J. H. Payne

“ The best time to establish an Apiary is from the middle of February to the middle of March, the stocks will have passed in safety through the winter, the combs are then empty of brood, light of honey, and the removal safe and easy. Stocks should be selected by a competent judge, as the weight alone cannot be relied on, a swarm of the preceding year should be selected, and one that contains not less than twelve pounds of honey; there are few commodities in which a person can - 11 - be so easily deceived as in a hive of Bees. ”

“ It is in the caterpillar state that they commit their ravages, and it is truly astonishing to observe the rapidity with which they destroy a hive, when they get established in it. It must be observed that hives managed upon the Depriving System, that are expected to stand for ten, fifteen or even twenty years are much more subject to the incursions of moths, than those which are destroyed every year. ”

“ The finely perforated slider is used to confine the Bees to their hive when snow lies upon the ground, the reflection of which, when the sun shines upon it, never fails to induce them to leave their hives, and falling upon it they perish, for a Bee becomes torpid at a temperature of 32°. The slider with one hole only, is useful both in Spring and Autumn, preventing either robbers or wasps from entering the hives, for three or four Bees will, with the help of this slider, guard the entrance more effectually than ten times the number without it. ”

“ I have always adopted the plan of placing my swarms where they are to remain, within ten or fifteen minutes after the time of their being hived, and in this practice Gelieu agrees with me, for he says, "most people who have Bees allow their Swarms to remain till the evening in the place where they have alighted, and do not move them to the Apiary till after sunset, this method has many inconveniences.
"As soon as a swarm has congregated in the new hive, and seems to be at ease in it, the most industrious amongst the Bees fly off to the fields, but with a great many precautions. ”

“ It is a remarkable fact, that two weak stocks joined, will collect double the quantity of honey, and consume much less than two of the same age and strength, kept separately. Stocks must be joined after sunset, upon the day that one of them has swarmed, or before sunrise the next morning, and the doubled stock must be placed upon the stand it previously occupied. Great care must be taken not to shake the hive, nor must it be turned up, the combs being new, and tender, will easily break, and the stock by that means be destroyed. ”

“ That the old Queen accompanies the first swarm is established beyond a doubt; that many Queens are bred in a hive, a number sometimes exceeding thirty in one year, is also ascertained; and that the Bees have the power of producing a Queen from an egg deposited in the combs of the working Bees, by treating it in a different manner to those that are to become workers, has also been satisfactorily proved, all that has been said beyond this, regarding their natural history, must, I believe be considered principally conjecture. ”

“ In Winter, they hurt them by shutting them up, and in Spring, the giving them a little honey is not always attended to, neither is the guarding them from moths, which, at that time, make the greatest havoc, nor is the narrowing of the entrances - 62 - to prevent them being robbed. Some people suffocate them in Autumn, that they may possess themselves of their provisions; and others take out the best of the honey, and often too much of it, and so expose them to die of hunger. ”

“ Gelieu, says, "Bees have no real disease, dysentery, about which so much noise has been made, and for which so many remedies have been prescribed, never attacks the Bees of a well-stocked hive, that is left open at all seasons, but those only that are too long and too closely confined. They are always in good health as long as they are at liberty, when they are warm enough and have plenty of food. ”

“ The Wax-moth, that redoubtable enemy to Bees, appears this month; they may be seen frequently at twilight running upon the outside of the hives: destroy them as much as possible, and, as Huish - 99 - says, "frighten not away the Bats that fly about the hives, for they destroy numbers of them." A full supply of small hives, boxes, glasses, and adapters should now be provided, old ones cleaned, or new ones purchased. A few large hives also should be ready, for if from inattention to giving room and ventilation, a swarm should be compelled to leave their hive, they will be wanted. ”

“ Still, however, a few shrubs or standard roses of four or five feet may with advantage be placed eight or ten paces in front of the hives, for the Bees to alight upon in their return home, when heavily laden with honey and pollen—it saves their falling to the ground from the weight of their load, which they frequently do, and in unfavourable weather to rise no more. ”

“ If the Swarm has taken flight in the morning, the same Bees make several excursions during the - 70 - day, and each time with less precaution, as becoming familiarized with their dwelling, they are less afraid of mistaking it, and thus, next morning, supposing themselves in the same place, they take wing without having observed where they have spent the night, and surprised at their return not to find the hive in the same place, they fly about all day in search of it, until they perish with fatigue and despair. ”

“ I have no hesitation in saying, that a South aspect is decidedly preferable to any other situation for an Apiary. I have tried various aspects, but the Bees in the South I have always found to be the healthiest, and to collect the largest quantity of honey. It is very important that the hives be sheltered from the wind by trees or houses, and - 2 - that they are not placed in the vicinity of ponds or large rivers, for high winds will dash them into the water, where numbers will perish. ”

“ Destroy their nests in breeding time, and shoot them in winter. Lapoutre, a French Naturalist, assures us, "that he saw under a tree in which there was a tom-tit's nest, a surprising quantity of the scaly parts of Bees, which this bird had dropped from its nest." Sparrows and swallows have both an ill name, but I could never observe any great hurt done by either of them. Poultry will occasionally destroy Bees, for I once recollect - 66 - seeing a hen and her brood pay dearly for their freedom with a hive, the chickens were all stung to death, and the hen escaped only with her life. ”

“ Continue to destroy Queen wasps and hornets, and to watch carefully for moths. Should the bees of any hive appear inactive at this time, or should they not be seen to carry in pellets of farina whilst others are doing it, and this inaction continue for eight or ten days, lose no time in examining the hive, and should the moths have begun their work of destruction, which may be known by seeing the combs joined together by their silken webs, cut away the combs affected with a sharp knife, and the hive may, perhaps, be saved. ”

“ Old stocks that are rendered weak by swarming, or by having too much honey taken from them, may be united in the same manner, with this difference only, that double the quantity of honey should be used in sprinkling.
If a stock of Bees, containing fifteen or twenty pounds of honey in September, be carefully managed during the winter, which consists in narrowing the entrance to exclude robbers, carefully - 53 - covering the hive with a milk-pan, and raising it from the board every month or six weeks to clean it, no doubt can be entertained to its affording a good box of honey. ”

“ Some persons feed their Bees at the top of the hive, but it is much too tedious and sparing a way, in my opinion for Autumn feeding, in the Spring it does very well. This feeder is of wood with a cover of glass, it has a hole through its centre, corresponding with one at the top of the hive, which enables the Bees to pass into it, and take the honey—I believe it was invented by Wildman. ”

“ I have for some years past performed almost all the operations required in this system without the defence, even of gloves, but I would not recommend any person to attempt it, until he has had several years' experience in the management of Bees.
The being perfectly defended in every part against their stings, gives that coolness and confidence to the operator, upon which the happy accomplishment of his intentions so much depends. ”

“ Though large ponds are very injurious, a small - 3 - stream is beneficial to them, which if they are not supplied with, water must be given them, for it is absolutely necessary, and enters, as much as honey and farina, into the composition with which they nourish the brood. The plan that I have for many years adopted, is to fill an unglazed earthen pan, eighteen inches by eight, four inches deep, and square at the sides, with water, upon the surface of which floats a very thin deal board perforated with holes, a quarter of an inch in diameter and about an inch distant from each other ”

“ Bees managed upon the Depriving System, rarely swarm, and are seldom found clustering at the mouth of the hive, for every bright hour during the honey season they seem to turn to profit, when, however, Clustering or Swarming takes place, it generally arises from the Box not having been put on sufficiently early in the season, or for the want of a second Box ”

“ Having written the "Cottager's Guide for the Management of his Bees, upon the Depriving System," which has been printed for gratuitous distribution among the Cottagers, I am induced, at the particular request of several Apiarian friends, to enlarge the above little work, and to give in addition a description of Nutt's newly invented Hive, and other practical remarks in Bee-knowledge, resulting from nearly forty years' close observation. ”

“ I should recommend the purchaser to send his own hive to the person of whom he intends to buy a swarm, and to desire him not to put any sticks across the interior of the hive, as is the usual custom, for they cause much trouble to the Bees in forming their combs, and render their extraction almost impossible. ”

“ The Queen Bee may easily be distinguished by a common observer, her wings are very short, not extending beyond one half of her body, which is much longer, and more pointed than that of the working Bees, her legs are copper coloured, and her body brown. ”

“ It is almost impossible sufficiently to impress - 44 - upon the mind of every person who keeps Bees, the necessity of having his stocks all strong, for weak stocks are very troublesome, very expensive, and seldom, if ever, afford any profit.
Mr. Taylor say, "the stronger the colony at the outset the better the Bees will work, and the more prosperous it will become. I never knew a weak one do well long, and a little extra expense, and trouble at first, are amply rewarded by succeeding years of prosperity and ultimate profit;" ”

“ The Bees appear to be aware of the perishable - 12 - nature of this substance, for they never fill a cell entirely with it, but leave room for a small quantity of honey in each cell containing pollen, before it is sealed up, by this means the air is most effectually excluded, and the pollen preserved for a considerable time; should, however, the Bees be compelled to consume the honey, from those cells containing pollen, before they can make use of it for their young, it moulds and become of no value, and causes them great labour to remove it. ”

“ His Apiary is at the extreme west point of this town, within a few paces of the place where the celebrated Apiarian, Mr. Geo. Hubbard kept his bees, and who, in 1791, received from the Society of Arts their gold medal, for his skilful management of them; this gentleman has now three excellent stocks, and has already taken a box of fine honeycomb of ten pounds, a small hive of fifteen pounds and two others are filling; and all the produce of an outlay of ten or twelve shillings less than a year ago, making, since that time a profit of very nearly seven hundred per cent. ”

“ During the whole of the day, which I shall suppose to be fine, they occupy themselves with great earnestness cleansing their house, and making such a noise in removing the little fragments of wax that have fallen on the board, that any one who did not know it had been emptied, would take it for the best and strongest of the hives. ”

“ Nor, with good protection from weather, need the effects of cold be apprehended; for the Bees, (if not weak in numbers) will always of themselves generate sufficient warmth, and a dry, cold season is better withstood than a mild, moist one, particularly after a good honey year. ”

“ I entirely disapprove of Houses of every description for Bees, as a protection against weather, because they tend in various ways most effectually to destroy the lives of those valuable insects, for, as before stated, they form a shelter for, and promote the increase of some of their most determined enemies ”

“ Second and third Swarms, or Casts and Colts, are seldom or ever able to collect a sufficient quantity of honey, to support themselves through the winter, and can only be preserved by much care and expense, and most of them die after all without bringing any profit. ”