ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE HIVE 9 



3 



Some years of silence followed these revelations ; but soon 

 a German clergyman, Dzierzon, discovered parthenogenesis, i.e. 

 the virginal parturition of queens, and contrived the first hive 

 with movable combs, thereby enabling the bee-keeper hence- 

 forth to take his share of the harvest of honey without being 

 forced to destroy his best colonies, and in one instant annihilate 

 the work of an entire year. This hive, still very imperfect, 

 received masterly improvement at the hands of Langstroth, 

 who invented the movable frame properly so called, which has 

 been adopted in America with extraordinary success. Root, 

 Quinby, Dadant, Cheshire, De Layens, Cowan, Heddon, 

 Howard, &c., added still further and precious improvement. 

 Then it occurred to Mehring that if bees were supplied with 

 combs that had an artificial waxen foundation, they would be 

 spared the labour of fashioning the wax and constructing the 

 cells, which costs them much honey and the best part of their 

 time. He found that the bees accepted these combs most 

 readily, and adapted them to their requirements. 



Major de Hruschka invented the honey-extractor, which 

 enables the honey to be withdrawn by centrifugal force without 

 breaking the combs, &c. And thus, in a few years, the 

 methods of apiculture underwent a radical change. The 

 capacity and fruitfulness of the hives were trebled. Great 

 and productive apiaries arose on every side. An end was 

 put to the useless destruction of the most industrious cities, 

 and to the odious selection of the least fit, which was its result. 

 Man has truly become the master of the bees, although 

 furtively, and without their knowledge ; directing all things 



