[ 38 | 
going to fee it, he found to his great Surprize the 
whole Bee-Houfe covered with Bees, and among 
them thoufands of Wafps, going into and coming 
out of the ftrongeft Colony of four ; he had looked 
into it that Morning, and found the loweft Box fil- 
led with Combs down to the Board, and the Cells 
in the Combs fealed up, fo that he imagined his three 
Boxes could not weigh lefs than 100 Pound weight ; 
he got with fome Difficulty, by waving a burning 
Furze-bufh before him, through the Bees to the 
Back of his Bee-Houfe, where opening the Back- 
Door of that Colony, and putting his Hand to the 
Fore-part of the loweft Box, he fhut down the flid- 
ing Doors, and then fhut up all the other Colonies ; 
upon opening the Window-fhuts of the three Box- 
es, he perceived Bees and Wafps fighting defperate- 
ly, but, they foon left off when they found they were 
thut in: By the help of Gunpowder, fired Furze, 
and Brimftone burnt under the Boxes, he deftroy’d 
the Bees, and then he found that the loweft Box 
was quite emptied, the middle was almoft half emp- 
tied, but the upper Box was full of Honey, and not 
a Maggot or bit of Sandrack in it. “Uhere was fome 
of both in the middle and loweft Boxes ; and out of 
the two upper Boxes, tho’ one was half plundered, 
he got thirty Quarts of Honey: Ever fince he ge- 
nerally takes his Honey, and contracétsthe Mouth o 
his Hives before the Eind of Augu/ft. . 
Mice are great Enemies to Bees, efpecially in the 
Winter, when they run to the Hives for fhelter, 
and neft in the Hecktes which cover them: ‘They 
eat the young Brood, and the Sandrack, and are fo 
offenfive to the Bees, that if they get footing in an 
Hive, the Bees will defert it; they fometimes get 
into the Heckles, and eat an Hole through the 
Crown of the Hive; but moft commonly they ger’ 
int 
