1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



3(55 



THE BEES OF THE OLD WOKLD. 



V. H. 15ALI)EXSPE1{GEK TKLES ABOUT TIIE.M. 



If we draw a diagonal line, beginning at 

 Genoa, in Italy, and ending at Tripoli, in Afri- 

 ca, across the Mediterranean, we find the bees 

 east of this line inclining to the yellow race — 

 Italy. Greece, Turkey, and Egypt having the 

 banded bees, while Tripoli, Tunis. Algeria, 

 Morocco. Spain, and France have the black 

 bee. Just as the banded Italian diffei's from its 

 fellow-insect in Egypt, so does the black of 

 France from that of Tunis and Ti'ipoli. On the 

 north of tne Mediterranean the Alps are the 

 limits, while on tiie southern shore the Lyb- 

 ian Desert forms a barrier. Again, if we com- 

 pare all countries where Mohammedanism has 

 had its sway for any length of time, we find 

 those countries lying like a big crescent, one 

 tip beginning at the Pyrene<>s. the concave line 

 running down below Italy, and mounting again 

 to the Bosphorus. including Greece. These 

 have hives lying horizontally, and, as a gen- 

 eral rule, worked more humanely than those in 

 the region of the "cross." Italy forms the 

 vertical axis: the hives stand upright, and the 

 bees are sulphured every autumn, to take away 

 all wax and honey. In southern Europe the 

 bar- frame hives are finding their way with 

 great dilHculty. 



In the south of France, the bee-keepers (or. 

 rather, keepers of bees, for there are none that 

 are real apiculturists) possess between five and 

 one hundred hives, which they keep in long 

 square boxes about three feet high and one foot 

 broad. The top is nailed with a board, while 

 the bottoiu is open, and put simply on a flat 

 rock or stone, the unevenness of which forms 

 different flying-holes. Some ai'e also kept in 

 hollow tree-trunks with big flat stones on tlie 

 toj). on an inclined plane for the rain to run 

 down. and. at the same time, by its weight to 

 keep the hive from falling in case of wind. 

 Generally they place theiu against a wall to 

 shelter thein from the north and west winds. 

 They expose them to the south or east. 



It is a very curious sight to see a number of 

 those hives standing upright and irregular, just 

 as a flat roclv may be right or left, up or down, 

 in crooked trunks, with huge stones on top. I 

 ■confess the apiaries away in Palestine or on the 

 borders of the Nile, or in the wild recesses of 

 the Atlas ^Mountains in Algeria, do not present 

 such a novel and altogether savage aspect 

 as does such an apiary in a civilized country, 

 where every thing is flourishing except apicul- 

 ture. How often, since I have been wandering 

 about the Provencal Alps, and finding such 

 neglected apiaries, have I put the question to 

 others as well as to myself. •' Why is apiculture 

 so low in sucli a beautiful country abounding 

 in fruit-trees, red and white clover, thyme, 

 rosemary, heatlier. and a deal of other plants 

 too varied to enumei'ate '? Tliey are free from 

 taxes. The only answer I invariably got was, 

 ■• The cruel winter kills so many bees, thus dis- 

 couraging the farmers." I came across an old 

 bee-book, written by an " Abbe Della-rocca."' in 

 Syra, in the Grecian Archipelago, and printed 

 in Paris in 1790. The book is very ably written 

 — or. rather, the three volumes — and it seems 

 that, more than a century ago. the bees were 

 treated here just the same as they are now; 

 and the desolate priest says the cause of neg- 

 lected apiculture in France is because the no- 

 blemen had a certain right on bee-hives; and. 

 second, when the farmer could not pay the 

 heavy taxes asked for the treasury, the tax- 

 gatherers would take away his hives to fill up 

 the sum. Disgusted with such robbing they 

 finally gave up bee-keeping. Since then the 



French Revolution has put a stop to all these 

 abuses; but still, apiculture has not come to its 

 bloom. It was inevitable that the discourage- 

 ment should then become so general that a 

 century has not sullHced wholly to wipe away 

 the bitter feelings that have so fast taken loot 

 in the French country people. 



The way they now work the hives is as prim- 

 itive as can be imagined. The swarms are 

 lodged in a box or trunk of a tree, as above de- 

 scribed, and left alone. In autumn all hives 

 are visited, and 7.5 per cent are left untouched 

 "for seed." as they call it. The other :i.T are sul- 

 phured, and the combs, with the honey, sold to 

 dealers who come yearly to buy all ihey can. 

 The 7o are the stock left to swarm the follow- 

 ing spring. Such hives are full of honey and 

 pollen, and are capable of giving good swarms. 

 This part is very humane, but not very remu- 

 nerative to the owner. If the 7.'j have wintered 

 safely, a good stock and strong apiarv follow 

 next year. They never (but in a very few 

 cases) take out a part of the honey. In conse- 

 quence of such treatment they want no smo- 

 kers, no veils, and. generally speaking, no bee- 

 keeping utensils. The honey and wax mer- 

 chants are expert in this kind of apiculture, 

 and take the hives destined to be sulphured to 

 death, and weigh them. They then deduct 

 the possible weight of the empty hive, and pay 

 for the wax and honey ''per pound. They 

 scra])e out comb, honey, and dead bees, and 

 put tlie whole into wooden tubs, taking as 

 much as 150 lbs. of comb. The hives are then 

 covered, and they thus go around from one api- 

 ary to another. Whtm the wagon is well load- 

 ed they drive home. The comb is now broken 

 up into the smallest possible pieces, and put 

 into a stone trough having a wooden sieve at 

 the bottom, thus permitting only the honey to 

 pass: and by an outlet into a receptacle, such a 

 trough may easily take over a thousand pounds. 

 This fii-st honey is sold on the market as virgin 

 h(jnev. mostly stored away in wooden barrels 

 holding between 140 and 190 lbs. of honey. The 

 residue of the trough is now put into flat bas- 

 kets, having a small opening at the top to in- 

 troduce the comb: and half a dozen such flat 

 round baskets are now put under a large press, 

 with a big wooden screw acting on the pile of 

 baskets. On top of the baskets a board is laid 

 to produce equal pressure. The honey from 

 this pressing is impure, and is .sold as second- 

 rate honey in the same i-eceptacles as the virgin 

 honey. A good deal of honey is sold to the 

 factories of Mimtelimar, Ardes, Aix. Nimes, 

 Narbonne. etc., where honey-cakes are made. 

 No Frenchman will pass his Christmas without 

 having a taste of these honey - cakes, called 

 ■' nongeats.'" Hundreds of thousands of pounds 

 are consumed yearly. They are made of honey, 

 sugar, and almonds. The trouble is, they keep 

 only during tne cold season. As soon as the 

 liot weather comes on they begin to flow. Thus 

 they are sure to be fresh every year. The comb 

 pressed out is now put into a big caldron, and 

 boiled. When it is well fluid this is put into 

 the same baskets again, which are now fur- 

 nished with long straw, and. as quickly as pos- 

 sible, put under tlie press again, and I'eceived 

 in wooden receptacles. While the pressing is 

 going on. boiling water is poured over the pile 

 of baskets to keep the wax flowing. In some 

 cases the farmers do the whole work them- 

 selves, pressing out the honey with their hands, 

 and putting the boiled wax into a sack, and 

 twisting at both ends to get the wax out. This 

 wax is generally of a nicer color, as being better 

 strained, while the honey is not as pure, having 

 a mixture of pollen, wax, etc. 



The bee in the south of France is black, 

 showing some white bands at the first and sec- 



