 

 into it, and become incorporated 

 with those of that hive. This may 

 be repeated for the purpose of 

 adding a third swarm to the other 

 two.'' Farmer^s Assistant. 



Bees have enemies and diseases, 

 of which we shall take some notice. 



