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1756

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K.ThcDrone or Maie Bec . B .T/ie Queen or F e maie S ce . C . The nwrkin^^ee o/no S ex . Jy.Front ofa Single 3 ojc . Y..Back .

G G G . Three Bûxej fomed . H .T/teTape n'fiich tie.f llteEnd3oard^. I . ThcTin Jtoppm^ Itjc Communicalfon . K . TlieBee^ iffuiri^^ ûuto/ t/te Hox

à> l'c ta lien awai/ . L . T/iel. ûndtns: Jioard .

Collatéral B E e-B o x e s.

Or, a New, Eafy, and Advantageous

M E T H o D

o F

Managing Bées.

In which Part of the Honey is taken avvay, in an eafy and pleafant Manner, without de- flroying, or much difturbing the Bées ; early Swarms, if defired, are encou- raged, and late ones prevented.

"S^y STEPHEN WHITE, M. A.

Redlor of Holton in Siiffolk.

Sic Vo^ jatn Vobis. Pauperis efl numerare Pecus. Ova^.^^lj^f^ivi

L O N D O N,

Printed, and fold by Lockyer Davis, and Charles Reymers againft Grays-Inn-Gaîe^ Ho'b^urn. MD C C L V I.

THE

INTRODUCTION.

rr\ HE firft Inventer o( the Oc- 1 tag;onal Bee- Boxes, which we now and then meet with in the Gar- dens of the Curions, was yol)n Gedde Efq. He pubHfhed his Invention, in the Year 1675, having obtained the King's Patent for the famé, and Hke- vt^ife the Approbation of the Royal Society. Thefe Boxes appear, at fîrfl: Sight, to be very expenfive and un- wieldy : and every one, I beUeve, who has experienced them, has found, to his Coft, that thcy anfwer only o?ie of the E77ds the ingénions Gentle- man propofcd by them, and which, A 2 as

149031

iV INTRODUCTION. as his principal End, he fets forth in the Title Page of his E?tgIiJIj Apiary^ vdz. To jree the Ow7iers from the great Charge ajid Trouble that attends the Swarpimg of Bées : that is, in other Words, to deprive the poor Bee- Mafter, of ail the Profit, and one of the higheft Pleafures he can expeâ:, from thefe ufeful and delightful In- feéls. This End, if it be a defirable one, every Bee-Miftrefs may obtain, vvithout beating her Brains, but by only ordering her Artificer to pro- vide a large Quantity of Straw, and make her Hives to contain two Bufhels a-piece.

Many Years after this, Mr. JVar- der of Croydon publifhed his true A- mazo7is^ or Monarchy of Bées, vvhich has gone through no lefs than Eight Editions. Fie direds von, hovv to make the famé Sort of Boxes, with I fome

INTRODUCTION. v

fome, not very material Altérations. He calls this a ncw Difcovery and Improvement, and recomniends it likewifeto his Reader, by telling him, itw'ûlpreve77i Swarming.

In the Approbation of the Royal Society, prefixed to Mr. Gedcles Book, we are told by the Gentlemen of that illuftrious Body, that in the Treatifes, relating to the Management of Bées, we find feveral Draughts, of difierent Bee-Hives, to the Intention of 'ùre- ve?2ti7jg Swarming^ but that none of thofe Ways hâve proved fo effectuai, as the Method prefcribed by Mr. Gedcle.

Biefs me ! (hâve I often faid to iny- felfj why fo much Pains, to hinder me from increafnig my fmall Stock ? Why fhouldthefe Gentlemen deprive me of a Pleafure I fo ardentîy look and long for every Spring, and which

I am

vi INTRODUCTION.

I am more delighted with, than ail the other Pleafures of the Montîi of MajP Can the whole Brute Créa- tion afford a more entertaining Scène, than to fee a vafl: Multitude of thefe diminutive People, merely for the Good of the State they are leaving for ever; to fee them, I fay, with a cheerful Alacrity, abandoning their native Country, to go and fettle in a f oreign Région, they knovv not where ; quitting ail their Treafures, which they hâve laboured fo hard to pro- cure, and fought fo valiantly to dé- fend, and going to feek an empty Floufe, not knowing whether they fliall be able to find one. Behold my little Emigrants ! in Spight of ail our Swarm-Preve?UerSy behold, I fee a Cloud of them, overfhadowing my Garden ! See them hurrying back- vi^ards and forwards, exulting in the

Prefence

INTRODUCTION. vii

Prefence of their Sovereign, obferv- ino; lier Motions, and waiting her Commands, while She, with the double Anxiety of a Queen, and a Parent, is looking for a convenient Branch, on yonder Efpaliers, where She mav reft a-while, and confult what Courfe She is to take, and whither She fliall lead her loyal and beloved Subjecls.

But I muft recall my licentious Imag-ination : I muft leave thefe Ec-

o

ftafies, how pleafing foever, and con- lider, that while I am tranfported, the courteous Reader is unedified. It is Time he fhould know, y et I muft detain him a little longer, before he does know, w^hat he is to find in the followins: Sheets.

The Smallnefs of my Cure, has afforded me more leifure Hours, than

ufually

viii INTRODUCTION.

ufually fall to the Share of a great Part of my Brethren. Many of thefe Hours, during aimoft the whole Space of a now declining Life, hâve been employed in my Bee-Garden ; with as much Innocence, I hope, and a great deal more to my Tafle and Entertainment, than if they had been fpent, with a Gun and Pointer in the Fields, or, in my Parlour, with a Pack of Gard s. Thefe faflii- onable Amufements (efpecially the latter) can afford Httle Entertainment to a contemplative Mind: But the furveying the Works of Nature, par- ticularly the Inftinds and PoHty of many Hving Créatures, and the wonderful Methods they make ufe of, for their Suftenance and Safety, will give a real and high DeUght to a rational Soûl : and as it is next to im-

poffible,

INTRODUCTION, ix

poffible, to turn our Thoughts to the Obfervation of thefe Créatures, without lifting them up, at the famé Time, in Adoration of Him vvho formedthem, this will, in amanner, fandify our Pleafures, and turn even our Diverjions^ into a Sacrifice to our Maker.

Majtifold aî'e the Worh of God^ and 171 Wifdom bas he made them alL But if my Partiality for my favourite Infeds, does not very much deceive me, their indefatigable Induftry, their Loyalty to their Queen, the geome- trical Accuracy of their Combs, ^c. are Wonders, not to be met with, in any of the innumerable Beafts, Birds, or Infeds, that are upon the Face of this Earth.

My Fondnefs for thefe little Ani- mais, foon put me upon endeavour-

B ing,

X INTRODUCTION.

ing, if poflible, to fave them from Fire and Brimflone. I thought I had Reafon to be content, to fhare their Labours, for the prefent, and great Reafon to rejoice, if I could, at the famé Time preferve their Lives, to work for me another Year. The main Drift therefore of ail my Ob- fervations and Experiments has been, to difcover an eafy and cheap Method, fuited to the AbiUties of the common People, of taking away fo miich Ho- ney as can well be fpared, without deftroying or ftarving the Bées : And by the famé Means to eiîcotirage^ ra- thcr than prevent Swarming, I mean firft, and feafonable Swarms ; for fé- cond, and late Swarms, being Httle worth, and very prejudicial to the old Stocks, thcy ought, and in the Method I propofe, may eafily be pre- I vented.

INTRODUCTION. xi

vented. This Dcfîgn, I can afliire every Lover of Bées, and every Lo- ver of himfelf, /. e. of his own In- terefî:, vvith ail the Confidence of a Projedlor, I hâve, after a great many unavailing Experiments, at laft fully accompliilied.

jl don't vvonder, that Kpicwruss

Atoms, without either Hand or

Head to direct them, lliould be fo

long in forming the Univerfe, and

fhould make fo many vvrong and

imperfecl Worlds, before they hit

on a right one, finte my Deal

Boards, much iîtter Materials for

the Purpofe, than Atoms, affifted

vvith ail the Mechanical Skill, that

I, and my ingénions Garpenter, are

Mafters of, hâve been jumbled toge-

ther, in fuch a Variety of vvrong

and ineffedliial Forms, and been

B 2 almoft

xii INTRODUCTION.

almoft Forty Years in making a Bee- Box ; fuch a plain and limple Bee- Box, as y ou will fee in my firfl: Chap- ter.

A New,

A New, Eafy, and Advantageous

M E T H O D

O F

Managing Bées.

c H A p. I.

DireEîio?ts how to make a fingle Box,

IT may be made of Deal, or any other Boardsj vvell feafoned, that are not apt to warp or fplit. The Boards fliould be near an Inch thick. Let it be eig-ht Inches and haif in Height and Breadth, every Way, meafuring vvithin, and including the Space the thin Boards take up at the Ends, as if there were no fuch

Boards.

D. H. HILl UBRÀRY North Carc'Ina State CôWetiè

( 14 ) Boards. Witîi thefe Dimeniions, it will contain about a Peck and one Pint. The Box is in Figure Four Square. The Front Part, muft hâve a Door eut in the Middle of the Bot- tom Edge, about Four Inches wide, and half an Inch in Height, which will give free Liberty to the Bées to pafs through, yet not be large enough for their Enemy the A^oufe to enter. In the back Part you muft eut a Hole with a Rabbit in it, in which you are to iîx a Pane of the cleareft and beft Crown-Glafs, about Five Inches in Lengthj and Three in Breadth, and faften it with Putty. Let the Top of the Glafs be placed, as high as the Roof within-fide, that you may fee the upper Part of the Combs, where the Bées, with their Riches, are nioftly placed. You will, by that nicansj be better able to judge

of

( 15 )

of their State and Strength, tlian if your Glafs was fixt in the Middle. Such as are delirous of feeing more of the Bées Works, may make the Glafs as large as the Box vvill admit, vvithout weakening it too much ; which may be prevented by nailing a little Slip of Board crofs the Bottom. The Glafs mu fi: be covered with a thin Pièce of Board, by Way of Shut- ter, which may be made to hang over the Glafs, by a Pièce of Tape, going through the upper Part of the Shutter, and fafliened on the Top of the Box, by thrufting both Ends into a Gimlet Fîole ; and after driv- ing a Peg pretty hard into the Hole, you may eut off the Peg clofe to the Box.

As for the two other Sides of the Box, which, for Diflindion Sake, I cûl Em'isy they are not to be wholly

enclofed.

( i6 ) enclofed. A Space is to be left in each End, near an Inch wide at the Top, and another Space more than an Inch wide at the Bottom: which Spaces are to be extended in Length, the whole Breadth of the Box. Thro' thefe, the Bées are to hâve a Com- munication from one Box to another. To form thefe Communications, a thin Pièce of Ait Deal mufl: be let into the Edses of the Front and the back Boards, fo as to be flufh with the Edges of thofe Boards.

In the next Place, you are to pro- vide a Pièce of Ait Deal, full half an Inch thick, and large enough to co- ver one of the Ends, but to be ufed indifferently, fometimes at one End, and fometimes at the other : for which Reafon, it is not to be nailed, but tied on, in the following Man- ner3 viz, Take about three Quarters

of

( 17 ) of a Yard of prctty ftrong Tape, which I chufe, bccaufe it is lefs apt to relax and ilacken than Pack- ihread. Fix one End of the Tape, in the Front-Board, about Six In- ches above the Mouth, and diredlly over the Middle of it. Let this End of the Tape be faftened in a Gimlet- Hole, with a Peg drove hard in, and then eut off clofe to the Board, as vvas direéled for the Shutter. You are next to bore a Hole on each Side of your Glafs, Six Inches and a Half from the Bottom of the Box : into each of thefe Holes, drive a Peg, which may ftand out more than an Inch from the Box. Let the Pegs be made of Afh, which is a tough Wood, and let one End of them be flat, that you may fcrue them out or in, the more conveni- ently. When this is done, take

G your

(i8) your loofe End-Board, and fet ît in its proper Place, fo that it may co- ver one of the Ends, it matters not vvhich : then drawing your Tape as tight as you can over ic, faften the End of it to one of the Pegs by the Side of the Glafs. This will confine your End-Board, and keep the up- per Part of it clofe to the Box : and if the lower Part fhould gape a Httle, or ftart from the Box, you may keep it tight, by a Nail or tvvo, drove fo gently into the Stool, on which the Box is placed, that you may, when- ever you hâve Occafion, draw them eut with your Fingers : Or, if you like it better, you may add another Tape, with Pegs as before, to go crofs the lower Part of the End- Board.

The Gimlet Holes I hâve direded, need not be carried quite throughthe

Board,

(19) Board, and it is better tliey fliould not: for if any Part of the String ap- pears v/ithin the Box, it will give Of- fence to the Bées, and coft them a great deal of Pains to pull it to Pie- ces.

You hâve now only to fîx a Stick, crofîing the Box from End to End, about Three Inches from the Bot- tom, to be a Stay to the Combs; and when you hâve painted the whole, tomakeit more durable, your Box is finifhed.

The judicious Bee-Mafter, I hope, will hère obferve, that the Form of the Box I hâve been defcribing, is as plain, as it is poffible for it to be. It is little more than Three Square Pièces of Board nailed together: fo that a poor Cottager, who has but Ingenuity enough to faw a Board into the given Dimenfions, to fquare C 2 it

(20)_

ît exadly, and to drive a Nail, may make his own Boxes well enough, without the Flelp, or the Expcnce of a Carpenter.

C H A P. II. Haw to hive a Swarm i7tto the Boxes»

/^ g ^ O do this, you are to take a J, Box, witli one End-Board tied to it (as before direéted) on your Right Hand, and another Box, with the End-Board tied to it on your Left Hand; fet thefe two together, leav- ing the Communications open from one Box to another : then tye the Boxes together, as faft as you can, with a Stringgoing Five or Six Times round them. The Boxes fhould not

be

be tied, till y ou are juft goîng to ufe them, becaufe the String vvill grow ilack with ftanding, and then the Boxes vvill be apt to ûvf one from the other, as y ou handle them.

Becarefulto tye the Shutters clofe to the Glafs, that the Light may not enter : for the Bées feem to look up- on the Light, as a Hole, or Breach in their Houfe, and, on that Ac- count, may not fo vvell like their new Habitation. But the principal Thing to be obferved, at this Time, is to cover the Boxes, as foon as ev^er the Bées are hived, with a Lineu Cloth, thrown loofely over them; and it may be proper to lay fome green Boughs upon them befides, to protecl them from the piercing Heat of the Sun. Boxes will admit the Heat much fooner than Straw-Hives ; and if the Bées find their Houfe too I hot

( =2 )

Iiot for them, they will be wi/è e- nough to leave it. In ail other Ref- peds, they are to be hived in Boxes, after the famé Manner as in common Hives, which being well known, I need not ftay to give particular Di- rections concerning it.

CHAP. III.

In what Ma7iner a7td Situation to place the Bées when hived*

R. Gedde^ and Mr. Warder^ hâve direéled very cojîly Bee^ Houfes (as it is fit they fliould) for the Réception of their jine-wrought Boxes. Thefe may ferve well enough for an Ornaraent to a Gentleman's Garden, or for the Amufcment of the Curions : but my Endeavours are

chiefly

( 23 )

chiefly laid ont, and my Boxes în- tencîed, for the Ufe and Advantage of the induftrious Farmer, and poor Cottager: and I do hère affure them, from my own long Expérience, that their Bées vvill be fafe, in thefe Box- es, though they ftand in the open Air, in the coldeft Winter. Be but careful to fkreen them from the Sun^ and then bid Défiance to the puffing Cheeks of Boreas : fkreen them from the Summer Sun, becaufe the Heat of it is greater than the Bées, or their Works, can bear : and fkreen them from the Winter Sun, the Warmth of which will draw them from that léthargie State, which is natural to Bées, as vvell as many other Infeds, in the Winter Seafon. A certain De- gree of Cold, and a greater Degree of it than is commonly imagined, is favourable to Bées in Winter : it

chilis,

( 24 ) chillsj and benumbs their little Bo- dies, fo that their animal Spirits are very little wafted by Perfpiration, and confeqiiently, there is little or no Occafion to recruit them by Eating. If a fharp Froft continues for the Space of Two or Three Months, vvith- out Intermiffion, you may obferve, througli your Glaffes, that the Bées are, ail this Time, clofely linked to- îïether in Cluflers, betvveen the Combs. If they are not altogether vvithout Motion, yet 'tis certain they ftir not from their Places, while the Cold continues, and confequently eat not at ail: and if fuch a Froft vvas to laft ail the Winter, our Bées, I am perfuaded, would be no Sufterers, either by the Cold or by Fafting : on the contrary, they would fave ail their Winter Stores : and if vou could fuppofc the Flowers to fpring fud-

denly

(25)

dcnly out of the Grourid, at the End of this Froft, they would as fuddenly recover thcir former Adivity, with the returning Heat, and go forth to their Labours, with their ufual Vi- gour and Alacrity. This gives us a plain, and the true Reafon, why more Bées are obferved to die in warm and open, than in cold and fevere Winters : and for the famé Reafon, Mr. Gedcle s Obfervation, I am confi- dent, is a very juft one, that Bees^ jîanding on the North Skie of a Btiild- i?tg^ whofe Height iîitercepts the Sun Beams ail the Winter^ will wafle lefs of their Provifon (almojî hy Half) than others Jla?îding always in the Sun \ for comi7îg feldom forth ^ they eat little^ and y et in the Spri?îg are as forward to work^ and tofwarjn^ as thofe that had twice as miich Honey^ i7i the Autumn

before,

D Let

(26)

Let yoiir Bées therefore be fo pla- ced, that the Sun may not fhine upon them at ail in the Winter, to entice them Abroad, vvhen they can get nothing but an Appctite, which, though it be neceflary to the Health of a Man, is not always requifite to the Health of an Infeél.

As for the Summer Sun, though the Boxes (as I hâve faid) muft be carefully proteded from it, the ex- perienced Bee-Mafter will eafily un^ derftand my Meaning, viz, that it muil not be fufFered to dart its Rays on the Top, or Sides of the Boxes, which they will by no means bear ; but it ought to fhine on the Skirts of them, where the Entrance for the Bées is made, which will be of Ser- vice to thern, in many Refpedls.

Your Boxes muft likewife be ftiel- tered from Rain, as common Hives

are;

( 27 )

are ; for the Wet getting in betv/een thc Joints, vvill caufe the Combs to mould, and otherwifc incommode the Bées. The folio wing eafy F rame will fufficiently défend them botli from Sun and Rain.

Getapretty thick Board Seven Feet and a Half long, and One Inch wider thanthe Boxes, for your Floor. Let the upper Side of it be very fmooth and even, that the Boxes may ftand true upon it: then iîx in the GroundFour Oaken Pofts, about the Bignefs of fuch as are ufed for dry in g Linen. Let the Pofts, or Pillars, be faftencd together at each End vvith a ftrcng Pièce of Board, about a Foot from the Ground in this Form, J c for the Ends of the Floor to reft upon. This Floor muft be fupportcd in the Mid- dle, to keep it from fwagging: you may then place on it Thrce Colonies D 2 or

(28)

or Setts of Boxes, confifting of Threc Boxes to a Sett. And there will be Room, if Need be, to add a fourth, to one of the Setts. There fhould be feveral AwQ;er-Holes bored in proper Places in your Pillars, in which Holes you are to thruft pretty ftrong wocden Pins, on which, Floors may be fupported for Two more Rows of Boxes. Thefe 'Floors muft be placed, in Summer, Four or Five Inches above the Boxes underneath : in "Win ter they may be let dovvn, fo as to lye flat upon the Boxes, which will keep them clofer, and warmer. You are then to dé- fend them from the Sun by placing thin loofe Boards, one upon another, edgeways, from Pillar to Pillar, in the Front, remembring to eut Niches in thefe Boards, over againfl: every Mouth, or Entrance into the Boxes:

Then

(29)

Then make fome Larxding-Boards, for the Bées to pitch upon, in the following Manner : Take a Pièce of Board three or Four Inches wide, and in Length, about Six Inches on one Edge, but fhorter on the other. On one Side of this, clofe to each End, nail a SHp of Wood, fo that it may extend about Tvvo Inches beyond the Board, See Figure L. Thruft the Two Ends ftanding out, into the Mouthof the Box, fo that the Land- ing- Board may corne clofe to the Floor, and be level with it, or rather bending a Httle dovvnwards.

The laft Thing you are to provide, is a Cover or Roof for the vvhole, which had befl: be a moveable one. This may be made with Two broad Boards, or Four narrow ones fcather- edged, faflened together, in the Form of the Roof of a Houfe, only much

flatter,

■ (30) flatter. In thîs Roof, you may make

Four Holes, for the Tops of the Four

Pillars to go into, which will be a

fufficient Stay or Faftening for it, and

you may let it down, or raife it up,

according to the Number of your

Boxes, or take it quite off, whenever

there is Occalion. I hâve only to

add, that every Part of the Frame

fhould be VvtII painted, to make it

bear the Weather, and be the more

lafting.

CHAP. IV.

How to order the Bées in the Boxes,

AviNG hived a Swarm inTwo Boxes, as before direded, and placed them, in the Evening, where they are to remain ; the String, vvith

which

(3i)

which you tied tlie Boxes together, may then be taken off : and the Shut- ters for your Glaflès being at Liberty, obferve which of the Boxes the Bées hâve made Choice of, for their pre- fent Refidence, and flop the Mouth of that Box with a Slip of Board, the End of which is iîtted to theOpening, fo that they may work only out of the empty Box: The Reafon of which will appear by and by. Af- ter a few Days, if the Weather be fine, your Httle Labourers will fliew you a beautiful Spécimen of their Work : You will lèe, with Pleafure, Two or Three délicate, white, and almoft tranfparent Combs, appear a- mong the Bées. They will fiU one Box with their Works, before they begin in the other ; foon after they hâve begun in the fécond, it will be proper to give them a third, which is

thus

(32)

thus performed. Your provicient Bées, by this Time, vvill havejoined the End-Board to the Box, ail round the iipper Communication, with a gluey Sort of Refin, which the An- cients called Propolis ^ for they are careful to llop every little Hole or Crevice that is found in their Houfes, with this refiny Subftance, juft as we careen our Ships with Pitch and Tar. You are therefore to take a thin Knife, and eut through this Refin, till you find the End-Board at Liberty. Af- ter this, you muft loofen tlle String that ties this Board, and having pro- vided a Sheet of double Tin, thruft it gently between the Box and the End- Board, to feparate them : then taking a- way the Board, fet an empty Box in the Room of it. Which done, with a gentle HanddrawawayyourTin, and thruft the new Box clofe to the other,. I Your

( 33 ) Your Bées will be pleafed with this Addition to their Habitation. In- ftead of aDwelling oî Straw^ which is no better than living in a Barn^ you had before given them a Hall-^ and Parlour^ neatly wainfcoted : and now you furnifh them with a Draw- ing-Room^ where for fome time, they may cool and refrefh themfelves in a fultry Day, and afterwards fîll it with their Stores.

You are hère Hkewife to remem- ber, that the Mouth of this third Box muft be ftopped Hke the firft, that their Entrance may be oniy in the fé- cond or middle Box.

E CHAP.

(34)

CHAP. V.

How to take awqy Part oj the Ho- ney-, withotit defiroying^ or much dijîu7'bîng the Bées,

NO true Lover of Bées, I am perfuaded, ever lighted the fatal Match, that was to deftroy his little Innocents, with Hvid Fiâmes, and a Smoak, that ftrikes them dead with its intolérable Stench, without much Concern and Uneafinels. Be- lides; we are not to imagine, that the bountiful Creator, who has in- deed given us ail Things richly to e7ijoy^ has likewife given us • fuch an uncontrollable Righty of Life and Death^ over ail his Créatures, that we may kill them at, and for our Pleafure, I know no Right we hâve

over

( 35 ) over the Life oï the meaneft Infedl,

or vileft Worm that creeps upon the Earth, unlefs the killiiig it be, fome way or other, ufeful and bénéficiai to us. We may take away the Lives of our Cattle, in order to fupport our own vvith the Flefli of theni : but it would be a criminal Pièce of Cruelty, as well as Folly, to butcher an in- nocent Sheep, meerly for the Sake of its Fleece, which we might take again and again without hurting it. If then we can take froni our Bées, a confiderable Quantity of their fuper- fluous Honey and Wax, without in- j 11 ring them ; if they will work for us another, and many other Years, and every Year pay us fair and reafonable Contributions; why fhould we treat f/jem with unneceflary Cruelty, and hurt ourfelves by a Greedinefs, that will turn to our Préjudice? Avarice E 2 often

(36) often mîftakes its own Intereft. k never can be niade to underftand, or believe, that Dimidium plus toto. It is evidently more to our Advantage, to fpare the Lives of our Bées, and be content with Part of their Stores, than to kill, and take PoiTefTion of the Whole.

We hâve long fince been direded how to do this, in the Ufe of Mr. Geddes Boxes: But the Method pre- fcribed, is fo tedious and difficult, and fo perilous too to the Operator, that it has very rarely been pradifed, and hardly ever attended with Succefs. The Method I would recommend, and which I pradife myfelf, with Eafe and Safety, and high Delight, is as foUows :

About the middie of Aiigtift^ by a Httle Infpedion through your Glafies, you may eafily difcover,

which

( 37 ) which of your Colonies y ou may lay

under Contribution. Such as hâve hlled Three Boxes, will pretty rea- dily yield you one of them, vvhica is paying you a larger Tax, than any other free-Britons^ < except the Men of Totnefs^) would be willing to comply vvith, viz, Seven Shillings in the Pound. It is beft to take the Box vvhere there are feweft Bées, becaufe the Queen-Bee is not likely to be there. The propereft Time, is about Tvvo or Three o'Clock in the After- noon ; and though the Bées are aélive and bufy at this Time of Day, yet as you ftand behind the Frame, you will need no Armour for the Attack, ex- cept, perhaps, a Pair of Gloves, and a broad brimmed Hat flouched over your Eyes. The Opération itfelf is no more than this : Open the Mouth of the Box you are going to feize ; or

it 4

( 38 )

it may be better if you opcn only

that half of it, which is furthefi: from

the middle Box : then, with a thin

Knife, eut throiigh the Refin with

which the Bées hâve joined this Box

to the middle one, till you find you

hâve feparated them: after which,

thrufl: your Sheet of Tiii gently be-

tween the Boxes, and your Work is

done ; and you will, with Pleafure

and Surprize, obferve the EfFeâ:s of

it: for the Communication being

ftopped, the Bées in the two Boxes

(where it is moft Hkeîy their Queen

is) will be a Httle difturbed at the O-

peration, but thofe in the fingle Box

will appear diftraâ:ed. They foon

become fenfible, that their Sovereign

is not amongfl: them : they then run

to and fro in the utmoft Hurry and

Confufion, and fend forth a mourn-

ful Cry, eafily to be diftinguiflied from

their

( 39 ) their other Notes. Immediately it is proclaimed, throughout the Territo- ries, that the Society is dijfolved, Aîniffd riipere Jidem ; and that every one is to iliift for himfelf as well as he can. Accordingly, they iffue ont at the new Door you hâve opened for them; but not in a Body, as vvhen they fvvarm, for the Eody, with Re~ fpedl to this Box, is no more. Nor do thèy corne ont, with that calm and cheerful Adlivity, as vvhen they go forth to their Labours ; but now and then a Bee or two burfts out, with a wild Flutter, and in a vifible Rage and Diforder: but this is quickly over; for no fooner are they got abroad, but they fpy their Fellows, and fly to them with eager Hafte, at the ufual Mouth of the middle Box : and knowing very well, by the Cahii- nefs of their Behaviour, that the Queen

is

(40 ) is fafe, and rejoicing at being agaiii reftored to the Common-wealth, they either forget, in the midft of their TranfportSj or do not at ail regret the Lofs of the Riches they hâve left behind them. Thus in an Hour or two, (for they go out flowly) you will hâve a Box of pure Honey, with- out a lîving Eee in it to moleft you, and without dead Bées too, as you alvvays hâve, w^hen you burn them, which are mingled with your Honey, and both wafte and damage it.

Vv^hen you carry off the Prize, (which having fo fairly taken, you may with a fare Confciencecondemn, and enjoy with Pleafure) you are to fet an End-Board in the Room of it, for they will hâve no Occafion for an empty Box before the following Spring: then drav/ing away your Tin, and ty- ing the End-Board as tight as you can,

with

(41) ivith your Tape, you may take your

Leave of them, wifhing them a cold

JVinter^ and a fou?id Sleep till Fe^

bruary.

CHAP. VI.

Of the Adva7îtages of thefe Boxes ahove Straw-Hives^ or the Boxes i?ivented byMr. Gedde.

I . TV T O Part of the Honey can i^ betakenoutofStraw-Hives, without deftroying the Bées: (for driving them, is, in efFeâ:, deftroy- ing them) and this.you are obliged to do, when your Hives are three or four Years old; becaufe then the Combs (net the Bées, as is vulgarly fuppofed) growold, andunfitfor Ufe: and our Bées, for what Reafon I F knovi

( 42 )

know not, will not demolifli their old Combs, in order to make new ones: fo that by burning your old Hives^ and your poor ones^ neither of which yield much Honey, you commonly lefîen your Stock, as much, or more, than your Swarms will make good. Whereas in the Ule of thefe Boxes, you are every Year^ by Swarms, encreafing your Stock y and barring Accidents, and excepting that you muft, now and then, burn a very poor one, you ?îevej^ dwtinijlj it. For your Boxes, in this Method, are ail of them, by Succeffion, fupplied with new Gombsy before the old ones are decayed: and as for the Bées, if you guard them from Accide?2ts^ and fave them from Pcvertyy they will conti- nue, by Succeffion, to the E^id of the World,

2. In

( 43 ) 2. In this Method, you may, with

very little Trouble, cither give them

more^ or confine them in lejs Room^

as there iiiall be Occafion. If, in

the Spring, you confine them to two

Boxes, which areequaito a fmallHive,

this vvill caule them to fwarm early :

if you allow them three, which con-

tain as much as a large Hive, your

Svvarms will be later, but larger : the

latter, I beUeve, will, for the moft

Part, turn to beft Account. After

the firft Svvarm, it vvill be a greater

Advantage to you than is commonly

imagined, toaddathird, or, if need

be, a fourth Box, to prevent fécond

and late Svvarms. By this Means, ail

yOur Colonies will be v/ell ftocked with

Bées, in which their Safety chiefly

confifts : for whenever a Hive is re-

duced, by over-fwarming, or other-

wife, to a fmall Number of Bées,

F 2 they

(44) they commonly become a Prey to Robbers, orMoths, or fome other of their Enemies : and though they ef- cape their Enemies, they feldom profper. If your Situation be good, andtheSeafon favourable, fuch Colo- nies as require afourth Box toprevent fécond Swarms, will ufually allow you tô take two Boxes from them in the Autumn.

3. Your Bées will be much better proteâred from their Enemies y in thefe Boxes, than in Hives, Mice pretty frequently make their Way througb Straw-Hives, and deftroy them, but tinlefs you make the Mouthtoo large,, they can no Ways enter your Boxes*

The Moth is, in Appearance, the weakeft of ail their Enemies, yet de- « ftroys more Bées, than ail their Ene- mies beiides. She lays her Eggs, un- der the Skirts of the Hives, and the I Warmth

(45) Warnith of the Bées hatcli them to

their ovvn Deftrudion. From the Egg ifïues forth a fmall whitidi Worm, or Caterpillar, which inftantly fpins it- felf a fine, filken Sheath, or Gallery, which proteéls it from the Attacks of the Bées: for thefe Galleries being wrought Hke a Spider's Webb, the Bées avoid them, it may be fuppofed, for Fear of being entangled therein. Thefe Worms, as they increafe in Bulk, enlarge their Galleries, till they reach the Combs, when putting out their Heads, which are armed with Scales, as with a Helmet, and fo im- pénétrable by the Bées Stings, they fecurely feed on and devour their cu- rions Works, till the poor difcreiîèd Bées are forced to abandon their Ha- bitation.

My Boxes, I freely own, will not fecure the Bées from thefe dangerous

Enemies ;

(46) Enemîes ; but they are not, I hâve Reafon to think, fo miich infefted with them as Hives are. Befides, there is a Remedy to be had in Boxes, which Hives will not admit of ; for by Means of the Glafs Lights, you may difcover the Moths, before they hâve done much Damage; and you may take away the infeded Box, and fave the others ; or you may clear it of Moths, and then reftore it to the right Owners.

4. în the Ufe of thefe Boxes, you are furnifhed with the only Method of preferving poor Stocks by feeding them. The bcft Way hitherto prac- tifed, is to give them a large Quan- tity of Honcy in September^ moft of which, ii melted, and mixed with Water, to bring it to a proper Con- fîftency, they will lay up in their Combs for thcir Win ter Store. I hâve

niany

(47) many Times, tried this Metliod ; and my Bées hâve periflied vvith Hunger, with a good deal of this Honey re- maining in their Combs. This, I think, can no Way be accounted for, unlefs we fuppofe, that the Honey, thus thinned with Water, will not keep, ail Winter, in the open Cells ; for the Bées never féal it up, as they do the Reft of their Honey : or elfe, that the crude Wax, commonly called Bee-Breadj with which every Hive is ftored, is as neceffa?y to their Subiifl:- ence as Honey ; and that when this is ail fpent, Honey alone will not keep the m fiovn perijhing.

But if your Bées are in the Boxes I hâve defcribed, you hâve an eafy and effedual Method of preferving Part at leaft of your weak Colonies : For you hâve Nothing more to do, than to burn the Bées of one poor Stock,

and

(48) and fet the Boxes, or one of them, with ail the Combs to another. By this Means, the Bées y ou fave, are iupplied with a frefh Store both of Bread and Honey, in their natural State ; and enjoy the Labours of their fufFering Brethren, in the famé Man- ner, as they do their own. This, the good-natured Bee-Mafter, it is hoped, will comply with, now and then, though it be with Reluclance, fince there is, in this Café, a cruel Neceffity, either of dejîroy'mg one Stock to preferve another, or of fuffer- ing both of them to perifh.

5. Itwill not, I think, beneceflàry to fay much concerning the Advan- tasfes of thefe Boxes, above thofe of Mr. Gedde. His Boxes are direded to be each as large as a Bufliel; and they are to be raifed, one upon ano- ther, three Storics high, wdth a Hole

of

{ 49 ) of Communication in the Top of each Box. Now when the poor Bce, afcer traverfing the Fields far and wide, returns Home vveary and heavy laden, She has Occafion, per- haps, to depoiit her Burden, uptvvo Pair of Stairs in the Garret. The lower Room, 'tis Kkely, is not yet fur- nifhed vvith Stairs, /. e, with Combs : For our Uttle Architeds, you knovv, lay the Foundation of their Structures at the Top, and build dovvnwards. In this Café, the weary Httle Labou- rer, is to drag her Crura l'hyjiio ple?ja up the Sides of the Walls. When She has doue this, She will travel, many Times, backwards and forwards, (as I hâve frequently feen) along the Roof, before She finds the Door, or Paffage into the fécond Story. Hère again, She is perplexed with a like puzzling Labyrinth, before She gets

G into

( 50 ) înto the Third. What a Wafte is liere, of that precious Time, which our Bées value fo much, and which they employ fo vvell ? And what an Expence ofStrength, and Spirits, on which their Support and SuPcenance dépends? whereas, in the Collatéral Eoxes, the Rooms are ail on the Ground-Floor : and becaufe I know Tuj Bees are wife enough, to value Convenience more than State, I hâve made them of fuch a moderate, tho' décent, Height, that they hâve much lefs Way to ciimb to the Top of them, than they hâve to the Crov/n of a çommon Hive.

6. TheDifficultyof drivingthe Bees eut of Mr. Geddes Boxes, in order to take the Honey, has been touched upon before ; as likevvife the vaft Ex- pence of them ; which alone, had they been never fo well contrived in

other

( 51 ) other Refpecls, would be fufficîcnt

to prevent their being brought into

commoii Ufe. The Expence of my

Boxes, and of the Frame I hâve de-

fcribed, if you make a reafonable

Allovvance for the Diiratioft of them,

will notj I am confident, prove

o^reater in the E7id. than the Charo;e

of Straw-Hives, and of the Frames

that are made, in moft Places, for

their Réception : and a great deal of

this Expence may be faved, where

the Bee-Mafter will be fo pro vident,

as to fave or procure Ends and Rem-

nants of Boards, of little Value,

vvhich may ferve very vvell for this

Purpofe. The Charge of the Frame,

too, may be faved, if he can fpare a

Place vvithin any of his Buildings (ef-

pecially if they be boarded) where he

may fix his Stools for the Boxes to

ftand on, making Holes at proper

G 2 Diftances

(52)

Diftances for the Bées to work out at : nor need he be very folicitous con- cerning the Afpeâ:, or Height of his Buildings : for I hâve known Bées thrive well, and get a large Quantity of Honey, which were placed almoft at the Top of a high Turret in 7r/- nity Collège^ and on the North Side ofit.

The Conclusion.

A VIN G now fully inflruded the candid Reader, in the Strudure, Ufe, and Advantages of my Boxes, I fhould hère leave him to calculate, by hiinfelf, his future Profits^ in this ?îew Met Iiod of mcinag- ing his Bées, but that I am a little afraid he will reckon too fait ; and

this

(53) this I tlilnk myfelf bound in Confci-

ence to prevent. " I hâve now got half a Dozen old Hives, fays the ho- neft CountrymanjandI vvill imme- diately order my Carpenter, to make Col — what d'y»^ call'um, Boxes, for ail my Swarms. Every Swarm I get, will add to my Stock ; and I fliall hardly be fuch a Pool, as to leffen it any more, by burfi'mg ÛiQpoorthings.^ fince I can get Honey and Wax e- nough for the Market without it. So thisSummer, if I hâve any Luck, I fhall hâve Six Swarms at leaft, then the Numberof my Colonies, as the Parfon calls 'em, will beTwelve : the next Summer, I fhall hâve Twenty Pour; and fobydoublingmy Stock every Year, I fhall foon hâve as ma- ny as my îittle Garden will hold.'* The Romantick Lady, in the enter-

taining Hifiory of Bees^ tranflated

from

( 5+ ) from the French in 1744, has qiiite outdone my Countiyman, in her Computations. Her Philofopher had told her of a wild and impraticable Mcthod, of taking Part of the Ho- ney, and faving the Lives of her Bées, by driving them into a Corner of the Hive, by the Smoak of a Rag, while the Operator (bold Man!) fhould pare away with his Knife, as many of the Combs as he thought proper. Upon this, the charitable Lady, tranfported with the Difco- very, forms the following benevolent Scheme, for the Beneiit of her poor Neighbours. Rvery Inhabitant ofmy Hamiety lâys fhe, Jloall he provided with two Hives» Rvery Hive^ [in France] wili^ o?îe with the other^ p^o- duce two good Swamis^ fo a Ma7t who is 720W pojfejfed of Two Hives^ will hâve Six 7iext Tear^ Eighteen the foIIowi77g^

Fifty

■ ( 55 ) Fifty four the four^th^ mîd the Fifth a Hiindred aiid Sixty iwo^ and so on. The good Lady, I think, might hâve been content (but her Charity knew no Bounds) with the laft-mentioned Number, and fpared her &^c.

This vvas Hkewife the ferions Lan- guage of Grejlda^n Collège^ in the Ap- probation above mentioned, vvhich I am forry fliculd corne again in my Way. Thîis mtich (fay they) . may certainly be affirmed^ that hy tke Me~ thods laid dow?î in Mr. Gedde's Trea- tife^ i?2 few Years^ there need not be any or few Poor^ in the Land. Every Cottager^ havingbut Room to keepBees in^ may^ from one Stocks in a fmall 'Time^ raife Twenty^ which^ with Utile Care and Labour^ may be better thhn 7'e2î Pounds per Amîtun to him, How great is the Pity, that not one Cot- tager (I beHeve) in the Space of Four- 2 fcore

{ 56 ) icore Years, has been prevailed on, to take this eafy and certain Method of growing rich ? for my Part, I am far from expeéling fuch great Things from my prefent Undertaking : and yet, if confidcred as a Projedlor, I am not fenfible, that î want a pro- per Afîurance^ and my Reader, I fancy, by this Time, may be of the famé Opinion. But being now al- moft ready to take my Leave of îiim, I will tell liim honeftly, and feri- oufly, what he is to expedt, if it fhall pleafe him to make Trial of my Boxes. In a few Years, I will ven- ture to promiie him, he will encreafe his Stock, to as great a Nimiber, as the Flowers in his Neighbourhood will maintain, but my Affurance will carry me no further ; and fad Expérience has taught me, that in fome Situations, like this, in which

I am

(57) I am myfelf (in this one Refpedl) un-

happily placed, that Number will be

found very fmall. There are now,

in the Village where I dwell, which

is a large one, only Ten Hives or

Colonies of Bées : and thouQrh we

hâve beautiful Meads, and fine Gar-

dens, in which Flora difclofes ail her

Treafures, yet for want of a free and

open Air, (as I conjedure) in thefe

thick Enclofures, our Flowers vield

fo little Food for the poor Bées, that

no greater Number, I am well fatis-

fied, than what 1 hâve mentioned,

or thereabouts, can get a Subfiftence

in this Place : whereas, in the neigh*»

bouring bleak County of Cambridge^

where the Inundations of the Fens,

or the Farmer's Plow, or the Flocks

that are grazing (fhould I fay, or

ftarving?) on barren Heaths, will

fuffer hardly any Flowers to fpring,

H pr

(58) or open their Bloflbms, (excepting the Flowers of Eloquence^ whichthrive exceedingly on the Banks of Cam> but thefe aiFord only a thin Sort of

yuice Netîareous fitter for Poets to feed upon than Bées ;) yet hère, I fay, there is fuch a Profufion of Honey, in the few Flowers that efcape, that I hâve feen between Seventy and Eighty Hives in one Farmer's Yard : and this, jufl: af- ter the Inquijition was over, and he had been 77îurdering ail he intended to murder that Seafon. And thefe Hives, I know too well, were much better ftored with Honey, than any are found to be in thefe Parts.

Now fhould this honeft Farmer^ by way of rewarding me for thefe my Labours, for his Benefit, make me a Prefent of Forty or Fifty of his Co- lonies, and fhould be fo kind as to

bring

(59) bring and place them in my Garden, what, think you, would be the Con- fcquence of his Generofity ? Nothing lefs than a dreadful Famine. The New-comers would be ftarved them- felves, and would ftarve ail my poor Neighbours Bées, for Three or Four Miles round me. They would be fo far from laying up any thing for a Winter's Day, that many of them, l believe, would die for Want, in the midft of Summer.

I hâve often thought it very fur- prizing, that neither the Authors who treat of Bées, nor the Keepers of them, ever imagine, that any Place can be over-ftocked, or that any one s Bées fare either better or worfe, for the laro-er or fmaller Stock that is kept in his Neighbourhood. They think, it feems, that every Flower they fee, is a never-failing Cruife of Honey. Let

H 2 me

(6o)

me hère acknowledge the Bounty of our Creator, and with due Thankful- nefs and Admiration confefs, that, in fome Senfe, it is fo : For when a Bee, with its Httle îambent Trunk, has cleared a Flowerof ail \X.% prefe7it Store^ another cornes, 'tis likely, in lefs than a Minute, and finds foinethî?tg : For the delicious Juice is continually fweating thro' the Pores of the Plant. But, 'tis certain, for ail this, that the more of thefe Guefts vifit a Flower, the worfe muft each of them fare : They willhave the lefs to carry Home, or, which is ail one, they muft go further, and fpend more of their pre- cious Time, before they can make up their Burden.

This Confideration gives a mighty Check, I mufl; own, to the Expeda- tions I fhould otherwife hâve from my new Boxes. Was it not for this, I

could

(61) could be as bold, and as large in my Promifes, as the Undertakers that hâve gone before me. I could tell my Coimtrymen, that I would take upon me to maintain ail their Poor, and make their Rates needlefs.

But this is not my Language. My Country, I flatter myfelf, will reap fome Benefit from the Pains I hâve taken. There is Reafon to believe, that in many Parts of the Kingdom, the little Labourers in Honey and Wax, are not fufficient for the Har- veji ; and my Method of managing Bées, if follovved, muft unavoidably encreafe the Number of themj and will encreafe it fo far, that ail the Honey and Wax which the Flowers of our Climate will yield, will be col- leded into their Store-Houfes. And this, perhaps, may be a Saving to the Nation, of ail that Money, with

which

( 62 )

which we purchafe bafe and adulte- rate Commodities of this Sort, im- ported from Abroad.

I fhall likewife, I hope, hâve the Satisfadion to find, that many of the poorer Sort will be henejited^ tho' not enrkhed^ by this Method. My Scheme, I am well affured, will furnifh them with Stoch^ at a cheap and eafy Rate ; but I muft tell them once more, that they mujfl: find Pajïure.

P O S T-S C R I P T.

WH I L E thefe Sheets were in thePrefs, the Author was informed, that the Royal Society thankedthe Gentlemen who communi- cated Mr. Geddes Invention to them : and that it is faid in their "TrmfaEii-

mis

(!^

(63)

ons (Vol. viii.) that his Methodof ma- 7îacrin<r Becs had been ufed in Scotland with good Succefs : But that they gave him no Authority to prefix to his Book a fonnal Approbation in their Name, as he has done. The Reader, therefore, is defired to look upon this pretended Approbation, as the Effeâ: of Mr. Geddes own Vanity and Falf- hood : and the worthy Gentlemen of the Society will excufe, it is hoped, the Author's fpeaking of it, as it did^ and ?nujl appear to him, before he re- ceived the above Information,

FINIS.

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