Chapter IV: Part 4

"In compliance with your wish, I visited B---- yesterday, and, although not fortunate enough to find Mr. D. at home, I had a long conversation with his gardener, who alone appears to take any interest in the apiarian matters. One wooden hive, brought by Mr. D. from Oxford, is placed behind a wall, through which the Bees issue towards the south; another wooden hive is completely embedded in shrubs, but the entrance faces the north. There is a stock in a portion of a hollow tree, which was found when the tree was cut down, and removed to its present position, also facing the north, and a row of fifteen common straw hives have the same aspect: thus you will perceive that seventeen out of a total of eighteen stock are kept permanently facing the north. The gardener states that he has preferred a north aspect during the last ten years, and that he gets earlier swarms and more honey than his neighbours. For two or three years previously he kept half his Bees to the south, and half facing the north, and by weighing them in the autumn and spring (September and April), invariably found that those facing the south consumed ten times the quantity of food as compared with the others--for instance, if one consumed 10 lbs., the other consumed but 1 lb.; and if one lost 15 lbs. during the winter, the other would only diminish 1-1/2 lb.

"I should state that B---- appears to me a first-rate locality, being close to an extensive heath, now in full flower. The gardener told me that not only had he no difficulty in maintaining second swarms, or casts, during the winter, but that he considered them quite equal to the first or prime swarms. The row of straw hives is sheltered by trees and shrubs towards the south, but lies exposed to the north wind, which the gardener considers most important, as he attributes the diminished consumption in the winter to the cold winds keeping the Bees torpid. The above is all the information I was able to glean during a long conversation, as no kind of memorandum of any of the experiments has been kept, and in the hope that it may prove interesting, I am, &c."

Now, it must be remembered that this has been done in Devonshire, and it is not unlikely that climate may have to be considered as to aspect, and what may do in Devonshire might not answer so well in colder parts. It has frequently been recommended to give Bees an aspect more or less southerly in summer, and a northerly one in winter; but there seems now to be the strongest reason to expect that for all seasons the north will be found most suitable.

NOVEMBER.

The requirements of the apiary are but few during the present month, provided that feeding has been well attended to in the last. Should it, however, have been neglected, no time must be lost in setting about it before cold weather sets in, which may now reasonably be expected.

Feeding.--By this time hornets and wasps will have finished their work of destruction and pillage; each hive, therefore, must now be carefully examined and weighed, and should any be found having less than 18 or 20 lbs. of honey, supply them immediately with a sufficient quantity to bring them up to that weight.

Floor-board.--Clean the floor-board of each hive by scraping It with a knife, and brushing it afterwards with a dry brush, and see that each hive stands firmly on its pedestal, and is well defended against wet; and for effecting this (especially during winter), I have never yet found anything equal to the milk-pan, heavy and unsightly as it unquestionably is. I have seen covers of zinc used, but they are too light and frequently blown off by the wind; and one night's heavy rain at this time of year will very nearly, if not quite, destroy one of the best stocks. A gentleman of my acquaintance has had covers of cork made at a cost of 30_s._ each, and very elegant things they are; but, after about fourteen months' trial, they are abandoned because they will not effectually keep out wet.

Entrances.--The entrance to the hives must now be narrowed so that only two or three Bees can come out at the same time for at this season mice are very likely to lodge themselves in the hives, and they are very hurtful and destructive to the Bees; for, having once fairly lodged themselves in a hive, its entire destruction will be effected by them in a few days. Mr. Huish relates an anecdote of having found a dead mouse in one of his hives. He says, "In the month of December, on inspecting my apiary, I perceived a hive to be in an unusual bustle and the Bees in great agitation. I was convinced that some accident had occurred in the interior of the hive, and I resolved to examine it. To my great surprise I found a dead mouse on the stand, and it was almost covered with propolis (Bee-bread). I first resolved to remove this nauseous object; but, on more mature reflection, I was not willing to forego the opportunity of Experiencing, by actual observation, one of the most profound acts of foresight and wisdom which can possibly be found in the works of the animal creation. What power is that which taught the Bee the necessity of covering the dead mouse with a plaster? It might have been thought sufficient to kill it, that their property might be saved, and then leave it to waste away in the common process of putrefaction. But were this process to be allowed to take place, the health and safety of the whole hive would be endangered. To prevent, therefore, this occurrence, the body of the mouse is, as it were, embalmed in a case of propolis, and the object rots away without emitting any offensive odour." I have myself occasionally found a snail fastened to the floor-board in a similar manner. But a greater enemy to Bees during the winter months than even the mouse will be found in that little marauder the blue titmouse (_Parus major_ of Linnæus), which may be said to stand foremost as their enemy. Mr. Purchase says, "She will eat ten or twelve Bees at a time, and by-and-by, be ready for more. When she comes to the hive and finds none, she knocks with her bill at the door, and as soon as the Bees come out to inquire the cause, she catcheth, first one and then another until her belly be full." This I have observed in an apiary of about twenty hives, in a village nigh to me, for the last two winters; the entrances of the hives by the end of the winter having the appearance of being gnawn by rats, which has all been done by these birds. Shoot and trap them in the winter, and destroy their nests in breeding time.

Removing Supers.--All super as well as nadir hives should now be removed, reducing the room occupied by each stock as much as possible.

Ventilation.--In hives of wood I have always found it necessary during the winter months to withdraw one of the slides at the top of the hive, and place over the opening a feeder or small glass for the purpose of carrying off the condensed vapour, which would otherwise run down the sides of the hive, and cause dampness and mouldiness to the combs, and sometimes the entire destruction of the stock. Mr. Taylor gives a drawing of a condenser for this purpose in his "Bee-Keeper's Manual," page 142, fourth edition, which I have found to be very useful where a feeding-pan could not be placed.

Removing Bees.--Should any of our readers, from what has already been said, feel disposed to try a northern aspect for their Bees, I would recommend their not being removed at this time, except they are brought from a distance, and when it is immaterial at what time they are removed; but if it be only from one part of the same garden to another, it will, be it when it may, be attended with considerable loss; therefore it had better be done when the cells are filled with brood--perhaps towards the end of March.

Advantages of a Northern Aspect.--I still continue to receive very favourable reports from those persons who have tried a northern aspect for their hives. The results in every case already represented to me have been satisfactory; but I am persuaded that the greatest care must be taken to keep the whole exterior of the hives from wet, where they are not placed in a Bee-house; and however averse I may hitherto have expressed myself to the use of Bee-houses, I am now inclined to think that where a northern aspect is decided upon they may be necessary. In Devonshire it may not be required; but wherever hives are placed in this aspect without the protection of a house, I would particularly recommend that, be the coverings whatever they may, they be sufficiently large to prevent the drip from hilling upon the floor-boards of the hives; for this would engender dampness, and the loss of the stock would, in all probability, be the consequence.

Bee-Houses.--It must be remembered that, wherever they are adopted, they require the greatest care as to neatness and cleanliness, for at best they are hiding places for the Bees' worst enemies.

DECEMBER.

Those persons who have been so fortunate in this untoward season as to obtain a few glasses of honey from their Bees' must now look well to their stocks, and by judicious feeding, get them up to 20 lbs. at least, if it has not been already done. I would very strongly recommend the food being supplied at the top of the hive; and should the Bees be in a hive that has not a hole in the top, with a sharp knife make one forthwith, for the danger as well as the inconvenience of feeding at the bottom, and more especially at this season, is very great.

Food.--I believe the best food that can be given, next to honey, which in some years is far too expensive for feeding, is one pound of loaf sugar, one quarter of a pint of water, and one quarter of a pound of honey, simmered for a few minutes over a slow fire till the sugar is melted, and when quite cold,, given to the Bees, and at the top of the hive if possible.

Stocks will require but little attention during this month beyond cleaning the floor-boards, and seeing that there is neither damp nor mould in the hives; and if the floor-boards are observed to be quite dry, it will be a pretty sure indication that all is right within. Stopping-up, however, must not be forgotten when snow lies upon the ground, if the Bees are so placed that the sun shines upon their hives. Shading during the winter months is practised by many persons, and is a very good plan; but when we come to have all our Bees placed in the north, it will be rendered unnecessary. An intelligent cottager brought me a very ingeniously-contrived little apparatus for preventing the sun's rays in winter inducing the Bees to come out, and at the same time preventing the cold winds from blowing into the hives. It is a piece of three-quarter-inch deal, 3 inches wide, and 2-1/2 long, reduced at one end (not in thickness) so as to fit in the mouth of the hive, and then with a gouge the under side is hollowed-out for about 2 inches in length, and five-eighths of an inch in breadth, in a straight line with the entrance of the hive; another hollow of the same dimensions is then made, intersecting at right angles the one already made, so that if the hive faces the south, the Bees come out east and west. The under side has this appearance. Care, however, must be taken that this little contrivance is not pushed into the hive beyond the thickness of the straw; and it must also be remembered that it will require to be taken out occasionally, to brush away the dead Bees that may accumulate inside, or the passage may become blocked up, and the health of the stock endangered.

The population of the hives will now be found to be very much reduced; but alarm for their safety on that account need not to be entertained. It has been frequently said to me, "What becomes of the Bees managed on the depriving systems if they are never suffered to swarm nor are destroyed?" To which my reply has been, That it is well known to those who are conversant with the care of Bees, that their numbers decrease greatly in autumn, not only by the destruction of the drones, but also by the unavoidable deaths of many of the workers, owing to the thousand accidents they meet with in the fields, and owing to age. A much less space, therefore, is required for them in the winter than was necessary in the summer months. Mr. Purchase, who was a very careful observer, says, in his Treatise on Bees, published in 1657, "It is manifest that the Honey-Bees are but yearly creatures; they live but a year and a quarter at most; for those Bees that are seen in May, lusty, full, brown, smooth, and well-winged, will, by the end of July following, begin to wither, becomes less, look grey, and have their wings tattered and torn, and be all dead before the end of August."

Ventilation.--It will be advisable, where Bees are in boxes, to see that they are well ventilated. If in Mr. Taylor's Amateur's Bar Hive, I would recommend the feeding-pan being allowed to remain on during the winter--say till the end of March--and one of the zinc sides of the hive taken out; and if in any other kind of box, let a bell-glass be placed over the opening at the top, on the inside of which the vapour of the hive will condense, and so pass off. "Perhaps," says Mr. Taylor, "there is nothing more prejudicial than the moisture often engendered in hives at this time, particularly after frost, and in certain states of the atmosphere. It accumulates on the top and sides, moulding and rendering offensive the combs, and producing disease amongst the Bees. For this reason, hives with flat roofs have sometimes been objected to, and perhaps, justly, when no provision is made for ventilation." Gelieu obviated the evil by placing caps or small hives over the stocks, the moisture ascending evaporated through the opening. "I have," says Mr. Taylor, "tried different expedients, and have found nothing better than the practice of condensing the vapour of the hive as much as possible, and conveying it away." (See "Taylor's Bee-Keeper's Manual," page 149, fourth edition, where a figure of a condenser is given). I would strongly recommend that particular attention be given to this little matter by those whose Bees are in boxes; for want of it many excellent stocks are lost, or become so depopulated as scarcely ever to recover.

I have never yet found that hives made entirely of straw require any ventilation whatever; indeed, I consider it better for them to have none; while those of wood or glass are in great danger of being destroyed without them, for in very cold weather the vapour of the hive condenses on the top and sides, and runs down upon the floor-board in such quantities as to cause general dampness and mouldiness upon all the combs. When in this state, if timely assistance be not rendered, ruin very soon follows.

Where Bees are in boxes, ventilation is of the next importance to feeding. I have found the best method to secure a perfect ventilation is to leave one of the gratings, or holes at the top of the box, open, from this time till the end of February, and placing over it a small bell-glass, or feeder; the vapour will then condense upon the former, and run down outside the box, or upon the glass of the latter, and be caught in the pan.

Enemies.--Mice and birds must be carefully looked after, for they are both very busy at this time, and will destroy a stock, sometimes very quickly, if allowed to pursue their depredations unmolested.

Hives,--This is a good time to get a supply of straw hives in readiness for the coming season, and to have them well covered with three coats of paint--stone or straw colour is the best; white, when the sun shines upon it, is too dazzling, and any dark colour absorbs too much heat.

Snow.--Whilst snow lies upon the ground, _but not an hour longer_, the entrance of the hives should be stopped with perforated zinc, and not a single Bee allowed to leave them.

INDEX.

Adapting-boards, 8
Alighting-boards, 18
Apiary, aspect of, 5
in northern aspect, 62, 65

Barley-sugar, 39
to make, 25
Bar-frame, compound, 16
Bar hives, 51
Bee dress, 32
trap, 56
Bees, natural history of, 3
drones, 4
Ligurian, 32
queen, 3
workers, 4
removing from one hive to another, 48
removing, 65
Bell-glasses, 8, 22, 38, 42, 46
to expel Bees, from, 28
Boxes, 8
putting on, 46

Comb-bar, improved, 17
Combs, cutting out old, 43
melted, 54
securing in frames, 19
Coverings, 62

Defence, 47
Depriving, 47
Driving, 48, 60
Drones, 45
Dysentery, 40

Early breeding, to promote, 39, 52, 59
Enemies, 37, 39, 63
Entrances, 7 37, 58, 64

Feeding, 25, 37, 38, 42, 50, 63, 66
Feeding-pans, 27
Floor-boards, 18;
to clean, 41, 43, 63
Food, 37, 66
Frames, to secure combs in, 19
Fumigation, 29

Glasses, putting on, 12, 22, 38, 43, 46, 50, 54
taking off, 57
covering for, 47
Guide-combs, 44, 51

Haybands, 41
Hive, stand for, 5, 61
Hives, 6, 38, 41, 54, 68
Amateurs', 10
Bar, 42
Bees forsaking, 41
Fenn's, 11
Neighbour's Improved Cottage, 8
Neighbour's Observatory, 9
Payne's Improved Cottage, 6
Stewarton, 13
Taylor's Amateurs', 10
Tegetmeier's, 14
Woodbury's, 15
of comb, 22, 39, 61
putting on small, 22, 46
to dress, 58
transporting, 58
Hiving, 22
Honey, time for taking, 53, 56
draining from the combs, 29
manner of taking, 28
vinegar, 31

Knife for cutting out combs, 57

Ligurians, 32
multiplying swarms of, 35
to unite, 34

Mead, 30
Mice, 37
Moths, 45

Northern Aspect, 62, 65

Pedestals, 40
Pollen, 40, 41, 44, 50

Queenless Stocks, 52
Queen Wasps, to destroy, 45, 49, 52, 58

Robbers, 58, 62

Shading, 37, 54, 58, 59
Snow, 37, 41, 63
Sparrows, 50
Stands for hives, 5, 61, 62
Stings, remedies for, 31
Stocks, 39, 62, 66
purchasing, 32, 42
to stand the winter, 60
Stupifying Bees, 29
Supers, 18, 47, 59, 65
Swarming, 20, 51
symptoms of, 21
Swarms, 48
artificial, 51
early, 56
premature, 49
returning, 53, 55
second, 22
uniting, 23, 34, 56

Titmouse, 37

Ventilation, 24, 37, 48, 65, 67

Wasps, 42, 54, 63, 62
Wasps' nests, to destroy, 53
Water, 39, 43
Wax, preparation of, 31

Young Bees, 41

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Transcriber Note

Minor typos corrected.