BEES. 



above straw hives ; they are quite cleanly, 

 and always stand upright ; they are proof 

 against mice, and are cheaper in the end 

 than straw hives, for one box will last as 

 long as three of them. They are, how- 

 ever, rather colder in winter ; but a pro- 

 per covering will prevent all danger from 

 that quarter. Straw hives are easiest ob- 

 tained at first, and have been used and 

 recommended by the best of bee-masters. 

 Jf the swarm be early and large, it will 

 require a large hive; but if otherwise, 

 the hive should be proportionably less. 

 If the bees appear to want more room, it 

 can easily be enlarged by putting a roll 

 or two below it ; but if it be heavy enough 

 for a stock hive, it will do, although it 

 should not be quite full of combs. Any 

 person (says Mr. Bonner) who intends to 

 erect an apiary, must take particular care 

 to have it filled with proper inhabitants. 

 lie must be peculiarly attentive to this, 

 as all his future profit and pleasure, or 

 loss and vexation, will, in general, depend 

 upon it. He must, therefore, pay the ut- 

 most attention to the choice of his stock- 

 hives ; for the man who takes care to keep 

 good stock-hives will gain considerably 

 by them ; but he who keeps bad ones 

 will, besides a great deal of trouble and 

 little or no success, soon become a broken 

 bee-master. In September every stock- 

 hive ought to contain as much honey as 

 will supply the bees with food till June 

 following, and as many bees as will pre- 

 serve heat in the hive, and therefore re- 

 sist the severity of a cold winter, and act 

 as so many valiant soldiers, to defend the 

 community from the invasions of foreign 

 enemies in spring. They should be full 

 of combs, and well stored with bees and 

 honey, and should weigh at least 30/6. 

 each ; if heavier, so much the better ; for 

 light hives run a great risk of perishing 

 by famine, unless the bees are supplied 

 with food ; whereas a well-chosen hive 

 of 30/6. weight, allowing 12/6. for the 

 empty hive, bees, comb, &c. will con- 

 tain 18/6. of honey, which will supply the 

 bees with food till June ; a time when it 

 may be presumed they will find abun- 

 dance of provisions for themselves among 

 the flowers. When a choice can be ob- 

 tained, the youngest hive should always 

 be preferred, because old hives are liable 

 to vermin and other accidents. Bui al- 

 though a hive should be four or five years 

 old, it should not be rejected, if it pos- 

 sess these two essential qualities, plenty 

 of bees and abundance of honey. 



Bees first swarm in May or in the end 

 of April ; but earlier or later according 

 to the warmth of the season. They sel- 



dom swarm before ten in the morning, 

 and seldom later than three in the after- 

 noon. We may know when they are 

 about to swarm, by clusters of them hang- 

 ing on the outside of the hive. But the 

 most certain sign is when the bees re- 

 frain from going into the fields, though 

 the season be inviting. Just before they 

 take flight there is an uncommon silence 

 in the hive : after this, as soon as one 

 takes flight, they all follow. Before the 

 subsequent swarmings there is a great 

 noise in the hive, which is supposed to 

 be occasioned by a contest whether the 

 young or old queen should go out. When 

 the bees of a swarm fly too high, they 

 will descend lower upon throwing hand- 

 f Ills of sand or dust among them, which 

 they probably mistake for rain. For the 

 same purpose it is usual to beat on a ket- 

 tle or frying-pan ; this practice may have 

 taken its rise from observing that thun- 

 der, or any great noise., prompts bees in 

 the fields to return home. As soon as 

 the swarm is settled, the bees which 

 compose it should be got into a hive with 

 all convenient speed, to prevent their 

 taking wing again. If they settle on a 

 small branch of a tree, easy to come 

 at, it may be cut off and laid upon a 

 cloth, the hive being ready immediately 

 to put over them. If the branch cannot 

 be conveniently cut, the bees may be 

 swept from off it into the hive. Lodge 

 but the queen into the hive, and the rest 

 will soon follow. If the bees must be 

 considerably disturbed in order to get 

 them into a hive, the most advisable way 

 is, to let them remain in the place where 

 they have pitched till the evening, when 

 there is less danger of their taking wing. 

 If it be observed that they still hover 

 about the tree that they first alighted up- 

 on, the branches maybe rubbed with rue, 

 elder leaves, or any other tinng distaste- 

 ful to them, to prevent their returning to 

 it. The hive employed on this occasion 

 should be cleaned with the utmost care, 

 and its inside rubbed with fragrant herbs 

 or flowers, the smell of which is agree- 

 able to the bees, or with honey. The hive 

 should not be immediately set on the 

 stool where it is to remain, but kept near 

 the place at which the bees settled till 

 the evening, lest some stragglers should 

 be lost. It should be shaded either with 

 boughs or with cloth, that the too great 

 heat of the sun may not annoy the uees. 

 We sometimes see a swarm of bees, after 

 having left their hive, and even alighted 

 upon a tree, return to their first abode : 

 this never happens but when the young 

 queen did not come forth with them, fb? 







