Thomas Hill

“ If at any time by a sodaine showre in the séeking for foode, Bées happen to be beaten downe, or nipped wyth a sodaine colde (which seldome so commeth to passe that the Honny bées are so deceyued,) that harmed with the droppes, they lye grouelyng and flatte on the earth, as dead in a manner, then gather the Bées togyther, putting them into some vessel for the nonce, which after set in a warm chamber or Parloure, & couer warm ymbers, being somewhat more than hote, on the Bées, whiche gently shake with the ashes, but in suche sorte that you touche them not wyth your hande. ”

“ In the time of their sitting they make muche noise to gette them heate withall. And aboute the sides of the combes, be sometimes greater Bées bred, which men for their sound & noise do properly name Trumpeters, and they also haue whole hornes, of which come the bastarde Bées. There be also other Bées bigger in body, muche-like to the Kings, but they be ydle, and haue no sting, bicause of the heauinesse of their body. All which kindes, Guilielmus de Conchis didde obserue in the Hyues of a certaine Consull of Rome, whiche properly were made of verye thinne and cleare horne. ”

“ And againe, no man néedeth to doubte, but that the Bées be a kinde of beasts, greatly to be set by for mans vse, & for mans prouision, are nourished of the aire, passing throughe the diuided places, which they by great diligence and care preserue from being stopped, for as soone as they be stopped, they shortly after die, like as the same we may learne, when anye happeneth to fall or light into Oyle, which straight way after die, throughe the Oyle stopping then their powers. They haue and fly with foure wings, that they maye the better carrye in their bellies the stings of reuengement. ”

“ The honny is rightly ministered to such as haue the impostume in the lungs and the pluresie. And the hony in which dead Bées are, is applyed to the venemous honny. The hony drunke with wine helpeth the corruptions which are engendered of the meate fishes. But to colde and moyste bodies the honny is more profitable, therfore verie fitte for olde persons, as Galen affirmeth. And to persons being twentie yeares of age, and of an vntemperate hotenesse, or others hote of qualitie, the honny to them is hurtefull, bycause it is soone conuerted into choller in them. ”

“ And no manner of heate so much harmeth them, as doth the bitter cold, & for this the faces of hiues ought to be toward the winter rising of the sun, that the Bées may so receiue the warme comfort, in the morning comming forth, & be the liuelier, for colde doth cause them to be sluggish, and for that cause their holes ought to be very narrow, that as little colde as is possible, may enter into them, and so narrowe made, that the Bées within may receiue the encrease but of one Bée at once, For by that meanes can neither the Béetil, butterflie, nor great moath enter, to annoye them. ”

“ And if the beginning of Ianuarie happen on Saterdaye, then the Winter shall be windie and vnstable, the Spring windie, and vnconstant of weather, the sommer vnstable with manye tempestes, and the Haruest drie: So that victualls shall be deare, small store of corne, and little fruite that yeare. Also shéepe shall not well prosper that yeare, and a likelihoode then of the death of swine, and that woode shall be deare.
Also there shall be manye tertian agues, and diuers other diseases rayning among men, so that olde men shall then die, and a likelyhoode of the death of many men, by the plague. ”

“ But the honny gathered of bitter hearbes is counted vnprofitable, as the same Honny which the Bées gather in the country of Pontus, where the Bées onely gather their honny of the Wormewoode. The white in all Countries is better estéemed than the blacke, but the beste honny is that whiche is very cleare, of a golden colour, of a moste pleasaunt and swéete taste, cleauyng somewhat to the fingers in the handlyng, and but little stiffening or waxing hard togither. ”

“ Some wil to put fresh birdes cleane drawne, or the fleshe of a Henne finely shred into hiues, for the Bées to féede and sucke vpon in the déepe of Winter, & the fine feathers also they will put into the Hiue, that they may giue then a warmth to the Bées lying in them. And others also will to put the meate of rosted Chickens into their Hiues, to féede and sucke vppon, and not the boanes withall, least the sauour of the bones after the meate eaten off, might annoy the bées by lying still in the hiues, in that they so greatly abhorre all sowre and stinking sauors. ”

“ When the Bées are nowe in a tumulte in the ayre, by throwing fine earth on high ouer the Bées, or ringing a basen or kettle, they be with the shrill sound made astonied, that they maye the sooner settle downe neare to the kéeper, whiche if the same happen to be on the branch of a trée, or on a graft or yong set, then with a very sharpe sawe, gently sawe that off, and laye it on the grounde, and spéedily set a Hiue on the same prepared for the purpose. ”

“ It so much forceth to vnderstande and know, what maner of foode the same is, with the which the Bées do liue, as the poysoned hony also, that may be gathered by them, whether it be euill or venomous. For the Honny of Heraclea in the Countrey of Pontus, hath bin for certaine yeares, very dangerous, especially throughe a certaine hearbe growing white, whiche also vexeth their cattell by eating thereof, named of the dwellers there, Aegellothron. ”

“ And looke howe the weather shal be at the Sunnes entrance into the signe of Leo, as at the day of the entrance the daye before, and the daye after, and such commonlye shall be in the moneths of December, Ianuarie, and Februarie, for if the winde shall then blowe oute of the North, or Easte, and those daies drie, then shall followe a verye colde season in those thrée moneths: but if the winde blowe out of the South or Weast, and that it raineth in those thrée dayes, then yse to followe in those thrée moneths. ”

“ Also this obedience and seruice whiche they vse to their king, they do not the same for feare of punishment, but onely of a loue which they owe vnto him. Yet they punish one another in such sorte, that after their stings be lost, they dye forthwith. Aristotle writeth of two maner of kings, the one as he affirmeth to be red, which he iudgeth the better, the other king black of colour, which he confesseth to be lesser of body, yet howsoeuer the kings be, they are notwithstanding far bigger of body, than the honny bées, & haue a brighter and goodlier head then the other Bées, yet shorter wings. ”

“ But I, to the intente that a further learning mighte be added to their skill, haue so trauelled therein, that I trust their knowledge shal be increased, & such as haue no knowledge at all, may be instructed without any other teaching. I haue ioyned this little Treatise vnto my booke of Gardening, for that most men do ioyne them both togither, as when they place their Bees in their Gardens, whereas they may with lesse paine and easilier, gather of the sweete smelling flowers, their Honie, and Waxe. ”

“ For that they be suche liuing things, that delight to rule alone, not séeking ayde and counsell of the elder Bées: and therefore do the newe kings flye forth, with the young swarmes following them, which for a day or two before their flying away, remaine heaping togither before the mouths of the Hyues, & right vnder the Hiues, so that by their comming forth, and heaping in suche order, they properly shewe the desire of a newe place, and be as yet contented to remaine thereabout, if so be the kéeper prouide for them a place and an apt Hiue. ”

“ Vergill writeth, that the Bées sometimes minding to fighte, do hastily brust out of the Hiues, and as it were in ciuill battels among themselues, do fight lyke strangers one against the other, & smite eagerly in their fight one at an other. If so be one hyue hath especially two kings bred vp in the same, whych very well may be knowne, when as the bées clustered and heaped togither, doe represente or represse as it were the forme of two beardes hangyng downe. ”

“ Now theyr readinesse to fight is knowen, when in the ayre is heard a greate sounde and noyse among the Bées lyke to the manner of Trumpets, whiles they fiercely and cruelly fighte togither among themselues, & in this battell they glitter with the wings, sharpen the stings with their beakes, beare forth their breastes, and about the king they gather and swarme. So that they shoute wyth great noyse, flying and dashing togither, and that in heapes and rounde companies mixed or ioyned togither, and greate is the noyse made among them. ”

“ First certain Bées as the skilfull practisers do write, stand in the day time at the mouthes of the Hyues, diligently loking to their businesse, like warders placed at the gates of a Castel, that they maye so defend in safegarde whom they will within. In the night time they setle themselues to rest vnto the morning, vntil one of them by humming twice or thrice about, doeth so styrre them forward to flye out after the other. ”

“ But the Boxe trée, the Masticke trée, the dogge or Gatten trée, or as some suppose the long and high Chéeri trée they greatly hate, for that tasting of the floures of anye of these, they die forthwyth. Maro wylleth standing waters, to be neare to their hiues, & so shallow, that smal stones thrown into them, may appeare aboue the water, & serue in stéede of bridges for their often recourse to them, & that they may aptly stretch their wings abroad on the stones, at the heate of the sun. ”

“ After all this thus handled, the same whiche yet remaineth in the strainer, wash diligently with Conduit or faire Spring water, that you may so haue the Mulse or hony water, of which being sodden and diligently skimmed (as of this hereafter shall be further taught) is the Mulse made, that serueth to manye good vses.
¶ Which Honny is accompted best. Cap.xxv. Certaine Countries doe excell in the perfecte goodnesse of Honny, like as the famous Attica of Gréece, which for the excellencie of the Honny is hadde in great reputation throughout the world. ”

“ Besides these, the Bées haue a maruelous order among them, if their king happen to die, for then they shal bitterly mourne for their king deade, and for the lacke of another, as such whiche cannot be guided and ruled without a king among them, and of this they be in continuall mourning. So that for the time, they carry no foode into theyr Hyues, nor flye not forth, but with a sadde bewailyng and humming, after theyr King, they heape thicke togyther aboute the deade body, and vnlesse another King increaseth by little and lyttle among them, they dye for hunger. ”

“ Also the old & corrupt combs are to be taken forth, the whole and full of hony to be especially left. And if there be any yong Bées in them, those kéepe or preserue to increase the swarm in that hiue. After that, carry al the store of the hony combes into one place, whereas you mind to make the hony, & stop diligently the sides and edges of the hiues round about, that none of the Bées may enter in, which for the hony and waxe taken away, do eagerly séeke after, and finding the same, do vtterly consume the same if they may. ”

“ They greatly hate oyle, like as all the kindes of the other Bées doe, and a stinking sauoure, which euidently appeareth by that kind of herbe named Mugworte, that they especially hate, bycause the same is of a strange stincke to them. The hornettes also of the like sorte creast, but bazer of kynde, they greatlye feare, for that to the Hornets the Hony Bées are a speciall foode. Also they be meate to swallows, to sparrowes, and to all other small byrdes. ”

“ Therfore Palladius willeth to minister the kernels of Pomegranats, brused and mixed with swéete and pleasaunt Wine, and the same powred into the chanels or gutters of halfe canes, set nere to the mouths of hiues, or honny, with Rose leaues well beaten togither, and so ministred to them, or the berries of the Saruice trée brused, and mixed with Honny: for lacke of these helpes, a man may make a smoake of drie Oxe or Cowe dung, whiche smoake muche delyghteth and comforteth them, so that the same be often vsed vnto Haruest. ”

“ But all the honny combes being hollowe wrought, and a little cleauing to the sides of the hiue, do hang, whereby they may not touch the floure or bourde, for that otherwise it causeth the swarmes to flye quite away. ”

“ But if throughe the Maggots or little wormes of the Butter-flyes the Bées be diseased, Rutilius then iudgeth it beste, to set a brasen Candlesticke, or suche like vessell, with lighte burning in it at Euening, within the hyue, that to the same light (the Butter-flyes gathering, and flying about) may so fall down into it, and be destroyed. ”

“ By whiche we may euidently learne, that they haue filled the same empty place also, by their abiding stil there. Besides these, as the great plentie of honny, doeth cause sluggishnesse in the Bées, euen so doeth the much abatement, and excéeding taking awaye of their honny, bothe dull the quickenesse and diligence of them, and cause them also to bée sluggishe.
¶ What the honny is, and howe from the hiues the same maye be prepared to vse. Cap.xxiiij. As we firste gather the honny from the combes, so do we the waxe for the comforte of the light, and other commoditie besides. ”

“ The other at the beginning plaine, and very sharpe, whereby with this the combes may the readier and quicklier be cutte downe, with that other instrument scraped cleane, and whatsouer filth falleth off, drawne awaye, and throwne aside. But where the hiue of the hinder parte, or parte behinde, shall haue no voide place emptie, then make a smoake (as Varro commaundeth) with Galbanum and drie Oxe dung, which ought to be made in a earthen fuming pan, filled with quicke coles, or a pan of earth with a narrow mouth, and a handle like to it. ”

“ Whereby is to be vnderstanded, that the kings ruling in power, thorough the lacke of their stings maye be by that meanes the slower to hurt, and offer reuengemente. Yet some affirme the kings to haue stings, but they suppose them not to vse their stings. And of this Plinie maketh a doubt whether the king be armed as the other bées, or lacketh a sting. ”

“ Wherfore that the king may not often attempte forth with the swarme, for feare of loosing them, the skilful practisers wil, the wings of the kings be broken off. Whiche féeling himselfe thus depriued of his wings, will not after attempt to flye forth of his boundes, but remayning still within, will so cause the other Bées to abide continually with him, not leauing the Hiue at any time after. ”

“ If it so happeneth that bées are flowen away, & that you be in doubte whether they be lodged neare hande, or farre off, Palladius doth instructe and teache many goodly wayes to finde them againe. First he teacheth to take red leade, or red Oker infused in water, or any other colour, stayning, and to carry the same wyth you in a little shallow dishe. Vnto suche a spring or running water as the honny bées haunte, especially in the moneth of Aprill. ”