BEES. 



BEES. 



several years. When a hive yields more than 

 two swarms, these should uniformly be joined 

 to others that are weak, as, from the lateness 

 of the season, and deficiency in number, they 

 will otherwise perish. This junction is easily 

 formed, by inverting at night the hive in which 

 they are, and placing over it the one you in- 

 tend them to enter. They soon ascend, a. id 

 apparently with no opposition from the former 

 possessors. Should the weather for some days 

 after swarming be unfavourable for the bees 

 going out, they must be fed with care until it 

 clears up, otherwise the young swarm will run 

 a great risk of dying. 



The honey may be taken from hives of the 

 common construction by three modes, partial 

 deprivation, total deprivation, and suffocation. 



Partial deprivation is performed about the 

 beginning of September. Having ascertained 

 the weight of the hive, and consequently the 

 quantity of honeycomb which is to be ex- 

 tracted, begin the operation as soon as evening 

 sets in, by inverting the full hive, and placing 

 an empty one over it; particular care must 

 be taken that the two hives are of the same dia- 

 meter, for if they differ in their dimensions it 

 will no be possible to effect the driving of the 

 bees. The hives being placed on each other, 

 a sheet or large table-cloth must be tied round 

 them at their place of junction, in order to 

 prevent the bees from molesting the operator. 

 The hives being thus arranged, beat the sides 

 gently with a stick or the. hand, but particular 

 caution must be used to beat it on those parts 

 to which the combs are attached and which 

 will be found parallel with the entrance of the 

 hive. The ascent of the bees into the upper 

 hive will be known by a loud humming noise; 

 in a few minutes the whole 'community will 

 have ascended, and the hive with the bees in 

 it may be placed upon the pedestal from which 

 the full hive was removed. The hive from 

 which the b^es have been driven must then 

 be taken into the house, and the operation of 

 cutting out the honeycomb commenced. Hav- 

 ing extracted the requisite quantity of comb, 

 this opportunity must be embraced of inspect- 

 ing the hive, and of cleaning it of any noxious 

 matter. In cutting the combs, however, par- 

 ticular attention should be paid not to cut into 

 two or three combs at once, but having com- 

 menced the cutting of one, to pursue it to the 

 top of the hive ; and this caution is necessary 

 for two reasons. If you begin the cutting of 

 two or three combs at one time, were you to 

 abstract the whole of them you would perhaps 

 take too much ; and secondly, to stop in the 

 middle of a comb will be attended with very 

 pernicious consequences, as the honey would 

 drop from the cells which have been cut in 

 two, and then the bees, on being returned to 

 their native hive, might be drowned in their 

 own sweets. The bees also, in their return to 

 their natural domicile, being still under the 

 impression of fear, would not give so much 

 attention to the honey which flows from the 

 divided cells; and as it would fall on the board, 

 and from that on the ground, the bees belonging 

 to the other hives would immediately scent the 

 wasted treasure, and a general attack on the de- 

 privated hive might be the consequence. The 

 164 



deprivation of the honeycomb being effected, 

 the hive may be returned to its former position, 

 and reversing the hive which contains the 

 bees, and placing the deprivated hive over it, 

 they may be left in that situation till morning, 

 when the bees will be found to have taken 

 possession of their native hive, and, if the 

 season proves fine, may replenish what they 

 have lost. (Huisft's Treatise on Bees.} 



Total deprivation is effected in the same 

 manner, but earlier in the season, immediately 

 after the first swarm ; and the bees, instead of 

 being returned to a remnant of honey in their 

 old hive, remain in the new empty one: which 

 they will sometimes, though rarely, fill with 

 comb. By this mode it is to be observed, very 

 little honey is obtained, the bees in June and 

 July being occupied chiefly in breeding, and 

 one, if not two, swarms are lost. (London's 

 Encyc. of Agriculture.') 



The mode of suffocation to be adopted by 

 those who prefer destroying bees in taking 

 honey, has already been given. 



Particular attention should be paid to the 

 culture of such plants as supply the bees with 

 the best food and materials for making honey, 

 such as thyme, clover, broom, and mustard, &c. 



As a good deal of difference of opinion eiists 

 relative to the construction of hives and ma- 

 nagement of bees, we have endeavoured to 

 condense the views upon the subject enter- 

 tained by the most respectable authorities. It 

 is a great desideratum that honey be brought 

 to market without removal from the hive in 

 which it is originally deposited, which enables 

 the purchaser to keep it in fine condition for 

 any length of time. Few persons will pur- 

 chase the contents of a very large hive, when 

 honey in small boxes generally sells readily. 

 Hence one great advantage of having the hives 

 constructed in sections, which, being of the 

 same size, can always be fitted over or under 

 each other. According to the views of Mr. 

 Harasti, a skilful bee-cultivator, a good bee- 

 hive ought to possess the following properties : 

 First, it should be capable of enlargement or 

 contraction according to the size of the swarm. 

 Secondly, it should admit of being opened 

 without disturbing the bees, either for the pur- 

 pose of cleaning it from insects, increasing or 

 dividing the swarm, &c. Thirdly, it should 

 be so constructed, that the produce may be 

 removed without injury to the bees. Fourthly, 



Fif.l. 



