BEES 



should not be taken out until the 

 wealher is becoming settled and flow- 

 ers are expanded. 



The quaiiiy of the honey made de- 

 pends upon the food supplied. Many 

 plants are reputed to yield poisonous 

 honey, as the dwarf and great laurel 

 {Kalmia angustifoJia and lahfulia), the 

 mountain laurel {Rhododendron maxi- 

 mus), the moor wort (Androvieda ma- 

 riana), wild honeysuckle {Azalea niiii- 

 flora), Jamestown weed {Datura stra- 

 moruum), &c. 



Fruit-trees, the linden, tulip-tree ; 

 varieties of clover, especially white 

 clover; aromatic herbs, as thyme, 

 mint, and marjoram ; turnip, mustard, 

 and cabbage blossoms, are extremely 

 grateful ; buckwheat imparts a harsh 

 taste. Water is also relished by these 

 insects, so that they prefer a position 

 near a limpid rill. It is also advised 

 by some to place a vessel of water 

 near their hive, into which floating 

 sticks should be introduced to serve 

 them as standing places to drink from. 



The quantity of honey varies with 

 the season and the size of the swarm. 

 Thirty pounds is a good yield where 

 the bees are not destroyed ; of this, 

 from a pound to a pound and a half 

 will be wax. 



The honey is removed with or with- 

 out the destruction of the insects ; 

 the latter method is accomplisiied by 

 suffocating the colony with the fumes 

 of burning sulphur, but is rarely prac- 

 tised in the United States, and is, 

 moreover, without economy. 



Partud deprivation with tiie com- 

 mon barrel hive is performed about 

 the beginning of September. Having 

 ascertained the weight of the hive, 

 and, consequently, the quantity of 

 honey-comb which is to be extracted, 

 begin the operation as soon as even- 

 ing sets in, by inverting the full hive 

 and placing an eimpty one over it ; 

 particular care must be taken that 

 the two hives are of the same diam- 

 eter, for if they differ in their dimen- 

 sions it will not 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 junction, in order to 

 8-1 



prevent the bees from molesting the 

 operator. The hives being thus ar- 

 ranged, beat the sides gently with a 

 stick or the hand ; but particu.ar cau- 

 tion must be used to beat it on those 

 parts to w^hich the combs are attach- 

 ed, 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 bees have been driven 

 must then be taken into the house, 

 and the operation of cutting out the 

 honej'-coinb commenced. Having ex- 

 tracted the requisite quantity of comb, 

 this opportunity inust be embraced of 

 inspecting the hive, and of cleaning it 

 ; of any noxious matter. In cutting 

 j the combs, however, particular atten- 

 ! tion should be paid not to cut into two 

 ] or three combs at once, but, having 

 commenced the cutting of one, to pur- 

 '. sue 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 would be attended with very 

 pernicious consequences, as the hon- 

 ey 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 re- 

 turn to their natural domicil, being 

 still under the impression of fear, 

 would not give so much attention to 

 the honey which flows from the divi- 

 ded 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 

 deprivated hive might be the conse- 

 quence. The deprivation of the hon- 

 ey-comb being effected, the hive may 

 be returned to its former position, 

 and, reversing the hive which con- 

 tains the bees, and placing the depri- 



