AMANUALOR ANEASY METHODOF MANAGING BEES, IN THE MOSTPROFITABLE MANNER TO THEIR OWNER, WITHINFALLIBLE RULES TO PREVENT THEIRDESTRUCTION BY THE MOTH. BY JOHN M. WEEKS, Of Salisbury, Vt. SECOND EDITION. MIDDLEBURY:ELAM R. JEWETT, PRINTER. 1837. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1836. By John M. Weeks, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Vermont. PREFACE. It appears to the writer of the following pages, that a work of thisdescription is much needed in our country. The cultivation of the bee (Apis Mellifica) has been too long neglected inmost parts of the United States. This general neglect has unquestionably originated from the fact, that theEuropean enemy to the bees, called the moth, has found its way into thiscountry, and has located and naturalized itself here; and has made so muchhavoc among the bees, that many districts have entirely abandoned theircultivation. Many Apiarians, and men of the highest literary attainments, as well as experience, have nearly exhausted their patience, in examiningthe peculiar nature and habits of this insect; and have tried variousexperiments to devise some means of preventing its depredations. But, after all that has been done, the spoiler moves onward with littlemolestation, and very few of our citizens are willing to engage in theenterprize of cultivating this most useful and profitable of all insects, the honey-bee. The following work is comprised in a set of plain, concise rules, bywhich, if strictly adhered to and practised, any person, properlysituated, may cultivate bees, and avail himself of all the benefits oftheir labors. If the Apiarian manages strictly in accordance with the following rules, the author feels confident that no colony will ever materially suffer bythe moth, or will ever be destroyed by them. The author is aware of the numerous treatises published on this subject;but they appear to him, for the most part, to be the result not so much ofexperience as of vague and conjectural speculation, and not sufficientlyembodying what is practical and useful. This work is intended as an accompaniment to the Vermont hive, and will befound to be the result of observation and experience, and it is thoughtcomprises all that is necessary to make a skilful Apiarian. THE AUTHOR. INDEX CHAPTER Rule I. On the construction of the hive, 5 Rule II. On swarming and hiving, 11 Rule III. On ventilating, 23 Rule IV. On preventing robberies, 24 Rule V. On equalizing colonies, by doubling, trebling, &c, 26 Rule VI. On removing honey, 30 Rule VII. The method of compelling swarms to make extra Queens, and keep them for the use of their owner, 33 Rule VIII. On supplying swarms with Queens, when necessary, 38 Rule IX. On multiplying colonies to any desirable extent, without swarming, 42 Rule X. On preventing the depredations of the moth, 43 Rule XI. On feeding, 56 Rule XII. On wintering, 60 Rule XIII. On transferring bees from one hive to another, 60 XIV. General Observations, 65 MANUAL, &c. RULE I. ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BEE-HIVE. A bee-hive should be made of sound boards, free from shakes and cracks; itshould also be planed smooth, inside and out, made in a workmanlikemanner, and painted on its outside. REMARKS. That a bee-hive should be made perfect, so as to exclude light and air, isobvious from the fact, that the bees will finish what the workman hasneglected, by plastering up all such cracks and crevices, or bad joints, as are left open by the joiner. The substance they use for this purpose isneither honey nor wax, but a kind of glue or cement of their ownmanufacturing, and is used by the bees to fill up all imperfect joints andexclude all light and air. This cement or glue is very congenial to thegrowth of the moth in the first stages of its existence. The moth miller enters the hive, generally, in the night--makes anincision into the glue or cement with her sting, and leaves her eggsdeposited in the glue, where it remains secure from the bees; it beingguarded by the timber on its sides. Thus, while a maggot, (larva) the mothuses the cement for food until it arrives so far towards a state ofmaturity as to be able to spin a web, which is more fully explained inremarks on Rule 10. The size of a hive should be in accordance with the strictest rules ofeconomy, and adapted to the peculiar nature and economy of the honey-bee, in order to make them profitable to their owner. The lower apartment of the hive, where they store their food, raise theiryoung bees, and perform their ordinary labors, should hold as much as abox thirteen inches and one half or fourteen inches square in the clear. If the hive is much larger than the one described above, with the chamberin proportion, which should hold about two-thirds as much as the lowerapartment, the bees will not be likely to swarm during the season. Bees in large hives never swarm; and those in hives much less than the onealready described, do but little else than raise young bees and lay up asufficient quantity of food to supply them through the coming winter, andare more liable to be robbed. All hives of bees that swarm are liable to swarm too much, and reducetheir colonies so low in numbers as to materially injure them, and isfrequently the cause of their destruction by the moth, which is moreparticularly explained in remarks on Rule 2. The changer of the hive should be made perfectly tight, so as to excludeall light from the drawers. Drawers should be small like No. 2, for all purposes except such as areused for multiplying colonies and transferring, which should always belarge like No. 1. Hives should have elects on their sides, so as to suspend them in the airsome distance from the floor of the apiary, the better to secure the beesfrom destruction by mice, reptiles, and other vermin. The back side or rear of the lower apartment of the hive should slantforward, so as to render the same smallest at the bottom, the better tosecure the combs from falling when cracked by frost or nearly melted inhot weather. No timbers or boards should be placed very near the lower edge of thehive, because it facilitates the entrance of depredators. That the backside should slant forward, is obvious from the fact, that bees generallyrest one edge of their combs on that side, and build towards the front insuch a manner as to enter upon the same sheet where they intend to deposittheir stores, when they first enter the hive, without being compelled totake any unnecessary steps. The bottom of the hive should slant downward from rear to front, so as toafford the greatest facility to the bees to clear their tenement of alloffensive substances, and let the water, which is occasioned by the breathand vapor of the bees, run off in cold water. It also aids the bees verymuch in preventing the entrance of robbers. The bottom board should be suspended by staples and hooks near each cornerof the hive, in such a manner as to afford a free entrance and egress tothe bees on all its sides, which will better enable them to keep theirtenement clear of the moths. There should be a button attached to the lower edge of the rear of thehive, so as to enable the apiarian to govern the bottom board in such amanner as to give all the air they need, or close the hive at pleasure. The hive should have two sticks placed at equal distances, extending fromfront to rear, resting on the rear, with a screw driven through the frontinto the end of the stick, which holds it fast in its place, and aventilator hear the top of the lower apartment of the hive, to let off thevapor which frequently causes the death of the bees in the winter byfreezing. The door to the chamber should be made to fit in the rabitings of the sameagainst the jambs, in such a manner as to exclude the light from thewindows of the drawers, and also to prevent the entrance of the littleants. It should also be hung by butts, or fastened by a bar, runningvertically across the centre of the door, and confined by staples at eachend. There should be three sheet-iron slides, one of which should benearly as wide as the chamber, and one or two inches longer than thelength of the chamber. The other two should be the same length of thefirst, and half its width only. All hives and all their appendages should be made exactly of a size andshape in the same apiary. The trouble of equalizing colonies is far lessthan it is to accommodate hives to swarms. Much perplexity and sometimesserious difficulties occur, where the apiarian uses different sized hivesand drawers. But this part of the subject will be more fully discussedunder its proper rule. RULE II. ON SWARMING AND HIVING. The apiarian, or bee-owner, should have his hives in readiness, and intheir places in the apiary, with the drawers in their chambers bottom up, so as to prevent entrance. When a swarm comes forth and has alighted, cut off the limb ifconvenient--shake it gently, so as to disengage the bees, and let themfall gently on to the table, board, or ground, (as the case may be, ) placethe hive over them before many rise into the air, taking care at the sametime to lay one or more sticks in such a manner as to raise the hive so asto give the bees rapid ingress and egress. If the bees act reluctantly intaking possession of their new habitation, disturb them by brushing themwith a goose-quill or some other instrument, not harsh, and they will soonenter. In case it is found necessary to invert the hive to receive thebees, (which is frequent, from the manner of their alighting, ) then, firstsecure the drawers down to the floor by inserting a handkerchief orsomething above them; now invert the hive and shake or brush the bees intoit; now turn it gently right end up on the table, or other place, observing the rule aforesaid. REMARKS. Bees swarm from nine o'clock in the morning to three o'clock in theafternoon on a fair day, differing in the season according to the climate. In Vermont they generally swarm from the middle of May to the fifteenth ofJuly; in late seasons some later. I have known them to swarm as early asseven in the morning and as late as four in the afternoon. I have alsoknown them to come forth when it rained so hard as nearly to defeat themby beating down many to the ground which were probably lost from theircolony; and I once had a swarm come forth on the sixteenth day of August. Experience and observation have taught that the Queen leaves the old stockfirst, and her colony rapidly follow. They fly about a few minutes, apparently in the greatest confusion, until the swarm is principally outof the hive. They then alight, generally on the limb of some tree, shrub, or bush, or some other place convenient for them to cluster in a bunch notfar from the old stock, and make their arrangements for a journey to a newhabitation. Perhaps not one swarm in a thousand knows where they are goinguntil after they have left the old stock, alighted, and formed into acompact body or cluster; and not then until they have sent off an embassyto search out a place for their future residence. Now if the bees arehived immediately after they have alighted, before they send off theirembassy to seek a new tenement, they will never fly away, admitting theyhave sufficient room, (for it is want of room that makes them swarm in thefirst place, ) and their hive is clear of every thing that is offensive tothem. The old custom of washing hives with salt and water and other substances, to give them a pleasant effluvia, should be speedily abolished. Nothingbut bees should ever be put into a hive. When bees die, the hive should be cleared of its contents, and scraped outclean, and the chamber rubbed with cloth wet in clean water; then set itin its place in the apiary, and there let it stand until wanted for use. An old hive, thus prepared, is as good as a new one for the reception of aswarm. The apiarian should examine before using to see that the hive isfree from spiders and cobwebs. When bees are not hived immediately after they have clustered in a body, they should be removed to the apiary, or several rods from the place wherethey alighted, as soon as they can be hived, to prevent their being foundon the return of the embassy. Since I have thus practised, I have neverlost a swarm by flight. Experience has taught that it is best to remove the new swarm to the placewhere it is intended to stand during the season, immediately after hiving. Fewer bees are lost by a speedy removal, than when permitted to standuntil evening, because they are creatures of habit, and are every momentestablishing themselves in their location. It also prevents their beingfound by the embassy when they return. The longer bees stand in the placewhere they are hived, the greater will be the number lost when removed. But more of this hereafter. When bees are collected in drawers for the purpose of equalizing colonies, by doubling, &c. , they should be permitted to stand until evening beforethey are united, it being a more favorable time for them to becomeacquainted with each other by degrees; and the scent of the bees in thelower apartment will enter through the apertures during the night so muchthat there is a greater degree of sameness in the peculiar smell of thetwo colonies, which takes off their animosity, if they chance to haveany. No confusion or noise which is uncommon to the bees should ever be madeduring their swarming or hiving. The only effect of noise, ringing ofbells, &tc. , that I could ever discover, was, to render them more hostileand unmanageable. When bees are treated in accordance with their true nature, they aresometimes hostile, which originates from two causes: First, some of themlie out of the hive before swarming and some of them, in consequence oftheir confusion in swarming, are not apprised of the intention of theQueen to leave the old stock and seek a new habitations and they sallyforth with the swarm without filling their sacks with stores, which alwaysmakes them more irritable than when their stomachs are rilled with food. The Vermont hive possesses advantages in this respect, as well as others, far superior to the old box. Instead of lying out before swarming, as inthe old box, they go up into the drawers, and are constantly employed indepositing the delicious fruits of their labors; and being in the hive, where they can hear and observe all the movements of the Queen, they goforth well stored with provisions suited to the peculiar exigency of thecase; which ordinarily prevents all feelings of hostility. The second reason why bees are sometimes irritable, and are disposed tosting when they swarm, is, the air is forbidding to them, by being cold orotherwise, so as to impede them in their determined emigration. In allsuch cases, the apiarian should be furnished with a veil, made ofmillinet, or some light covering which may be worn over his hat, and letdown so low as to cover his face and bosom, and fixed in such a manner asto prevent their stinging. He should also put on a pair of thick woolengloves or stockings over his hands, thus managing them without the leastdanger. A clean hive is all that is needed for a swarm of bees, with careful andhumane treatment. A cluster of bees should never be shook or jarred any more than merely todisengage them from the limb or place where they are collected, nor shouldthey fall any great distance, because their sacks are full when theyswarm, which renders them both clumsy and harmless, and harsh treatmentmakes them irritable and unmanageable. I know of no rule by which the exact day of their first swarming can beknown with certainty. The apiarian will estimate near the time by thenumber of bees in and about the hive, as it will become very muchcrowded. The day of second swarming, and all after that during the same season, maybe most certainly predicted as follows: Listen near the entrance of thehive in the evening. If a swarm is coming forth the next day, the Queenwill be heard giving an alarm at short intervals. The same alarm may beheard the next morning. The observer will generally hear two Queens at atime in the same hive, the one much louder than the other. The one makingthe least noise is yet in her cell, and in her minority. The sound emittedby the Queens is peculiar, differing materially from that of any otherbee. It consists of a number of monotonous notes in rapid succession, similar to those emitted by the mud-wasp when working her mortar andjoining it to her cells, to raise miss-wasps. If, after all, the weatheris unfavorable to their swarming two or three days while in this peculiarstage, they will not be likely to swarm again the same season. Two reasons, and two only, can be assigned why bees ever swarm. The firstis, want of room, and the second, to avoid the battle of the Queens. It isindeed true that there are exceptions. Perhaps one in a hundred swarms maycome forth before their hive is filled with comb; but from nearly fortyyears experience in their cultivation, I never saw an instance of it, where the hive was not full of bees at their first swarming. When bees gofrom the old stock to the tree without alighting, it is when they lie outof the hive before swarming, and the embassy are sent forth before theswarm leaves the old stock. When the first swarm comes forth, eggs, youngbrood, or both, are left in the combs, but no Queen; for the old Queenalways goes forth with the swarm, and leaves the old stock entirelydestitute. Not a single Queen, in any stage of minority, is left in thehive. The bees very soon find themselves destitute of the means ofpropagating their species, (for the Queen is the only female in the hive, )and immediately set themselves to work in constructing several royalcells, (probably to be more sure of success, ) take a grub (larva) from thecell of a common worker, place it in the new-made royal cell, feed it onroyal jelly, and in a few days they a Queen. Now as the eggs are laid inabout three litters per week, the bees, to be still more sure ofsucceeding in their enterprize, take maggots, differing in age, so that ifmore than one Queen is hatched, one will be older than the others. Thisfact accounts for hearing more than one Queen at the same time, becauseone comes out a perfect fly, while the other is a nymph, or littleyounger, and has not yet made her escape from the cell where she wasraised; and yet both answer the alarm of the other, the youngest morefeebly than the elder. Bees will never swarm but once the same season unless they make more thanone Queen, immediately after the departure of the first swarm; and notthen, if the bees permit the oldest Queen to come in contact with the cellwhere the young ones are growing. Queens entertain the most deadlyanimosity towards each other, and will commence an attack upon each otherthe first moment opportunity offers. The old Queen will even tear all thecradles or cells to pieces where young ones are growing, and destroy allthe chrysalis Queens in the hive. If the weather becomes unfavorable to swarming, the next day after thealarm of the Queen is heard, and continues so for several days, the oldestQueen may come in contact with the others, or gain access to their cells;in either case the life of one of them is destroyed by the other, and thecolony will not be likely to send forth another swarm the same season. Ifthe old Queen succeeds in taking the life of the younger, or _vice versa_, the remaining nymphs will be likely to share the same fate of theirmartyred sisters, by the hand of the reigning Queen, who considers allothers in the same hive as her competitors. Second swarms would be as large and numerous as any others, if it was notthe fact that they come forth to avoid the battle of the Queens. Bees arevery tenacious to preserve the lives of their sovereigns, particularlythose of their own raising; and when they find they have more than one inthe hive, they will guard each so strong as to prevent, if possible, theircoming within reach of each other. They being thus strongly guarded toprevent the fight, is unquestionably the cause of their giving the alarm, as described in the foregoing article. The knowledge of the existence ofanother Queen in the same hive inspires them with the greatest uneasinessand rage; and when the oldest one finds herself defeated in gaining accessto her competitor, she sallies forth with as many as see fit to followher, and seeks a new habitation. Bees will not swarm but once in a season, if the second one does not comeforth within seventeen days from the departure of the first, unless theyswarm for want of room, in which case no Queen will be heard beforeswarming. The drawers should be turned over, so as to let the bees into them as soonas they have built their combs nearly to the bottom of the hive. If theswarm is so large that the lower apartment will not hold all of them, theyshould be let into one or both of the drawers, at the time of hiving;otherwise they may go off for want of room. Bees should be let into thedrawers in the spring as soon as blossoms are seen. RULE III. ON VENTILATING THE HIVE. Graduate the bottom board and ventilator at pleasure, by means of thebutton or otherwise, so as to give them more or less air, as thecircumstances may require. REMARKS. Bees require more air in order to enable them to endure the heat of summerand the severity of winter, than at any other time. If they are kept outin the cold, they need as much air in the winter as in the heat of summer. It is in a mild temperature only, that it is safe to keep them from thepure air. If placed below frost in a dry sand-bank, they seem to needscarcely more than is contained in their hive at the time they are buried, during the whole winter. If kept in a clean, dry cellar, the mouth socontracted as to keep out mice, gives them enough. But if they are kept inthe apiary, there should be a slow current of air constantly pressing inat the bottom and off at the top thro' the ventilator. RULE IV. ON PREVENTING ROBBERIES. At the moment it is observed, that robbers are within, or about the hive, raise the bottom board so near the edge of the hive as to prevent theingress or egress of the bees, and stop the mouth or common entrance andventilator. At the same time take care that a small space on all sides ofthe hive be left open, so as to afford them all the air they need. Openthe mouth only at evening, and close early in the morning, before therobbers renew their attack. REMARKS. Bees have a peculiar propensity to rob each other, and every precautionnecessary to prevent it, should be exercised by the cultivator. Familiesin the same apiary are more likely to engage in this unlawful enterprizethan any others, probably because they are located so near each other, andare more likely to learn their comparative strength. I never coulddiscover any intimacy between colonies of the same apiary, except whenthey stood on the same bench; and then, all the social intercourse seemsto subsist between the nearest neighbors only. Bees are not likely to engage in warfare and rob each other, except in thespring and fall, and at other times in the season, when food is not easilyobtained from blossoms. Bees do not often engage in robbery in the spring, unless it is in suchhives as have had their combs broken by frost or otherwise, so as to causethe honey to drip down upon the bottom board. Much care should beexercised by the apiarian to see that all such hives are properlyventilated, and at the same time closed in such a manner as to prevent theentrance of robbers in the day-time, until they have mended the breach, soas to stop the honey from running. Clear water should be given them every day, so long as they are kept inconfinement. I have known many good stocks to be lost in the spring, by being robbed;and all for want of care. Bees rob each other when they can find butlittle else to do; they will rob at any time when frost has destroyed theflowers, or the weather is so cold as to prevent their collecting honeyfrom them. Cold, chilly weather prevents the flowers from yielding honeywithout frost, as was the case in the summer of 1835, in many places. Bees need but little air at any time when they rob, and yet more isnecessary for them when confined by compulsory means, than otherwise. Whendeprived of their liberty, they soon become restless, and use their bestefforts to make their way out of the hive--hence the importance of leavinga small space all around the bottom, to admit air and to prevent theirmelting down. RULE V. ON EQUALIZING COLONIES. Hive one swarm in the lower apartment of the hive; collect another swarmin a drawer, and insert the same in the chamber of the hive containing thefirst. Then, if the swarms are small, collect another small swarm inanother drawer, and insert the same in the chamber of the hive containingthe first, by the side of the second. In case all the bees from either ofthe drawers, amalgamate and go below with the first swarm, and leave thedrawer empty, then it may be removed, and another small swarm added in thesame manner. REMARKS. It is of prime importance to every bee cultivator, that all his coloniesbe made as nearly equal in numbers and strength, as possible. Everyexperienced bee-master must be aware that small swarms are of but littleprofit to their owner. Generally, in a few days after they are hived, theyare gone;--no one can trace their steps: some suppose they have fled tothe woods--others, that they were robbed: but after all, no one is able togive any satisfactory account of them. Some pieces of comb only are left, and perhaps myriads of worms and millers finish off the whole. Then themoth is supposed to be their destroyer, but the true history of the caseis generally this: The bees become discouraged, or disheartened, for wantof numbers to constitute their colony, abandon their tenement, and joinwith their nearest neighbors, leaving their combs to the mercilessdepredations of the moth. They are sometimes robbed by their adjoininghives, and then the moths finish or destroy what is left. Second swarms are generally about half as large as the first, and thirdswarms half as large as second ones. Now if second swarms are doubled, so as to make them equal in number withthe first, the owner avails himself of the advantage of a strong colony, which will not be likely to become disheartened for want of numbers, norovercome by robbers from stronger colonies. It is far less trouble, and less expense, for the bee-owner lo equalizehis colonies, than to prepare hives and drawers of different sizes to fitcolonies. When colonies and hives are made as near alike as possible, many evils areavoided, and many advantages realized: every hive will fit a place in theapiary--every drawer a hive, and every bottom board and slide may in anycase be used without mistakes. Swarms may be doubled at any time before they become so located as toresume their former hostility, which will not be discovered in less thanthree or four days. Bees are provided with a reservoir, or sack, to carrytheir provision in; and when they swarm, they go loaded with provisionsuited to their emergency, which takes off all their hostility towardseach other; and until these sacks are emptied, they are not easily vexed, and as they are compelled to build combs before they can empty them, theircontents are retained several days. I have doubled, at a fortnight'sinterval in swarming, with entire success. The operation should beperformed within two or three days--at the farthest four days. The soonerit is done, the less hazardous is the experiment. As a general rule, second swarms only should be doubled. Third and fourthswarms should always have their Queen taken from them, and the beesreturned to the parent stock, according to Rule 10. RULE VI. ON REMOVING HONEY. Insert a slide under the drawer, so far as to cut off all communicationbetween the lower apartment and the drawer. Insert another slide betweenthe first slide and the drawer. Now draw out the box containing the honey, with the slide that is next to it. Set the drawer on its window end, alittle distance from the apiary, and remove the slide. Now supply theplace of the drawer, thus removed, with an empty one, and draw the firstinserted slide. REMARKS. Care must be exercised in performing this operation. The apertures throughthe floor into the chamber must be kept closed by the slides during theprocess, so as to keep the bees from rushing up into the chamber when thebox is drawn out. The operator must likewise see that the entrances intothe drawer are kept covered with the slide, in such a manner as to preventthe escape of any of the bees, unless he is willing to be stung by them. If the bees are permitted to enter the chamber in very warm weather, theywill be likely to hold the occupancy of it, and build comb there, whichwill change the hive into one no better than an old-fashioned box. I have succeeded best in removing honey by the following method, towit:--Shut the window-blinds so as to darken one of the rooms in thedwelling-house--raise up one casement of a window--then carry the drawerand place the same on a table, or stand, by the window, on its light orglass end, with the apertures towards the light. Now remove the slide, andstep immediately back into the dark part of the room. The bees will soonlearn their true condition, and will gradually leave the drawer, andreturn home to the parent stock; thus leaving the drawer and its contentsfor their owner; not however until they have sucked every drop of runninghoney, if there should chance to be any, which is not often the case, iftheir work is finished. There are two cases in which the bees manifest some reluctance in leavingthe drawer. The first is, when the combs are in an unfinished state--someof the cells not sealed over. The bees manifest a great desire to remainthere, probably to make their stores more secure from robbers, by affixingcaps to the uncovered cells, to prevent the effluvia of running honey, which is always the greatest temptation to robbers. Bees manifest the greatest reluctance in leaving the drawer, when youngbrood are removed in it, which never occurs, except in such drawers ashave been used for feeding in the winter or early in the spring. When theQueen has deposited eggs in all the empty cells below, she sometimesenters the drawers; and if empty cells are found, she deposits eggs therealso. In either case, it is better to return the drawer, which will bemade perfect by them in a few days. Special care is necessary in storing drawers of honey, when removed fromthe care and protection of the bees, in order to preserve the honey frominsects, which are great lovers of it, particularly the ant. A chest, madeperfectly tight, is a good store-house. If the honey in the drawers is to be preserved for winter use, it shouldbe kept in a room so warm as not to freeze. Frost cracks the combs, andthe honey will drip as soon as warm weather commences. Drawers should bepacked with their apertures up, for keeping or carrying to market. Allapiarians who would make the most profit from their bees, should removethe honey as soon as the drawers are rilled, and supply their places withempty ones. The bees will commence their labors in an empty box that hasbeen filled, sooner than any others. RULE VII. THE METHOD OF COMPELLING SWARMS TO MAKE AND KEEP EXTRA QUEENS, FORTHEIR APIARIAN, OR OWNER. Take a drawer containing bees and brood comb, and place the same in thechamber of an empty hive; taking care to stop the entrance of the hive, and give them clean water, daily, three or four days. Then unstop themouth of the hive, and give them liberty. The operator must observe Rule 6in using the slides. REMARKS. The prosperity of every colony depends entirely on the condition of theQueen, when the season is favorable to them. Every bee-master should understand their nature in this respect, so as toenable him to be in readiness to supply them with another Queen when theychance to become destitute. The discovery of the fact, that bees have power to change the nature ofthe grub (larva) of a worker to that of a Queen, is attributed to Bonner. But neither Bonner nor the indefatigable Huber, nor any other writer, tomy knowledge, has gone so far in the illustration of this discovery as torender it practicable and easy for common people to avail themselves ofits benefits. The Vermont hive is the only one, to my knowledge, in which bees can becompelled to make and keep extra Queens for the use of their owner, without extreme difficulty, as well as danger, by stings, in attemptingthe experiment. The idea of raising her royal highness, and elevating and establishing herupon the throne of a colony, may, by some, be deemed altogether visionaryand futile; but I will assure the reader, that it is easier done than canbe described. I have both raised them, and supplied destitute swarmsrepeatedly. When the drawer containing bees and brood comb is removed, the bees soonfind themselves destitute of a female, and immediately set themselves towork in constructing one or more royal cells. When completed, which iscommonly within forty-eight hours, they remove a grub (larva) from theworker's cell, place the same in the new-made Queen's cell, feed it onthat kind of food which is designed only for Queens, and in from eight tosixteen days they have a perfect Queen. As soon as the bees have safely deposited the grub in the new-made royalcell, the bees may have their liberty. Their attachment to their youngbrood, and their fidelity to their Queen, in any stage of its minority, issuch, that they will never leave nor forsake them, and will continue alltheir ordinary labors, with as much regularity as if they had a perfectQueen. In making Queens in small boxes or drawers, the owner will not be troubledby their swarming the same season they are made. There are so few bees inthe drawer, they are unable to guard the nymph Queens, if there are any, from being destroyed by the oldest, or the one which escapes from her cellfirst. In examining the drawer, in which I raised an extra Queen, I found notonly the Queen, but two royal cells, one of which was in perfect shape;the other was mutilated, probably by the Queen which came out first. Nowwhen there are so few bees to guard the nymphs, it would not be verydifficult for the oldest Queen to gain access to the cells, and destroyall the minor Queens in the drawer. When a drawer is removed to an empty hive, for the purpose of obtaining anextra Queen, it should be placed some distance from the apiary, the betterto prevent its being robbed by other swarms. When it is some distance fromother colonies, they are not so likely to learn its comparative strength. There is but little danger however, of its being robbed, until after thebees are out of danger of losing their Queen, which generally occurs inthe swarming season. The Queen is sometimes lost, in consequence of the young brood being toofar advanced at the time of the departure of the old Queen with her swarm. If the grubs had advanced very near the dormant or chrysalis state, beforethe bees learnt their necessity for a Queen, and the old Queen neglectedto leave eggs, which is sometimes the case, then it would be impossiblefor the bees to change their nature, and the colony would be lost, unlesssupplied with another. RULE VIII. ON SUPPLYING SWARMS, DESTITUTE OF A QUEEN, WITH ANOTHER. Take the drawer from the hive, which was placed there according to Rule 7, and insert the same into the chamber of the hive to be supplied; observingRule 6 in the use of the slides. REMARKS. Colonies destitute of a Queen may be supplied with another the moment itis found they have none; which is known only by their actions. Bees, when deprived of their female sovereign, cease their labors; nopollen or beebread is seen on their legs; no ambition seems to actuatetheir movements; no dead bees are drawn out; no deformed bees, in thevarious stages of their minority, are extracted, and dragged out of theircells, and dropped down about the hive, as is usual among all healthy andprosperous colonies. Colonies that have lost their Queen, when standing on the bench by theside of other swarms, will run into the adjoining hive without the leastresistance. They will commence their emigration by running in confusedplatoons of hundreds, from their habitation to the next adjoining hive. They immediately wheel about and run home again, and thus continue, sometimes for several days, in the greatest confusion, constantlyreplenishing their neighbor's hive, by enlarging her colony, and, at thesame time, reducing their own, until there is not a single occupant left;and remarkable as it is, they leave every particle of their stores fortheir owner or the depredations of the moth. Colonies lose their Queens more frequently during the swarming season thanany other. In the summer of 1830, I lost three good stocks of bees in consequence oftheir losing their Queens, one of which was lost soon after the firstswarming--the two others not many days after the second swarming--all ofwhich manifested similar actions, and ended in the same results, whichwill be more particularly explained in remarks on Rule 10. The Queen is sometimes lost, when she goes forth with a swarm, inconsequence of being too feeble to fly with her young colony; in whichcase the bees return to their parent stock in a few minutes. In fact alloccurrences of this kind originate in the inability of the Queen. If shereturns to the old stock, the swarm will come out again the next day, ifthe weather is favorable. If the Queen is too feeble to return, and theapiarian neglects to look her up, and restore her to her colony again, (which he ought to do, ) the bees will not swarm again until they have madeanother, or are supplied, which may be done immediately by giving them anyspare Queen, I have done it with entire success, and never failed in theexperiment. The Queen, when lost in swarming, is easily found, unless the wind is sostrong as to have blown her a considerable distance. A few bees are alwaysfound with her, which probably serve as her aids, and greatly assist theapiarian in spying her out. She is frequently found near the ground, on aspire of grass, the fence, or any place most convenient for her to alight, when her strength fails her. I once had quite a search for her majesty, without much apparent success. At the same time there were flying about mea dozen or more common workers. At last her royal highness was discovered, concealed from my observation in a fold of my shirt sleeve. I thenreturned her to her colony, which had already found their way home to theparent stock. The Queen may be taken in the hand without danger, for she never stings bydesign, except when conflicting with another Queen; and yet she has astinger at least one third longer, but more feeble than a worker. The Queen is known by her peculiar shape, size, and movements. She differsbut little in color from a worker, and has the same number of legs andwings. She is much larger than any of the bees. Her abdomen is very largeand perfectly round, and is shaped more like the sugar-loaf, which makesher known to the observer the moment she is seen. Her wings and proboscisare short. Her movements are stately and majestic. She is much less insize after the season for breeding is over. She is easily selected fromamong a swarm, at any season of the year, by any one who has often seenher. RULE IX. ON MULTIPLYING COLONIES TO ANY DESIRABLE EXTENT, WITHOUT THEIR SWARMING. This large drawer, No. 1, should always be used for this purpose. Insertslides, as in Rule 6, and remove the drawer containing bees andbrood-comb; place the same in the chamber of an empty hive; stop theentrances of both the new and old hives, taking care to give them air, asin Rule 4. Give clean water daily, three or four days. Now let the bees, in both hives, have their liberty. REMARKS. This operation is both practicable and easy, and is of prime importance toall cultivators, who wish to avoid the necessity of hiving them when theyswarm; and yet it will not prevent swarming, except in that part of thedivided colony which contains the Queen at the time of their separation. The other part being compelled to make another Queen, (and they generallymake two or more) will be likely to swarm to avoid their battle, asexplained in remarks on Rule 2. The hive containing the old Queen mayswarm for want of room; but, at any rate, in performing the operation, ithas saved the trouble of hiving one swarm, and prevented all danger oftheir flight to the woods. Multiplying colonies by this rule is a perfectly safe method of managingthem, admitting they are not allowed to swarm themselves so low as toleave unoccupied combs, which will be explained in remarks on Rule 10. RULE X. ON PREVENTING THE DEPREDATIONS OF THE MOTH. All such stocks as are infested with the moth, will manifest it as soon aswarm weather commences in the spring, by dropping some of the worms uponthe bottom board. Let the apiarian clean off the bottom board every othermorning; at the same time strew on a spoonful or two of fresh, pulverizedsalt. Immediately after a second swarm has come forth from a hive, the sameseason, the old stock should be examined; and if swarming has reducedtheir numbers so low as to leave unoccupied combs, the apiarian shouldtake the Queen from the swarm, and let them return to the old stock. Incase they remain in a cluster, hive them in a drawer, and return themimmediately. Third and fourth swarms should always have their Queens taken from themand the bees returned to the parent stock. REMARKS. "This insect (the moth) is a native of Europe; but has found its way intothis country, and naturalized itself here. "--THATCHER. This unwelcome visitor has interested the attention and called forth allthe energies of the most experienced apiarians of our country, and of manyof the greatest naturalists in the world. Their movements have beenobserved and scrutinized by the most learned--their nature has beenstudied; various experiments have been tried to prevent theirdepredations; but after all, the monster in gaudy hue marches onward, committing the greatest havoc and devastation, with but littlemolestation. I have lost my whole stock at least four times since 1808, asI supposed by the moth. I tried all the experiments recommended in thisand other countries, that came to my knowledge; but after all, I could notprevent their ravages. In 1830, I constructed a hive (which has since been patented) which Isupposed would afford all the facilities for managing bees in every mannerthat their nature would admit of, and at the same time render theircultivation most profitable to their owner. By constructing windows ofglass, on every side of the hive, nearly the size of its sides, anddarkening them by closing doors on the outside of the windows, which maybe opened at pleasure, I have been able to discover many important facts, both in relation to the nature and economy of the bee, and its enemy themoth; but, probably, much yet remains to be learned concerning both. The moth, when first discovered by the common observer, is a white worm ormaggot, with a reddish crusted head, and varies in size according to itsliving. Those which have full and unmolested access to the contents of ahive, will frequently grow as large as a turkey-quill, and an inch and ahalf in length. Others are scarcely an inch in length when full grown. They have sixteen short legs, and taper each way from the centre of theirbodies to their head and exterior or abdomen. The worms, like the silk-worm, wind themselves into a cocoon, and pass thedormant (chrysalis) state of their existence, and in a few days come outof their silken cases perfect winged insects or millers, and are soonready to deposit their eggs, from which another crop will be raised. The miller, or perfect moth, is of a grayish color, from three-fourths ofan inch to an inch in length. They usually lie perfectly still in the daytime, with their head downwards, lurking in and about the apiary. Theyenter the hive in the night, and deposit their eggs in such places as areuncovered, of course unguarded by the bees. These eggs hatch in a shorttime, varying according to circumstances, probably from two or three daysto four or five months. At an early stage of their existence, while yet asmall worm, they spin a web, and construct a silken shroud, or fortress, in which they envelope themselves, and form a sort of path, or gallery, asthey pass onward in their march; at the same time being perfectly securefrom the bees, in their silken case, which they widen as they grow larger, with an opening in their front only, near their head, they commit thegreatest havoc and devastation on the eggs, young bees and all, that comein their way as they pass. When the moth has arrived to his full state of maturity, he makespreparation to change to a miller, by winding into a cocoon, as has beenalready explained. The miller is surprisingly quick in all its movements, exceeding by far the agility of the quickest bee, either in flight or onits legs. Hence the enemy becomes so formidable that the bees are easilyovercome and soon fall a sure prey to him. Now, in order to remedy the evils of the moths, and prevent their ravages, and at the same time aid the bees in their prosperity, and make themprofitable to their owner, I found it necessary to use a hive differingmaterially from the old box, and commenced operations in the one alreadyreferred to, (called the Vermont hive, ) in a course of experiments whichhave produced results perfectly satisfactory. From six years experience inits use, I have not the least doubt that bees may be managed to the bestadvantage, and without ever being materially injured by the moths. A bee-hive should be made in a perfect workmanlike manner, so as to haveno open joints; the boards should be free from shakes and cracks, becausethe bees will make their tenement perfectly tight, so as to exclude lightand air, by plastering up all such places as are left open by the workman, with a kind of mortar, or glue, of their own make, which is neither honeynor wax, but is very congenial to the growth of worms in the first stagesof their larva state, and being secured from the bees by the timber, in ashort time they are able to defend themselves by a silken shroud. Now the miller enters the hive and makes an incision into the bee-glue, orcement, with her sting, and leaves her eggs. These eggs hatch there, andthe brood subsist on the glue until they have arrived so far towardmaturity as to enable them to encase themselves in a silken shroud; andthen they move onward. Now unless the bees chance to catch him by the collar, or nape of hisneck, while feeding, and drag him out of his place of concealment, theywill be compelled to cut away the combs all around his silken path, orgallery, and drag out the worm and his fortress all together. At the sametime, the bees are compelled to cut away the combs so far as to destroymany of their young brood in making room to remove the annoyance. I haveknown them to cut away their combs from four to eight or ten inches to remove this silken shroud, and have known them to cut and drag out theironly remaining Queen before she was transformed to the perfect fly, whichoccasioned the entire loss of the whole colony. Repeated experiments have demonstrated the fact, that placing bees on theground, or high in the air, is no security against the moths. I have lostsome of my best stocks by placing them on the ground, when those on thebench were not injured by them. I have made a groove in the bottom board, much wider than the thickness of the boards to the hive, and filled thesame with loam: I then placed the hive on the same, in such a manner as toprevent any crack or vacancy for the worms; and yet in raising the hivefour weeks afterwards, I found them apparently full grown all around thehive in the dirt. I have found them very plenty in a tree ninety feet fromthe ground. The best method, in common practice, to prevent the depredations of themoth, is, to suspend the bottom board so far below the lower edge of thehive as to give the bees free entrance and egress all around the sameduring the moth season, or to raise the common hive, by placing under itlittle blocks at each corner, which produces nearly the same effect. But Iknow of but one rule, which is an infallible one, to prevent theirdepredations, and that is this: keep the combs well guarded by bees. SeeRule 10. Large hives, that never swarm, are never destroyed by the moth, unlessthey lose their Queen, melt down, or meet with some casualty, out of theordinary course of managing them. They are not often in the least annoyedby them, unless there are bad joints, cracks, or shakes, so as to affordsome lurking places for the worms. The reason for their prosperouscondition is obvious. The stock of bees are so numerous that their combsare all kept well guarded during the moth season, so that no miller canenter and deposit her eggs. Hives made so small as to swarm, are liable to reduce their colonies sosmall as to leave combs unguarded, especially when they swarm three orfour times the same season. All swarms, after the first, sally forth toavoid the battle of the Queens; constantly making a greater draft, inproportion to the number left, until the combs are partly exposed, whichgives the miller free access to their edges. --The seeds of rapine andplunder are thus quickly sown, and soon vegetate, and fortify themselvesby their silken fortress, before the bees are aware that their frontiersare invaded. While the moths are thus engaged in establishing their postson the frontiers of the bees, the latter are constantly and indefatigablyengaged in providing themselves with another Queen, to supply the place ofthe old one, which has departed with a swarm, and raising young bees toreplenish their reduced colony. Now as the moths have got possession ofthe ground on their frontiers, it requires a tremendous effort on the partof the bees to save their little colony from a complete overthrow. If late, or second and third swarms are always returned immediately, according to the rule, the combs are kept so guarded that the moths arecompelled to keep their distance, or be stung to death before they canaccomplish their purposes. Hives made so large as not to swarm may lose their Queen, and then theywill abandon their habitation and emigrate into the adjoining hive, leaving all their stores to their owner, which, unless immediately takencare of, the moths will not fail to destroy. The moths are often complained of when they are not guilty. Hives arefrequently abandoned by their occupants, in consequence of the loss oftheir Queen, unnoticed by any observer, and before any thing is known oftheir fate, the hive is destitute of bees, and filled with moths. In the summer of 1834, one of my neighbors had a very large hive thatnever swarmed, which lost their Queen; and in the course of a few days thebees entirely vacated their tenement, and emigrated into an adjoininghive, leaving the whole of their stores, which amounted to 215 lbs. Ofhoney in the comb. No young bees or moths were discovered in the hive. Instances of this kindfrequently occur, and the true cause is unknown, from inattention. The Queen may be superannuated, or may become diseased in the breedingseason, so as to render her unfruitful; or she may die of old age. Ineither case, the colony will be lost, unless supplied with another Queen, as explained in remarks on Rule 8; for when the Queen becomes unfruitfulby either of the foregoing causes, the bees are not apprized of the losswhich will in future be sustained by them, until after the means ofrepairing the same are gone beyond their reach. All the grubs may havepassed the various stages of their transformation, or at least advanced sofar towards the perfect insect, that their nature cannot be changed to aQueen. The Queen is much more tenacious of life than any other bee, and may liveto a great age. But one Queen exists in the same hive any great length oftime. When there are more than one, the peculiar sound of each, asexplained in remarks on Rule 2, is heard by the other, which alwaysresults in a battle between them, or the issue of a swarm in the course ofa day or two. Bees, when placed in a dark room in the upper part of the house, or someout-house, are easily cultivated a short time with little trouble, and aresometimes made profitable to their owner; but as they are liable to someof the same casualties as those kept in swarming hives, they cannot be asprofitable. Large colonies never increase their stock in proportion to the swarmingcolonies. There is but one female in a large colony, and they can do butlittle more in raising young bees than to keep their stock good byreplenishing them as fast as they die off or are destroyed by the birds, reptiles and insects, which are great admirers of them, and sometimesswallow them by dozens. Now if it requires five swarming colonies to beequal in number to the one first described, it is not difficult to imaginethat five times as many bees may be raised by the swarming colonies: forone Queen will probably lay as many eggs as another. The swarming hives are no more liable to be destroyed by the moth duringthe swarming season, than others, if the hives are kept well replenishedwith bees according to Rule 10. RULE XI. ON FEEDING BEES. If it is found that a swarm need feeding, hitch on the feeder, well storedwith good honey, while the weather is warm in October. The apiarian should use the same precaution in feeding, as directed inRule 4, to prevent robberies. REMARKS. The best time to feed is in the fall, before cold weather commences. Allhives should be weighed, and the weight marked on the hive before bees arehived in them. Then, by weighing a stock as soon as frost has killed theblossoms in the fall, the apiarian will be able to form a just estimate oftheir necessities. When bees are fed in the fall, they will carry up and deposit their foodin such a manner as will be convenient for them in the winter. If feedingis neglected until cold weather the bees must be removed to a warm room, or dry cellar, and then they will carry up their food, generally, nofaster than they consume it. A feeder should be made like a box with five sides closed, leaving a partof the sixth side open, to admit the bees from their common entrance withits floor level, when hitched on the front of the hive. It should be ofsufficient depth to lay in broad comb, filled with honey. If strainedhoney without combs is used for feeding, a float, perforated with manyholes, should be laid over the whole of the honey in the box, or feeder, so as to prevent any of the bees from drowning; and at the same time, thisfloat should be so thin as to enable them to reach the honey. It should bemade so small that it will settle down as fast as the honey is removed bythe bees. As soon as warm weather commences in the spring, the feeder maybe used. Small drawers cannot be depended on as feeders, except in thespring and summer, unless they are kept so warm that the vapor of the beeswill not freeze in them. It would be extremely hazardous for the bees toenter a frosty drawer. They will sooner starve than attempt theexperiment. Drawers may be used without danger from robbers, but when thefeeder is used, robbers must be guarded against as directed in Rule 4. Care should be exercised, in fall-feeding, to supply them with good honey, otherwise the colony may be lost before spring by disease. Poor honey maybe given them in the spring, at the time when they can obtain and providethemselves with medicine, which they only best understand. Sugar dissolved, or molasses, may be used in the spring to some advantage, but ought not to be substituted for honey, when it can be obtained. Bees sometimes die of starvation, with plenty of honey in the hive at thesame time. In cold weather they crowd together in a small compass in orderto keep warm; and then their breath and vapor collect in frost, in allparts of the hive, except in the region they occupy. Now, unless theweather moderates, so as to thaw the ice, the bees will be compelled toremain where they are located until their stores are all consumed that arewithin their reach. One winter we had cold weather ninety-four days insuccession, during which time the bees could not move from one part of thehive to another. I examined all my hives on the eighty-third day, and onthe ninetieth day I found four swarms dead. I immediately examined for thecause, which was as already stated. I then carried all my hives into awarm room and thawed them, so that the bees could move. Some hives that Isupposed were dead, revived; some few swarms I found nearly destitute ofstores, which I carried into the cellar, turned them bottom up, cut out afew of the combs, so as to make room to lay in combs filled with honey, which served as good feeders. RULE XII. ON WINTERING BEES. On the near approach of winter, as soon as the bees have receded from thedrawers and gone below, insert a slide, take out the drawers, and supplytheir places with empty ones, bottom up. Suspend the bottom board at leastone eighth of an inch below the lower edge of the hive, and open theventilator. --Clean off the bottom board as often as the weather changesfrom cold to warm. Close no doors upon them, unless they are kept in aspacious room, and in such a place that the breath and steam of the beeswill not freeze. REMARKS. Various methods have been practised by different individuals. Some haveburied them in the ground, others kept them in the cellar, chamber, &c. One course only will be observed in this place. RULE XIII. ON TRANSFERRING SWARMS. This operation should never be effected by compulsion. FIRST METHOD. Insert drawer No. 1 into the chamber of the hive, to betransferred as early as the first of May. If the bees fill the drawer, they will recede from the lower apartment and winter in the drawer. Asearly in the spring as the bees carry in bread plentifully on their legs, remove the drawer, which will contain the principal part of the bees, toan empty hive. Now remove the old hive a few feet in front, and place thenew one containing the drawer where the old one stood. Now turn the oldhive bottom up. If there are any bees left in the old hive, they will soonreturn and take possession of their new habitation. SECOND METHOD. Take drawer No. 1, well filled by any hive the same season, insert the same into the chamber of the hive, to be transferred inSeptember, (August would be better. ) If the bees need transferring, theywill repair to the drawer and make the same their winter quarters. Thenproceed in the spring as directed in the first method. REMARKS. This management should excite a deep interest in every cultivator, both ina temporal and moral point of view. Temporal, because the lives of all thebees are preserved; moral, because we are accountable to God for all ouracts. We are not to be justified in taking the lives of animals orinsects, which are but lent blessings, unless some benefit to the ownercan be derived from their death, which will outweigh the evils resultingfrom such a sacrifice. Duty compels me to protest in the strongest termsand feelings, against the inhuman practice of taking the lives of the mostindustrious and comforting insects to the wants of the human family byfire and brimstone. When bees have occupied one tenement for several years, the combs becomethick and filthy, by being filled up with old bread and cocoons, made bythe young bees when transformed from a larva to the perfect fly. Bees always wind themselves in their cells, in a silken cocoon, or shroud, to pass their torpid and defenceless (chrysalis) state. --These cocoons arevery thin, and are never removed by the bees. They are always cleanedimmediately after the escape of the young bees, and others are raised inthe same cells. Thus a number of bees are raised, which leaves anadditional cocoon as often as the transformation of one succeeds that ofanother, which often occurs in the course of the season. Now in the courseof a few years the cells become so contracted, in consequence of beingthus filled up, that the bees come forth but mere dwarfs and sometimescease to swarm. Combs are rendered useless by being filled up with oldbread, which is never used except for feeding young bees. A greaterquantity of this bread is stored up yearly than is used by them, and in afew years they have but little room to perform their ordinarylabors. --Hence the necessity of transferring them, or the inhuman sentenceof death must be passed upon them, not by being hung by the neck untilthey are dead, but by being tortured to death by fire and brimstone. It is obvious to every cultivator that old stocks should be transferred. Ihave repeatedly transferred them in the most approved manner, by means ofan apparatus constructed for that purpose; but the operation alwaysresulted in the loss of the colony afterwards, or a swarm which would havecome from them. When it is necessary to transfer a swarm, insert drawerNo. 1 into their chamber in the spring, say the first of May. If they tillthe drawer, let it remain there; if they need to be changed to a new hive, they will recede from the lower apartment and make the drawer their winterquarters, which should remain until warm weather has so far advanced as toafford them bread. Then they may be removed to an empty hive, as directedin the Rule. Now the drawer contains no bread, and should remain in theold stock until the bees can provide themselves with a sufficient quantityof that article to feed their young bees with; for bread is not collectedearly enough and in sufficient quantities to feed their young as much asnature requires. If the bees fail in filling the drawer, one should beused that is filled by another swarm. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. The reader might have expected many things demonstrated in this work, which are omitted by design. The structure of the worker is too well understood by every owner of beesto need a particular description. So also of the drone; and the Queen hasalready been sufficiently described to enable any one to select her outfrom among her subjects. If any further description is desired, theobserver can easily satisfy himself by the use of a microscope. --Everyswarm of bees is composed of three classes or sorts, to wit: one Queen orfemale, drones or males, and neuters or workers. The Queen is the onlyfemale in the hive, and lays all the eggs from which all the young beesare raised to replenish their colony. She possesses no authority overthem, other than that of influence, which is derived from the fact thatshe is the mother of all the bees; and they, being endowed with knowledgeof the fact that they are wholly dependent on her to propagate theirspecies, treat her with the greatest kindness, tenderness and reverence, and manifest at all times the most sincere attachment to her by feedingand guarding her from all danger. The government of a hive is nearer republican than any other, because itis administered in exact accordance with their nature. It is theirpeculiar natural instinct, which prompts them in all their actions. TheQueen has no more to do with the government of the hive than the otherbees, unless influence may be called government. If she finds empty cellsin the hive, during the breeding season, she will deposit eggs there, because it is her nature to do so; and the nature of the workers promptsthem so take care and nurse all the young larvae, labor and collect foodfor their sustenance, guard and protect their habitations, and do andperform all things, in due obedience, not to the commands of the Queen, but to their own peculiar instinct. The drone is probably the male bee, notwithstanding the sexual union hasnever been witnessed by any man; yet so many experiments have been tried, and observations made, that but little doubt can be entertained of itstruth. That the sexual intercourse takes place high in the air, is highlyprobable from the fact, that other insects of the fly tribe do copulate inthe air, when on the wing, as I have repeatedly seen. That the drone isthe male bee, is probable from the fact that the drones are not all killedat once; but at least one in each hive is permitted to live several monthsafter the general massacre. I examined four swarms, whose colonies were strong and numerous, threemonths after the general massacre of the drones, and in three hives Ifound one drone each; the other was probably overlooked, as the bees werethrown into the fire as fast as they were examined. But there are manymysterious things concerning them, and much might be written to littlepurpose; and as it is designed to go no further in illustrations than isnecessary to aid the apiarian in good management, many little speculationshave been entirely omitted in the work, and the reader is referred to thewritings of Thatcher, Bonner, and Huber, who are the most voluminous andextensive writers on bees within my knowledge. Bees are creatures of habit, and the exercise of caution in managing themis required. A stock of bees should be placed where they are to standthrough the season before they form habits of location, which will takeplace soon after they commence their labors in the spring. They learntheir home by the objects surrounding them in the immediate vicinity ofthe hive. Moving them, (unless they are carried beyond their knowledge, )is often fatal to them. The old bees forget their new location, and ontheir return, when collecting stores, they haze about where they formerlystood, sad perish. I have known some fine stocks ruined by moving them sixfeet and from that to a mile and a half. It is better to move them beforeswarming than afterwards. The old bees only will be lost. As the youngones are constantly hatching, their habits will be formed at the newstand, and the combs will not be as likely to become vacated, so as toafford opportunity to the moths to occupy any part of their ground. Swarms, when first hived, may be moved at pleasure without loss of bees, admitting they are all in the hive; their habits will be formed in exactproportion to their labors. --The first bee that empties his sack and goesforth in search of food, is the one whose habits are first established. Ihave observed many bees to cluster near the place where the hive stood, but a few hours after hiving, and perish. Now if the swarm had been placedin the apiary, immediately after they were hived, the number of bees foundthere would have been less. Bees may be moved at pleasure at any season of the year, if they arecarried several miles, so as to be beyond their knowledge of country. Theymay be carried long journeys by travelling nights only, and affording themopportunity to labor and collect food in the day time. The importance of this part of bee-management is the only apology I canmake for dwelling so long on this point. I have known many to sufferserious losses in consequence of moving their bees after they were wellsettled in their labors. Bees should never be irritated, under any pretence whatever. They shouldbe treated with attention and kindness. They should be kept undisturbed bycattle and all other annoyances, so that they may be approached at anytime with safety. An apiary should be so situated, that swarming may be observed, and at thesame time where the bees can obtain food easily, and in the greatestabundance. It has been a general practice to front bee-houses either to the east orsouth. This doctrine should be exploded with all other whims. Apiariesshould be so situated as to be convenient to their owner, as much as anyother buildings. I have them front towards all the cardinal points, but can distinguish nodifference in their prosperity. Young swarms should be scattered as much as convenient during the summerseason, at least eight feet apart. They should be set in a frame and socovered as to exclude the sun and weather from the hive. It is not surprising that this branch of rural economy, in consequence ofthe depredations of the moth, is so much neglected. --Notwithstanding, insome parts of our country, the business of managing bees has been entirelyabandoned for years, I am confident they may be cultivated in such amanner as to render them more profitable to their owners, than any branchof agriculture, in proportion to the capital necessary to be invested intheir stock. They are not taxable property, neither does it require alarge land investment, nor fences; neither does it require the owner tolabor through the summer to support them through the winter. --Care is, indeed, necessary, but a child, or a superannuated person can perform mostof the duties of an apiarian. The cobwebs must be kept away from theimmediate vicinity of the hive, and all other annoyances removed. The management of bees is a delightful employment, and may be pursued withthe best success in cities and villages, as well as towns and country. Itis a source of great amusement, as well as comfort and profit. Theycollect honey and bread from most kinds of forest trees, as well as gardenflowers, orchards, forests, and fields; all contribute to their wants, andtheir owner is gratified with a taste of the whole. Sweet mignonettecannot be too highly recommended. --This plant is easily cultivated bydrills in the garden, and is one of the finest and richest flowers in theworld from which the honey-bee can extract its food. The Vermont hive is the only one I can use to much advantage or profit, and yet there are some other improvements, which are far superior to theold box. In the summer of 1834, I received in swarms and extra honey frommy best stock, thirty dollars; and from my poorest, fifteen dollars. Myearly swarms afforded extra honey which was sold, amounting to from fiveto ten dollars each hive; and all ray late swarms which were doubled, stored a sufficient quantity of food to supply them through the followingwinter. The rules in the foregoing work, perhaps, may be deemed, in someinstances, too particular; yet, in all cases, they will be found to besafe and unfailing in their application, though liable to exceptions, suchas are incident to all specific rules. SUPPLEMENTARY REMARKS. ON RULE FIRST. --The underside of the chamber floor should be planedsmooth; then scratched with a sharp scratch, so as to enable the bees tohold fast; otherwise they may fall suddenly upon the bottom board, whichmay induce them to leave the hive and flee to the woods. That the insideof the hive should be made smooth, is evident from the fact, that combadheres much more firmly to a smooth board than it doss to the smallfibres or splinters which are left by the saw, and is less likely to drop. These remarks were omitted in the work by mistake. RULE SECOND--ON SWARMING AND HIVING, --The Drawers should be turned, so asto let the bees into them at the time of hiving; unless the swarm is sosmall that they can locate in a drawer. REMARKS. --Bees commence making comb, where the whole colony have room towork. Now if the bees can all get into the drawer, they will begin there;of course they will raise young bees and deposit bread in the drawer. Ifthe swarm is so large as to be unable to work in the drawer, there is nodanger of letting them in. At the same time there may be danger if theyare prevented from entering, because they sometimes go off for want ofroom in the lower apartment. I therefore, recommend letting the bees intothe drawers at the time of hiving them, in all cases, except when theswarms are small, then the rule should be strictly adhered to. Notwithstanding I have hived hundreds of swarms in eight years last past, and have not lost a single swarm by flight to the woods, yet I frequentlyhear of losses of this kind, which appears to render these remarksnecessary. My practice in hiving, is to get the bees into the hive as quickas possible, hang on the bottom board, fasten the same forward by means ofthe button so as to prevent the escape of any of the bees, except throughthe mouth of the hive; place the hive immediately where I intend it shallstand through the season. Let the bottom board down 3/8ths of an inch, onthe third day after swarming. REMARKS ON RULE 10. --Small swarms should have the Queens taken from themand the bees returned to the parent stock, so as to keep the old hive wellreplenished with bees during the moth season; likewise to avoid the lossof the old stock by freezing in the winter. Too much swarming frequentlyoccasions the loss of the old stock the winter following, because theirnumbers are so reduced that the necessary animal heat cannot be kept up toprevent them from perishing by cold. There may be more than one queen inall swarms after the first[1], as in all cases when bees make one queenthey make a plurality of them, and if more than one is hatched at the timeof swarming, in the confusion which takes place in the hive, duringswarming, all the queens which are hatched will sally forth with theswarm; hence, in taking away queens, the bee master should look for themuntil the bees begin to return to the parent stock. Cut off a limb andshake the bees on a table to find the queens. ----- [1] Large colonies sometimes loose their queen and have been known to make more, in which case, in order to avoid the conflict of the queens, they have been known to swarm out several bushels of Bees.