VI.—HOW TO GET BEES.
T
THE best and most effective plan is to buy a swarm as early in May as possible. The farther off from your bee-garden the swarm is brought the better. I have invariably found that a swarm from a hive a mile or two off is preferable to a swarm from one of your own hives.
Send your bee-box or hive to some cottager who keeps bees, about the end of April. Explain to her or him how the hive is to be adjusted on receiving the swarm, and request that it be carried by hand, if possible, the evening of the day on which the swarm was hived. Let a piece of gauze be placedover the entrance of your hive, in order that the bees while prisoners on the journey may have plenty of air; and when it arrives place it quietly on your bee-shed, remove without noise the gauze, and next morning, if it be fine, the bees will make themselves masters of the situation, and make up their minds and arrange themselves to work in that place in which their bee-master sets them.
Should the weather, the day after you have placed the hive containing your swarm in your bee-shed, turn out wet and cold, push into the hive through the entrance-hole a couple of sticks of barley-sugar, or more. Half-a-pound only costs sevenpence, and you will get it all back in due time; thereby the bees will start with renewed strength, as soon as the weather clears up, most grateful for a little help when help is most required. You need not fear lest by so doing you will encourage idleness or mendicancy. Bees are not like street beggars. They do not want to be dependent. All they ask is a little help at the beginning, to be able then to help themselves. As soon as the sun shines theswarm will work hard and without cessation, and by the middle of June you may find it right to open communication with a super, or at least with a bell-glass, and find yourself very soon rewarded with honey of exquisite flavour, in cells of unrivalled whiteness.
Richardson and Wildman thus teach how stocks are to be obtained:—
"A stock of bees is usually to be obtained by purchase, although it may indeed chance that you get an opportunity of hiving a 'vagabond' swarm which may have settled in your garden or orchard. In the latter instance, indeed, I think your property in the stragglers somewhat questionable, and perhaps scarcely more so than it would be in a stray ox or sheep, which accident had driven into your premises."You may procure stock either in the spring or autumn. I should prefer the former period, because that is the fitting time for removal of stocks from the old-fashioned awkward hives to the more improved modern receptacles; but it is more difficult to ascertain the exact condition of the stock you are about purchasing in spring than it is in autumn. I am sorry to say, that unless you purchaseyour stock from a friend, or from some one, at all events, that you can confidently depend on, you are very likely to be taken in, and must therefore be upon your guard against imposition. As some writer (I forget who) quaintly enough remarks, 'Let it be with the bees as with a wife—nevertake them on the recommendation of another party' If you would purchase a stock in early spring, just after the bees have been removed from their winter quarters, you need not attempt it unless from a person on whose honour you can positively depend. During the months of May or June, you can form some judgment for yourself, and, if you act cautiously, may perhaps bid defiance to trickery. In this case, you should visit the garden or other locality in which the hive stands that you intend purchasing, about mid-day; stand opposite to it, and observe attentively the actions of its inhabitants. If they crowd busily in and out of the hive, giving evidence of their industry by the laden appearance of their legs, and altogether exhibiting a busyearnestnessin their toils, you may safely buy the hive; and if you obtain this hive before swarming has taken place, you may look upon yourself as a fortunate man."If the object of your intentions be an autumnal hive, you had better ascertain that the massacre of the drones has taken place: an observation of the stand and of theground around the hive will tell this. Observe the actions of these bees—see that they are lively and industrious; and if, on your too near approach, one or two bees dash at your face, do not be alarmed, but rather regard their pugnacity as a sign of vigour, and buy the hive. Some writers speak of the necessity of purchasing only such stocks as are in nice new hives. This is an advice very necessary to be attended to; but it would not be so, were you sure that the interior of the hive were filled only with honey-comb, and with no old worn-out comb, the accumulation of years. If you are in doubt on the subject, you shouldfumigatethe hive in the evening, in the manner hereafter to be described; then, turning up the hive, you can readily ascertain the character of its contents. If the comb be black, have nothing to do with the stock. The genuine colour of the comb is white, and, consequently, the lighter it is, the more the stock is to be esteemed."Never, unless you can depend on the party,sendyour hive to receive a swarm: for you may, if you do, have asecondswarm imposed upon you for afirst—a comparatively valueless stock for just the very thing you desire. The first swarm begin the formation of the combs at themiddleof the apex of the hive; theseconddoes so at theside. These are the only criteria I can furnish, for neitherweight nor bulk are to be depended upon. It is to the obstinate use of the old-fashioned hive that these difficulties, and these opportunities for fraud, are attributable. Were the improved system once established, these cautions would be no longer called for. For old Wildman I entertain a very high respect, although in some instances I am compelled to differ from him; yet I always investigate closely the point at issue between us ere doing so, and, if I doubt, I suffer the weight of his authority to act as a 'casting vote.' Wildman has given some good advice as to the purchase of stocks; and in this advice he speaks like an oracle. Attend to him:—"'The person who intends to erect an apiary should purchase a proper number of hives at the latter end of the year, when they are cheapest. The hives should be full of combs, and well stored with bees. The purchaser should examine the combs, in order to know the age of the hives. The combs of that season arewhite; those of a former year are of adarkish yellow; and when the combs areblack, the hives should be rejected, because old hives are most liable to vermin and other accidents."'If the number of hives wanted have not been purchased in the autumn, it will be necessary to remedy this neglect, after the severity of the cold is past, in thespring. At this season, bees which are in good condition will get into the fields early in the morning, return loaded, enter boldly, and do not come out of the hive in bad weather, for when they do, this indicates that they are in great want of provisions. They are alert on the least disturbance, and by the loudness of their humming we judge of their strength. They preserve their hives free from all filth, and are ready to defend it against every enemy that approaches."'The summer is an improper time for buying bees, because the heat of the weather softens the wax, and thereby renders the comb liable to break, if they are not very well secured. The honey, too, being then thinner than at other times, is more apt to run out at the cells, which is attended with a double disadvantage—viz., the loss of the honey, and the daubing of the bees—whereby many of them may be destroyed. Afirstand strong swarm may indeed be purchased: and, if leave can be obtained, permitted to stand in the same garden until the autumn; but, if leave is not obtained, it may be carried away in thenightafter it has been hived."'I suppose that, in the stocks purchased, the bees are in the hives of the old construction. The only directions here necessary are, that the first swami from these stocks should be put into one of my hives; and that another ofmy hives should, in a few days, be put under the old stock, in order to prevent its swarming again.'"
"A stock of bees is usually to be obtained by purchase, although it may indeed chance that you get an opportunity of hiving a 'vagabond' swarm which may have settled in your garden or orchard. In the latter instance, indeed, I think your property in the stragglers somewhat questionable, and perhaps scarcely more so than it would be in a stray ox or sheep, which accident had driven into your premises.
"You may procure stock either in the spring or autumn. I should prefer the former period, because that is the fitting time for removal of stocks from the old-fashioned awkward hives to the more improved modern receptacles; but it is more difficult to ascertain the exact condition of the stock you are about purchasing in spring than it is in autumn. I am sorry to say, that unless you purchaseyour stock from a friend, or from some one, at all events, that you can confidently depend on, you are very likely to be taken in, and must therefore be upon your guard against imposition. As some writer (I forget who) quaintly enough remarks, 'Let it be with the bees as with a wife—nevertake them on the recommendation of another party' If you would purchase a stock in early spring, just after the bees have been removed from their winter quarters, you need not attempt it unless from a person on whose honour you can positively depend. During the months of May or June, you can form some judgment for yourself, and, if you act cautiously, may perhaps bid defiance to trickery. In this case, you should visit the garden or other locality in which the hive stands that you intend purchasing, about mid-day; stand opposite to it, and observe attentively the actions of its inhabitants. If they crowd busily in and out of the hive, giving evidence of their industry by the laden appearance of their legs, and altogether exhibiting a busyearnestnessin their toils, you may safely buy the hive; and if you obtain this hive before swarming has taken place, you may look upon yourself as a fortunate man.
"If the object of your intentions be an autumnal hive, you had better ascertain that the massacre of the drones has taken place: an observation of the stand and of theground around the hive will tell this. Observe the actions of these bees—see that they are lively and industrious; and if, on your too near approach, one or two bees dash at your face, do not be alarmed, but rather regard their pugnacity as a sign of vigour, and buy the hive. Some writers speak of the necessity of purchasing only such stocks as are in nice new hives. This is an advice very necessary to be attended to; but it would not be so, were you sure that the interior of the hive were filled only with honey-comb, and with no old worn-out comb, the accumulation of years. If you are in doubt on the subject, you shouldfumigatethe hive in the evening, in the manner hereafter to be described; then, turning up the hive, you can readily ascertain the character of its contents. If the comb be black, have nothing to do with the stock. The genuine colour of the comb is white, and, consequently, the lighter it is, the more the stock is to be esteemed.
"Never, unless you can depend on the party,sendyour hive to receive a swarm: for you may, if you do, have asecondswarm imposed upon you for afirst—a comparatively valueless stock for just the very thing you desire. The first swarm begin the formation of the combs at themiddleof the apex of the hive; theseconddoes so at theside. These are the only criteria I can furnish, for neitherweight nor bulk are to be depended upon. It is to the obstinate use of the old-fashioned hive that these difficulties, and these opportunities for fraud, are attributable. Were the improved system once established, these cautions would be no longer called for. For old Wildman I entertain a very high respect, although in some instances I am compelled to differ from him; yet I always investigate closely the point at issue between us ere doing so, and, if I doubt, I suffer the weight of his authority to act as a 'casting vote.' Wildman has given some good advice as to the purchase of stocks; and in this advice he speaks like an oracle. Attend to him:—
"'The person who intends to erect an apiary should purchase a proper number of hives at the latter end of the year, when they are cheapest. The hives should be full of combs, and well stored with bees. The purchaser should examine the combs, in order to know the age of the hives. The combs of that season arewhite; those of a former year are of adarkish yellow; and when the combs areblack, the hives should be rejected, because old hives are most liable to vermin and other accidents.
"'If the number of hives wanted have not been purchased in the autumn, it will be necessary to remedy this neglect, after the severity of the cold is past, in thespring. At this season, bees which are in good condition will get into the fields early in the morning, return loaded, enter boldly, and do not come out of the hive in bad weather, for when they do, this indicates that they are in great want of provisions. They are alert on the least disturbance, and by the loudness of their humming we judge of their strength. They preserve their hives free from all filth, and are ready to defend it against every enemy that approaches.
"'The summer is an improper time for buying bees, because the heat of the weather softens the wax, and thereby renders the comb liable to break, if they are not very well secured. The honey, too, being then thinner than at other times, is more apt to run out at the cells, which is attended with a double disadvantage—viz., the loss of the honey, and the daubing of the bees—whereby many of them may be destroyed. Afirstand strong swarm may indeed be purchased: and, if leave can be obtained, permitted to stand in the same garden until the autumn; but, if leave is not obtained, it may be carried away in thenightafter it has been hived.
"'I suppose that, in the stocks purchased, the bees are in the hives of the old construction. The only directions here necessary are, that the first swami from these stocks should be put into one of my hives; and that another ofmy hives should, in a few days, be put under the old stock, in order to prevent its swarming again.'"
But perhaps you have a swarm from one of your own stock-hives,—not so desirable as the purchase of a swarm from a neighbour. A swarm will occasionally emerge from hives and bee-boxes, in spite of every plan of preventing it. The signs of swarming are some of them appreciable by the most expert bee-master only. A common sign of the emergence of a swarm is inactivity in work, and about the hive clusters hanging from the bee-board—arising, probably, from the old queen finding no princess ready to take her throne—and a high temperature within. If, in addition, the weather is moist and warm, the issue of a swarm may be expected. From ten o'clock to three has been stated as the period within which swarming occurs. Every swarm I have had for twelve years has issued between twelve and three.
A strong swarm will consist of from ten thousand to twenty thousand bees; a caste, or second swarm, of five thousand. Two thousand bees fill a pint measure. Scouts are generally sent out to select a residence for the young family. House-seeking is an arduous work for human tenants, and no doubt the pioneer bees find great difficulty in fixing on what seems to them suitable. I have seen them settle under the leaves of a standard rose, sometimes on the bough of an apple-tree, and at other times in a sheltered recess in a laurel-hedge. No sight is more exciting than that of a swarm of bees. The air is clouded with the circling bees—vocal with their united music, while the eyes of the bee-master quietly watch their descent. As soon as the queen settles, the bees cluster around her and hang from the branch on which she has settled. As soon as the great mass has settled, take your bee-box or hive, hold it with one hand, mouth or bottom upward, beneath the swarm, enclosing as many of the pendent bees as the situation will allow. With the other hand shake the bough from which they hang, and on the great mass tumbling into the hive, carry it away half-a-dozen yards; set it upright on the bottom board or a white sheet previously spread on the grass; raise the edge of the hive with a piece of wood or stone a few inches from the ground, and cover the hive with a branch ot two to keep off the direct rays of the sun.
If the queen be inside the hive, the bees that are already inside will remain, and you will find the bees that linger about the branch on which they first settled steadily enter, and by sunset they will all be within. If the queen has not been caught, and still remains on the bough or branch on which the swarm first settled, the bees will leave the hive and re-cluster as they were. You must then repeat the process. You need not be afraid of stings. But if your nerves do not respond to your convictions, begin by spreading a square of gauze over your hat, the brim of the hat keeping it from your face; push the ends and corners under your coat, buttoning it to the chin. This will protect your face, ears, and neck, and a pair of worsted gloves will protect your hands. But practice will dispel fear, and save you from the necessity of such defences. If this homely and cheap defence seem to you insufficient, you can purchase at Neighbours', in Regent-street, for five shillings, a perfect fit.
It is thus represented by its inventor in Messrs. Neighbours' list.
"Is made of light net, calledLeno, fits over the hat or cap, with sleeves tied at the wrists, and strings at the bottom to draw and fasten round the waist, the sleeves being made of a stronger material. Price 5s.; by post, 6s."
"Is made of light net, calledLeno, fits over the hat or cap, with sleeves tied at the wrists, and strings at the bottom to draw and fasten round the waist, the sleeves being made of a stronger material. Price 5s.; by post, 6s."
"Is made of light net, calledLeno, fits over the hat or cap, with sleeves tied at the wrists, and strings at the bottom to draw and fasten round the waist, the sleeves being made of a stronger material. Price 5s.; by post, 6s."
If you have more than one bee-shed, do net place the young colony in the shed in which its mother hive stands.
A few straggling bees often hang about the branch next day. Lay on it a few nettles, and they will speedily forsake it, and return to the hive from which they issued, where, of course, their labours are not lost to the bee-master.
Sometimes a caste, or second swarm, will issue from the same hive. These are occasionally feeble in comparison of the first swarm. Are we to preserve it, and make the most of it? or are we to unite the weaker and later caste to a stronger one? Almost all apiarians recommend the uniting of two weak castes, in order to make one strong family, or uniting the feeble swarm to an old stock. Mr. Cotton, the most affectionate of bee-masters while he lived, advocates the use of the usual anesthetic, fuzz-ball or puff-ball, or frog's-cheese; and while the bees are in a state of insensibility pouring the one family into the hive of the other. The instrument employed for this purpose is made of tin plate.
The ignited puff-ball, which may be gathered and dried, or purchased for a trifle from Neighbours' in London, or Pettitt in Dover, is placed in the boxA. The part B is then fitted intoA. The orificeDis introduced into the hive, a little rag or clay ispacked round it to keep in the smoke. The mouth is to be applied to the endC, and thus the smoke is driven into the hive. The bees will soon become still as death. The queen had better be picked out and removed from the caste.
The tube of an ordinary bellows may be introduced for this fumigation, as perhaps more effective and less troublesome. It will then appear thus:—
Richardson describes another plan:—
"Some persons may conceive it to be a difficult matter to come at the queen. When fumigation is resorted to, she is, of course, easily discovered; but even when it is dispensed with, and the practice adopted which I have yet to describe, she is not so very difficult to come at; for, on a hive being turned up andtapped, the queen is among the first, if not indeed the very first, who makes her appearance, as if to discover the occasion of the unwonted disturbance; and recollect, that although theduskof anautumnal eveninganswers best for this purpose, I say nothing indicative of my disapprobation of the use of alantern. The queen usually lodges near the crown of the hive, and is, when fumigation is resorted to, one of the last to fall; she will consequently, in this case, be found amongst the uppermost bees. In practising fumigation (with a view to the union of weak stocks), two persons should act in concert, each taking a hive and operating upon it, in order that both stocks should be simultaneously in a similar condition as tointoxication. I may add, that in fumigation the hive must be well covered with a cloth, to prevent the escape of the smoke. When you have united the two stocks in the manner I have described, it is advisable to confine the insects to their hive for that night and the following day. Do not, however, wholly deprive them of air in doing so, or you may smother them."
"Some persons may conceive it to be a difficult matter to come at the queen. When fumigation is resorted to, she is, of course, easily discovered; but even when it is dispensed with, and the practice adopted which I have yet to describe, she is not so very difficult to come at; for, on a hive being turned up andtapped, the queen is among the first, if not indeed the very first, who makes her appearance, as if to discover the occasion of the unwonted disturbance; and recollect, that although theduskof anautumnal eveninganswers best for this purpose, I say nothing indicative of my disapprobation of the use of alantern. The queen usually lodges near the crown of the hive, and is, when fumigation is resorted to, one of the last to fall; she will consequently, in this case, be found amongst the uppermost bees. In practising fumigation (with a view to the union of weak stocks), two persons should act in concert, each taking a hive and operating upon it, in order that both stocks should be simultaneously in a similar condition as tointoxication. I may add, that in fumigation the hive must be well covered with a cloth, to prevent the escape of the smoke. When you have united the two stocks in the manner I have described, it is advisable to confine the insects to their hive for that night and the following day. Do not, however, wholly deprive them of air in doing so, or you may smother them."
Taylor, who is always judicious, proposes what I regard as a preferable plan of uniting weak swarms:—
"Like most other operations on bees, the mode of uniting swarms admits of variety, according to choice and circumstance; and some apiarians prefer to drive them, in the way for which general directions have already beengiven; a plan that may be resorted to almost at any time. Another mode of junction can be effected by the aid of a sheet of perforated zinc, inserted between the two hives about to be united. There is little reason to doubt that the members of each colony of bees are distinguishable amongst themselves by a certain peculiarity of odour, which, if assimilated, appears to have the effect of preventing mutual dissension. When the construction, therefore, of the hives admits of their being brought into juxtaposition, the perforated zinc allows a free circulation of scent between them, without permitting actual contact of the bees. After leaving matters in this position for two or three days, I have usually found, on withdrawing the zinc divider, that no disturbance has ensued."
"Like most other operations on bees, the mode of uniting swarms admits of variety, according to choice and circumstance; and some apiarians prefer to drive them, in the way for which general directions have already beengiven; a plan that may be resorted to almost at any time. Another mode of junction can be effected by the aid of a sheet of perforated zinc, inserted between the two hives about to be united. There is little reason to doubt that the members of each colony of bees are distinguishable amongst themselves by a certain peculiarity of odour, which, if assimilated, appears to have the effect of preventing mutual dissension. When the construction, therefore, of the hives admits of their being brought into juxtaposition, the perforated zinc allows a free circulation of scent between them, without permitting actual contact of the bees. After leaving matters in this position for two or three days, I have usually found, on withdrawing the zinc divider, that no disturbance has ensued."
But may it not be preferable still to follow the course indicated by the bees? When pastures fail and turnips perish, from an extreme dry season, we feed cattle with artificial food. Why not try an analogous system with bees? Barley-sugar, I admit, is expensive. But I venture to assert, that if the caste issue not later than June, four pounds of barley-sugar, costing about five shillings, will supplement its own industrious gatherings sufficientlyto carry it over the winter into spring, and a pound in spring will start it into vigorous work. If you take from it a super next June or July, weighing ten or twelve pounds, you receive good interest, and your outlay for barley-sugar is returned, and you escape the troublesome and disagreeable process of fumigation. Barley-sugar, I admit, is more costly than cottagers prefer. If you have no arrangement in your hives for feeding, you may boil a pound of common brown sugar—which may be had for fourpence a pound—in a pint of ale; pour it when cool into a soup-plate. Take a circular thin board, the size of the inner bottom of the soup-plate, pierce it with a good-sized gimlet in every direction till it is covered with holes, each through and through. Let it float on the plate. Set the plate opposite your weak swarm day after day for a week. The other bees, strong and busy in June, will rarely touch it, and your destitute family will gladly visit it. The weight of the float will make the sugared ale ascend by the holes, and the bees will sipadlibitum, without the risk of clogging their wings or being drowned. But if, what is more to be desired, you have one of Pettitt's single-box hives, you have only to fill one of his wood feeders, in which there are grooves and parallel edges of wood for the bees to walk on; place it in the drawer beneath the stock, draw out the zinc slide, and the bees will descend and feed with profit and pleasure.
If you have one of Neighbours' hives, already referred to, fill the following zinc pan with the ale and sugar. Put over it the plate of glass, and fix it on the top of the hive. The bees will ascend by the orificeA, the plate-glass cover on the top preventing their escape, while it is so constructed that without moving it you can replenish it by the entranceB.
Taylor thus describes one of his feeding-pans:—
"When there is a hole in the centre of the top of the hive, a trough may be used, made of tin or zinc, seven or eight inches square, and one inch and a quarter deep; having a circular two-inch hole in the middle of the bottom, with a rim round it, standing up half an inch, through which the bees enter the pan from below. Another circular rim or partition, as large in diameter as the square of the pan will admit, is soldered down within it at the four points where it touches the sides. It must not go down to the bottom, but a space should there be left of nearly an eighth of an inch, as a passage for the food, which is poured in at the four angles. A perforated thin wooden bottom or float is fitted loosely into the pan, between the circles, removing an objection sometimes made against the chilling effects of metal upon bees.The float should be a little raised by means of two thin strips of wood, appended below, to allow the liquid to flow beneath. A cover is made by a piece of glass, resting on the larger circle, but cut nearly octagonal in form, so as to leave the corners open. The circle on which the glass rests should be an eighth of an inch lower than the outer rim."
"When there is a hole in the centre of the top of the hive, a trough may be used, made of tin or zinc, seven or eight inches square, and one inch and a quarter deep; having a circular two-inch hole in the middle of the bottom, with a rim round it, standing up half an inch, through which the bees enter the pan from below. Another circular rim or partition, as large in diameter as the square of the pan will admit, is soldered down within it at the four points where it touches the sides. It must not go down to the bottom, but a space should there be left of nearly an eighth of an inch, as a passage for the food, which is poured in at the four angles. A perforated thin wooden bottom or float is fitted loosely into the pan, between the circles, removing an objection sometimes made against the chilling effects of metal upon bees.The float should be a little raised by means of two thin strips of wood, appended below, to allow the liquid to flow beneath. A cover is made by a piece of glass, resting on the larger circle, but cut nearly octagonal in form, so as to leave the corners open. The circle on which the glass rests should be an eighth of an inch lower than the outer rim."
Ingenious bee-masters, who estimate the excellence of their treatment by its tortuous ingenuity, are sure to deride every such homely and easy treatment. But you must disregard their learned and, as they phrase it, scientific talk. In fact, the sulphur-and-match treatment is scarcely worse than the protracted torture of apiarian inquisitors, inflicted on bees by means of their ingenious hives. Experimental investigations are, of course, legitimate. But keeping up queer and twisted and zigzag bee-houses, as monuments of their talent and nothing else, is nothing less than vivisection of bees.
Should the weather prove fine, and the stock hive, as inspected by the glass window, show the honey-comb reaching downward to the floor, place a superon the top. A glass is by far the most elegant, and, of the shape recommended by Taylor, it is the most useful. It is about ten inches wide, six inches high, and straight on the sides, with or without a zinc circular perforated tube.
But it is essential to cover it with a fitting woollen nightcap, the neglect of which is the cause of the unpopularity of bee-glasses.
No additional room ought to be given after the middle of July, even in heath counties; but that supplied in the beginning of June, or toward the end of May, should be large. This is the safe side to err on. Either one good large glass, or, what is less useful, two or three middle-sized, should be used.
In the case of the Ayrshire hive, the rabbet-slides should be drawn out from the top of the bottom box, the super box being previously placed on the top.
During June and July frequently visit your bees.Stand in front of the bee-shed. Study them through your observatory windows. They are too busy to be annoyed. They love company. They are essentially social and friendly, and fond of visitors. Their music will charm your ear, and their industry delight your eye; and their wonderful work will give you many an illustration for sermon, essay, or speech.
The longest summer ends in autumn. The honey harvest comes on.
Pass your zinc plate under the full glass. Detach it, and lift it off the stock hive, of which close up the hole, or place on it a very small bell-glass, just sufficient to cover the aperture, not forgetting the nightcap. Take your glass to a little distance, let it rest for half an hour, then edge up one side, and the bees will rush home to their hive in the bee-shed. Cover the bottom of the glass, when the bees have left, with parchment or thick writing-paper.
Mr. Taylor's directions are as follow:—
"If the queen is not in the super (and she seldom is there after it is filled), the silence that at first prevailedwill be exchanged for a murmuring hum, attended by a commotion among the bees; and they shortly after begin to quit the super, without attempting any attack. Should the queen be present, however, a very different scene would ensue, and a hubbub would then commence in the stock hive; though the loss of their queen is sometimes not discovered by the bees for a considerable time. In such a case, the box must be reinstated in its former position, and the communication reopened till some other day. The process might happen to be complicated by the presence of brood, for this the bees leave very reluctantly, and often not at all. In an emergency of this kind, it is best to restore matters to their previous state, and let the super remain till the brood is perfected. A little patience is sometimes necessary; but all attempts at ejection of the bees by tapping, smoking, or driving, usually do more harm than good. So long as they continue to leave the super, it may remain where it is, for on these occasions young bees are sometimes numerous; and if the super is removed, though only to a short distance, these are in part lost, not having become sufficiently acquainted with the position of their home; or, if they enter a wrong hive, they pay the penalty with their lives. This freedom from disturbance has the further good effect of preventing in a great degree the intrusion of robberbees, readily distinguishable from the others by their hovering about the box, instead of flying from it. These are strangers from various quarters, immediately attracted by the scent attending the removal of a full box or glass. Should a few of these plunderers once obtain a taste or sample of the honey, they speedily convey the good news to their associates, when large reinforcements from every hive in the neighbourhood will be at once on the alert, and quickly leave nothing behind but empty combs. Let the separated super, therefore, not be left or lost sight of, but if scented out by robbers, be conveyed into some room or outbuilding, to prevent a general battle, and which might extend itself to all the neighbouring hives. The remaining bees may here be brushed out, escaping by the window or door. Mr. Golding has sometimes found the advantage of using for the purpose a darkened room, with the exception of a very small aperture, to which the bees will fly and make their exit. Others like to remove a super at once to a short distance from the stock hive, leaving it shut up in perfect darkness for an hour or two. Its edge is then raised up, when the bees will evacuate it."
"If the queen is not in the super (and she seldom is there after it is filled), the silence that at first prevailedwill be exchanged for a murmuring hum, attended by a commotion among the bees; and they shortly after begin to quit the super, without attempting any attack. Should the queen be present, however, a very different scene would ensue, and a hubbub would then commence in the stock hive; though the loss of their queen is sometimes not discovered by the bees for a considerable time. In such a case, the box must be reinstated in its former position, and the communication reopened till some other day. The process might happen to be complicated by the presence of brood, for this the bees leave very reluctantly, and often not at all. In an emergency of this kind, it is best to restore matters to their previous state, and let the super remain till the brood is perfected. A little patience is sometimes necessary; but all attempts at ejection of the bees by tapping, smoking, or driving, usually do more harm than good. So long as they continue to leave the super, it may remain where it is, for on these occasions young bees are sometimes numerous; and if the super is removed, though only to a short distance, these are in part lost, not having become sufficiently acquainted with the position of their home; or, if they enter a wrong hive, they pay the penalty with their lives. This freedom from disturbance has the further good effect of preventing in a great degree the intrusion of robberbees, readily distinguishable from the others by their hovering about the box, instead of flying from it. These are strangers from various quarters, immediately attracted by the scent attending the removal of a full box or glass. Should a few of these plunderers once obtain a taste or sample of the honey, they speedily convey the good news to their associates, when large reinforcements from every hive in the neighbourhood will be at once on the alert, and quickly leave nothing behind but empty combs. Let the separated super, therefore, not be left or lost sight of, but if scented out by robbers, be conveyed into some room or outbuilding, to prevent a general battle, and which might extend itself to all the neighbouring hives. The remaining bees may here be brushed out, escaping by the window or door. Mr. Golding has sometimes found the advantage of using for the purpose a darkened room, with the exception of a very small aperture, to which the bees will fly and make their exit. Others like to remove a super at once to a short distance from the stock hive, leaving it shut up in perfect darkness for an hour or two. Its edge is then raised up, when the bees will evacuate it."
A good plan is, to take the detached super into a room with a window that closes and opens onhinges. On edging up the glass, the bees will fly to the window. Open it for a minute, and they will escape. Shut it again, and repeat the opening. The advantage of this is that wasps and strange bees are excluded, such corsairs careering everywhere in autumn.
Honey is always best preserved in its own sealed and air-tight cells. It will keep throughout the winter. If you separate the honey from the wax, cut the combs into inch-wide pieces, and lay these in sieves over glazed earthenware vessels, and they will yield the choicest honey. It drops from the comb spontaneously.
Take the combs and squeeze them through a cloth. This will yield a second-class honey, admirable for feeding your bees. Carry the remainder, or refuse, in a dish, and place it before your bee-shed, and thousands of your bees will make a good meal from it. If you prefer to save the wax, bring back what the bees have licked clean. Put it into a vessel in which there is as much water as floats it. Place the vessel on a clear fire, stirring till thecombs are thoroughly melted. Strain the whole through a fine canvas bag into cold water. Mr. Nutt says:—
"Have ready then a piece of smooth board of such a length that, when one end of it is placed in the tub of cold water, the other end may be conveniently rested against, and securely stayed by, your breast. Upon this inclined plane lay your dripping, reeking strainer, and keeping it from slipping into the cold water by bringing its upper part over the top of the board, so as to be held firmly between it and your breast. If the strainer be made with a broad hem round its top, a piece of strong tape or cord passed through such hem will draw it close, and should be long enough to form a stirrup for the foot, by which an additional power will be gained of keeping the scalding-hot strainer in its proper place on the board; then, by compressing the bag, or rather its contents, with any convenient roller, the wax will ooze through and run down the board into the cold water, on the surface of which it will set in thin flakes. When this part of the operation is finished, collect the wax, put it into a clean saucepan, in which is a little water, to keep the wax from being burned to the bottom; melt itcarefully; for should it be neglected, and suffered to boil over, serious mischiefmight ensue, liquid wax being of a very inflammable nature; therefore, melt itcarefullyover aslow fire, and skim off the dross as it rises to the top; then pour it into such moulds or shapes as your fancy may direct, having first well rinsed them, in order that you may be able to get the wax, when cold and solid, out of them, without breaking either the moulds or the wax; place them, covered over with cloths or with pieces of board, where the wax will cool slowly; because the moreslowly it cools, themore solid if will be, and free from flaws and cracks."
"Have ready then a piece of smooth board of such a length that, when one end of it is placed in the tub of cold water, the other end may be conveniently rested against, and securely stayed by, your breast. Upon this inclined plane lay your dripping, reeking strainer, and keeping it from slipping into the cold water by bringing its upper part over the top of the board, so as to be held firmly between it and your breast. If the strainer be made with a broad hem round its top, a piece of strong tape or cord passed through such hem will draw it close, and should be long enough to form a stirrup for the foot, by which an additional power will be gained of keeping the scalding-hot strainer in its proper place on the board; then, by compressing the bag, or rather its contents, with any convenient roller, the wax will ooze through and run down the board into the cold water, on the surface of which it will set in thin flakes. When this part of the operation is finished, collect the wax, put it into a clean saucepan, in which is a little water, to keep the wax from being burned to the bottom; melt itcarefully; for should it be neglected, and suffered to boil over, serious mischiefmight ensue, liquid wax being of a very inflammable nature; therefore, melt itcarefullyover aslow fire, and skim off the dross as it rises to the top; then pour it into such moulds or shapes as your fancy may direct, having first well rinsed them, in order that you may be able to get the wax, when cold and solid, out of them, without breaking either the moulds or the wax; place them, covered over with cloths or with pieces of board, where the wax will cool slowly; because the moreslowly it cools, themore solid if will be, and free from flaws and cracks."
To those who have a taste for very ancient drinks, Richardson's instructions will prove valuable:—
"Mead.—Some persons may feel desirous of making for themselves this once-famous drink, and I shall accordingly furnish them with simple directions for so doing. Common mead is formed by mixing two parts of water with one of honey, boiling them together, and taking off the scum."Fermentedmead is formed ofthreeparts of water to one of honey, boiled as before, skimmed, and casked. The cask is to be left unbunged and exposed to the sun, or in a warm room, until it ceases towork. It is then bunged, and in about three months it is fit for use. Theaddition of afermentis of course necessary, taking care that it besound,sweet, andgood."Hops are an improvement to mead, taking from its extreme sweetness; and so is the addition of chopped raisins boiled with it, at the rate of six pounds of honey to each half-pound of raisins; also some lemon peel, a few glasses of brandy, &c."Metheglinis only another name for mead, altered by the addition of various ingredients, according to the taste of its preparers. These liquors may beracked,fined, &c., like other wines, and will, if properly managed, keep for years."
"Mead.—Some persons may feel desirous of making for themselves this once-famous drink, and I shall accordingly furnish them with simple directions for so doing. Common mead is formed by mixing two parts of water with one of honey, boiling them together, and taking off the scum.
"Fermentedmead is formed ofthreeparts of water to one of honey, boiled as before, skimmed, and casked. The cask is to be left unbunged and exposed to the sun, or in a warm room, until it ceases towork. It is then bunged, and in about three months it is fit for use. Theaddition of afermentis of course necessary, taking care that it besound,sweet, andgood.
"Hops are an improvement to mead, taking from its extreme sweetness; and so is the addition of chopped raisins boiled with it, at the rate of six pounds of honey to each half-pound of raisins; also some lemon peel, a few glasses of brandy, &c.
"Metheglinis only another name for mead, altered by the addition of various ingredients, according to the taste of its preparers. These liquors may beracked,fined, &c., like other wines, and will, if properly managed, keep for years."
I have never tasted these celebrated wines. I have no doubt they are pleasant and wholesome. But I prefer the honey in the honey-comb at breakfast, and mean to recommend it to others also.