FARMERS' REGISTER— MANAGEMENT OF BEES. 



I 



so that in making the turns to put it thi-ough (he 

 succeeding holes, the bark of the band may lie out- 

 wards on the upper part of the turn. Before finish- 

 ing tlie first round, the straw should be wrapped a 

 second time with anotlier band passing through the 

 grooves, so that the first roll is twice tied. 



When the second round is begun, which rises 

 spirally on the first, a pointed iron is thrust tlirough 

 the straw of the first round so that the iron makes 

 an X with the ties passed through the grooves; by 

 this means the fastenings of the upper and lower 

 rolls are crossed and firmly bound in an X.* The 

 ends of tlie bands are concealed between the rolls ; 

 and fresh straw is inserted in the middle of the 

 rolls, whenever their size is seen to be diminished. 

 The hive begun upon the frame may be separated 

 from it at the third or fourth round, [by cutting 

 away tlie first wrappings of the bottom roll, through 

 the holes of the rim,] and then carried on to the 

 height of 13, 14, or 15 inches. 



The lid is commenced in the same way as tlie 

 hive; on beginning the third round it is drawn in 

 a little, and this is continued until it forms a dome 

 and reaches the prescribed heiglit : an opening is 

 left at the top to receive the handle or spire, which 

 is firmly fastened as mentioned above. 



To preserve the hive from the injuries of the air 

 and the sun, it is covered with a moveable outside 

 coating or thatching of straAV, which may be fast- 

 ened around a piece of wood which forms the top, 

 and in wliich tliere must be a hole to receive the 

 spire of the hive. The thatch spreads out at bot- 

 tom so as to be nearly or quite twice as wide as the 

 hive it shelters, and reaches within two inches of 

 the bottom of the hive. A hoop should enclose and 

 preserve the form of the lower part, and a small 

 earthen flower pot, turned bottom upward, will 

 form a suitable capping for the top.j 



CHAPTER X. 



On jfpiaries. 



Covered apiaries are common in many districts 

 of France ; these are generally improper, as they 

 have several rows of hives placed one above ano- 

 ther, and it is certain that the row nearest the 

 ground thrives better than the higher ones. These 

 apiaries besides, are expensive ; they are too con- 

 fined, and cannot contain a great number of hives; 

 it is difficult to rob them, and placing the hives 

 upon the same stand injures botli tlie bees and their 

 owners, for when one hive is touched the bees of 

 all the hives on the same stand are put into com- 

 motion, and then it is not easy to approach them. 



There are some apiaries covered like tents ; but 

 these are also defective, for when the sun shines 

 full upon them, the intei-ior becomes in supportably 

 hot, which injures the bees and makes their struc- 

 tures soft and weak. 



To avoid expense, to give the bees sufficient 

 liberty, to attend properly to them, and procure 

 the honey without difficulty, the hives should be 



* The translation here is very literal, but I confess 

 that I do not clearly understand the modus operandi, — 

 probably from want of a little mechanical skill. A 

 workman, perhaps, will readily hit upon the proper 

 way of fostening the rolls together — [Tr. 



t To avoid the expense of an additional and unnc- 

 cessqiry plate, some alteration has been made in the form 

 of this paragraph, Uiking care to preserve tlie author's 

 meaning. 



kept in the open air, with a good outside coating 

 to protect them from excessive heat, snow, and 

 rain. They should be placed on separate stands, 

 with a passage of at least 15 inches between each. 

 The stands should be raised about a foot from the 

 ground, that the dampness of the winters may not 

 mould the edifices of the bees. All the hives should 

 be in the same vicinity, that they may be watched 

 in the swarming season, and they may be ranged 

 in straight or semi-circular rows at an intervaf of 

 4 or 5 leet between each row. The best exposure 

 is towards the east, inclining to the south, taking 

 care to sjielter the hives from the hard winds of the 

 west and north. Such an apiary will be agreea- 

 ble to the sight, the owner wilfbe able to move 

 about in it with convenience, to attend to the bees 

 and rob them witli ease, without disturbing those 

 that are on the adjacent stands. 



A MANUAL 



FOP. THE HAIVAGEEIEIVT OF BEES DURING} 

 EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, &c. &c. 



1. Precise rules should always be given, ^s we 

 shall do here, leaving, however, to (hose who would 

 profit by tiiem, the ability to modiiy them accord- 

 ing to circumstances. By following the rules 

 which we shall lay down, success may be calcu- 

 lated upon; but it 'will tend much to insure that 

 success, if with tlie care there is united an affec- 

 tion for the bees. What opposes this sentiment is 

 the fear of being stung; this timidity then, must 

 be overcome : let those who are subject to it muf- 

 fle tliemselves up well when they first approach 

 the bees; by using gentleness and calmness, and 

 exacting these qualities of those who are about 

 them, they will soon be convinced that there are 

 few cases in which their defensive dress is neces- 

 sary ; and I assure them that the oftener they go 

 among the bees the greater their attachment \o 

 them will become, and the admiration with which 

 they will frequently be inspired, will give them a 

 pleasure which is certainly one of the most lively 

 of a country life. 



Bees should never be breathed upon, as the hu- 

 man breath has a quality which irritates them; for 

 if they are blown upon with a pair of bellows, they 

 are more inclined to escape than to sting. When 

 we wish to drive them off from any place, they 

 should be gently removed with the feathers of a 

 quill. Bees are less tractable during the night and 

 after sunset, than in the day, because a bright light 

 dazzles them. We should never fight bees; if they 

 pursue us we should withdraw quietly, retire to the 

 shade, and allow them half an hour to become 

 calm. 



October.* 



2. To prepare a sirop for the bees, dissolve some 

 common honey in new wine, cider, perry, or mo- 

 lasses, in the proportion of one pound of honey to 

 each bottle of the liquid; add a handful of salt, and 

 boil the whole gently down to a sirop. This is to 

 be put in bottles or other vessels, and kept in a 

 vault or cellar, to be used as hereafter directed. 



3. Stock or mother-hives may be bouglit either 

 before or after the winter. Where it can be done 

 they should be purchased after the winter is over. 



* To preserve a proper order in the details for the 

 management of bees, their year has been commenced 

 with this montlit 



