BEE 
BEE 
lives of Bees to a ft ill higher degree of perfeftion. 
Mr. Wildman, likewife, fo univerfally knov/n and 
admired for his curious experiments on this tribe 
of infefts, has obliged the v/orki with the following 
method, by which the wax and honey may be ob- 
tained without deftroying the Bees. 
' Remove,' fays he, ' the hive from which you wifh 
to take the wax and tiie honey, into a room confide- 
rably darkened, that it may at firft appear to the 
Bees like the dufl-c of the evening. Gently invert 
the hive, placing it between the frames of a chair, 
or any other fteady fupport; and cover it with an 
empty hive, a little raifed, to give the Bees fuffi- 
cient light to get into it. While you hold the 
empty hive, fteadiiy fupported on the edge of the 
full hive, between your fide and your left-arm, 
keep ftriking with your other hand all round the 
full hive fi'om top to bottom, in the manner of 
beating a drum ; lb that the Bees may be frightened 
by the continual noife from all quarters; and, in 
confequence thereof, they will mount out of the full 
hive into the empty one. Repeat the flrokes rather 
quick than fcrong round the hive, till all the Bees 
have clianged their abode, which will generally hap- 
pen in about hve minutes. It is to be obferved, that 
tlie fuller the hive is, the fooner the Bees will have 
left it. As foon as a number of them have got in- 
to the empty hive, it fhould be raifed a little from 
the full one, that the communication between them 
may not be flopped. When all the Bees have left 
the full hive, the other, in which they have taken 
jfhelter, fhould be placed on the ftand from which 
the former hive was taken, in order to receive the 
abfent Bees, as they return from the fields. 
' If this be done early in die feafon, the operator 
fhould examine the royal cells ; for if any of them 
contain young Bees, they muft, as well as all the 
combs containing them, be faved in the hive. Take 
out the other combs with a long, broad, and pliant 
knife ; cutting them from the fides and crown as 
clean as poffible, to fave the future labours of the 
Bees, who mufl; lick up the honey fpilt, and re- 
move every grain of wax : the fides of the hive 
Ihould then be fcraped with a table-fpoon, in order 
to clear away what has been left by the knife. Thus, 
having feparated the wax and honey, let a table, 
covered with a clean cloth, be placed near the ftand; 
?.nd, giving the hive in which the Bees are con- 
tained a hidden fhake, ftriking it at the fame time 
pretty forcibly, the Bees will be ftiaken on the 
cloth. Put Lheir own hive under them immedi- 
ately, raifed a little on one fide, that the Bees may 
more eafily enter; and, when all have recovered 
their original fituation, place it on the ftand, as 
before. If the hive in which the Bees are contained 
be turned uppemioft, and their own hive placed 
over it, the Bees will imanediately afcend into it, 
efpecially if the lower fides be ftruck, in order to 
alarm diem : for the effects of fear impreffed on the 
Bees by the continual noife, render them for a 
confiderable rime fo mild and tradable, that they 
will bear any handling which does not fenfibly hurt 
them, widioutany indications of refentment.' 
Though Bees are nearly alike in all parts of the 
world, there are fome variations which a naturalift 
ought to obferve. In Guadaloupe, they are lefs 
by one half than thofe common to Europe, being 
blacker, as well as rounder: they have no ftings; 
and they build their cells in hollow trees, where, 
if the holes they meet with are too large, they con- 
ftruft a fort of waxen-houfes, ftiaped like a pear, 
in vv^hich they lodge their ftore, and depofit their 
eggs. Tliey place their honey in waxen vefleis 
of a deep black or violet colour, and about the 
fize of pigeons eggs ; and thefe are fo united, that 
there is no fpace left unoccupied. The honey ne- 
ver congeals, but remiains always in a fluid ftate, cf 
the confiftence of oil, and the colour of amber. 
In all the tropical climates there are found little 
black Bees without ftings; and though thefe coun- 
tries feem replete with Bees like our ov/n, the tor-r 
mer are the moft ufeful and laborious tribes in tiiat 
part of the world: the honey they produce is nei- 
ther fo unpalatable, nor fo furfeiting, as ours ; and 
the wax is fo ibft, that it is only ufed for medicinal 
purpofes, never acquiring a confiftence fufficient 
to be made into candles.. 
In every country of Europe, indeed, there are 
ftveral tribes of inlefts diftinguiftied by the names 
of Bees ; which, however, differ very confiderably 
from the ibcial and induftrious race already de- 
fcribed. 
Bee, Humble. The largeftof all this tribe 
is near three quarters of an inch long, and a tliircJ 
of an inch br-oad; the body, except the back-part 
about the vent, v/hich is white, is black and hairy; 
and the fore-part inclines to a yellow. Thefe in- 
fers are feen in every field, and perched on ev^rf 
flower. They build their nefts in holes of die 
ground with dry leaves intermiixed with wax and 
wool, and defend themfelves from, the inclemency 
of the weather with mofs. Each Humble Bee 
builds a feparate cell, about the fize- of a fmali 
nutmeg, which is round and hollow, and contains 
the honey in a bag. Several of thefe cells are 
joined together in fuch a manner as to give th.a 
whole the appearance of a clufter of grapes. The. 
females, which have the appearance of waips, arc 
but few, and depofit their eggs in cells, which tlie 
reft foon cover over with wax. It is uncertain 
whether this tribe has a queen.; but there is one 
Bee much larger than the reft, deftitute of wings 
and hair, and all over black like polifhed ebony: 
this female views all the works from timie to time; 
and frequently enters into the cells, as if defirous of 
knowing whether the bufinefs of the reft of the 
Bees is properly tranfaited. In the morning, the 
young Hum.ble Bees are very idle, and feem averfe 
to labour, till one of the iargeft thrufts half it's 
body from a hole defigned for that purpofe; and, 
being feated on the top of the neft, beats it's wings 
for twenty minutes fucceflively, buzzing, without 
intermiffion, till the whole colony is put in mo- 
tion. 
The Elumble Bees colle6l honey, as well as 
the comm.on ones ; but it is neither fb fine nor lb 
good ; nor is their wax fo clean, or fo capable of 
fufion. 
The green and yellow Bee is the moft beautiful 
of this fpecies. It is fhaped like the comm.on Bee, 
but is confiderably fmaller. The head and breaft 
are of a fine bright blue colour, with an admix- 
ture of green; die body is of a beautiful gloffy 
yellow, and looks as if gilt; the breaft, and the 
laft fegm.ent of the body but one, are dentated be- 
hind; and the feelers, v/hich are black, are com- 
pofed of twelve joints. 
Bee, Wood. This fpecies of Bee is fomewhac 
larger than the female of the common fort. Their 
bodies are of a very deep blue colour, finooth, and 
fhining ; their fore-wings are of a deep violet co- 
lour; on their fides, the hinder-part of their bodies, 
and their breafts, there are long black hairs ; and 
their trunks refemble thofe of the common Bees> . 
Though 
