T.JO BEE-FARMING. 



and innocent honey-bees would have become extinct ; 

 yet this is not the case in the minds of many ignorant and 

 illiterate country people. All over England, if not in 

 other parts of Great Britain, these superstitions are still in 

 active existence ; some few of the most common I will 

 try to place before my readers. 



First, it is thought to be very unlucky to purchase 

 bees, and many individuals who really love bees could not 

 be persuaded on any account to give in exchange either 

 silver or gold for them. If this notion generally existed, 

 what would some of our practical apiarians do ? They 

 would soon have to relinquish the trade for one more pro- 

 fitable. The plan adopted by these squeamish people is 

 to persuade their neighbours to give them a swarm ; then, 

 when they have established an apiary, it is given back in 

 honey in return. I am quite willing to give a hive to any 

 poor cottager who really cannot aiFord to purchase a 

 swarm ; but when I inquire the reason why they wish 

 me to give them the stock, and am told it is because the 

 bees would not prosper if they were purchased, I invariably 

 refuse to give the swarm, for the simple reason that 

 I do not wish to encourage such a foolish idea. Most 

 persons who hold this idea would rather relinquish all the 

 profits attendant upon bee-keeping than purchase a stock, 

 even if it were offered for one shilling. 



Again, on the death of any of the bee-keeper's family, 

 the bees must be informed, or the stocks ivould either die 

 or leave the apiary. One way of doing this is to tap 

 gently on the top of the hive with the key from the front 

 door, and in tones sufficiently loud to be heard inside the 

 hive to tell the active inmates the name of the person, 

 and the day of his or her death. Another plan is to 

 place black crape round the hive for a certain period. 

 Passing by the garden of a poor widow some time since, 

 I ventured to examine the hives, which I usually do if 



