The American bee keeper's manual

Front matter

THE

AMERICAN

BEING A

Preface

The following treatise has been written to fill a vacuum in this country, that has long existed. How it has happened that the management of the honey-bee should have been so neglected by writers in the United States, I am at a loss to comprehend ; but so it is, and we cannot boast, up to the present time, a single volume on this subject, worthy of being called a full, practical treatise on the culture of this insect.

Such small essays as have appeared from the pens oi American authors, have given little, or no information of practical utility ; the most of them, not even presenting a single engraving, as an illustration. In this work, the expense of the embellishments alone, will equal the entire cost of publishing any of the works of American origin, that have preceded it; and it has been my pride and aim, to render it a production, that will not only compare with, but even exceed the most popular European treatises on the same subject, especially in all matters of a practical nature.

The great difficulty in the way of producing a truly popular work on the honey-bee, has hitherto been, the imaginary dryness of the subject, operating as a great discouragement to pract/ca. apiarians to write thereon •

IV PREFACE.

but in this work I have, I think, divested the subject of its dryness, to some extent, and I have placed it before the reader in a more attractive form, I trust, than it has hitherto appeared in many works of this kind. I have endeavored to discuss the various questions in a clear, ample, and comprehensive manner, divested of the superstition of the ignorant, and the errors of those who profess to be learned in the science.

I have not placed that implicit confidence in all of Huber's writings, as may be seen, that some apiarians do; yet I have quoted him, to some extent, on subjects where he is una -jubtedly correct.

What I have written in the following pages, is mostly the result of my own practical experience, during many 5^ears of close application to the management, and the study of the honey-bee. On some points I have taken an entirely new course, in my own management of bees. For instance, I treat them difl^erently in the winter season especially, from the ordinary custom, keeping them much cooler, &c. ; and my general course of management is peculiar to myself, with a full knowledge of all systems, yet based upon the true principles of the nature and economy of the bee. My success in the culture of this insect, has been beyond precedent, and having the test of a long series of years to support me, I offer this work as one worthy of the confidence of the puh's,

THE AUTHOR.

Chapter I. The Queen

Every association of bees is composed of three classes, viz : a queen, drones and workers, and when separated from their natural connections, they loose all their attributes of industry and soon perish in inaction.

The queen is the mother of the entire increase of every family of bees, unless in rare cases of the existance of a few fertile workers, that produce drone eggs only, of which I shall speak hereafter. The queen is longer than either drones or workers, and much larger in every respect than a worker, but not so large as a drone. Her trunk or body is shorter than that of the other two classes, and her abdomen tapers to a point, in the form of a sugar-loaf. Her legs are longer than those of drones and workers, but have no cavities or baskets for holding gathered stores. The most remarkable feature pertaining to her majesty, is the shortness of her wings, reaching only to about two-thirds of the length of her abdomen. Her color is much darker than workers, and sometimes approaching to a jet black ; that is, upon her

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upper surface, but her belly is of a dark orange color. It is this latter hue that enables one to easily distinguish her in a cluster, even without seeing any other part of her body.

WHEN SEEN, AND HOW FOUND.

It is only in particular instances that the queen is to be seen, such as during swarming, or on her ^rial excursions, which takes place on the second or third day after being hived, or upon some occasion of her being found in a cluster of bees upon the alighting board. In this latter case, which occurs with recent swarms only, as a general rule, and very seldom, a close cluster of bees is seen about the size of a hen's egg, remaining quiet, and when the feather end of a quill, or a stick is used to separate them, and they instantly re-form into a cluster again, it is almost certain that the queen is in the centre. The kind of cluster that I allude to, is very different from ordinary clustering upon the side of the hive, or on the bottom board, when the bees are driven out by heat ; then the bees cluster with their heads upward ; but in clusters where the queen is to be found, nothing of such a regularity is to be seen.

STING OF THE aUEEN.

The queen is armed with a sting which is curved, but she seldom uses it, except against rival queens Indeed, she may be taken with the bare fingers, at any time, wiith perfect impunity ; but a worker taken in that manner, would be droppec as a piece of hot iron.

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HER FECUNDATION.

The fecundation of the queen has ever been a subject of deep interest to naturahsts, and it is not at the present day so fully decided, in what manner, or by what agency it is effected, as to put the question entirely to rest ; and I may safely add, that the day will never come, when this long disputed point will be so fully cleared up as to silence all opposition to the now generally received opinion of the case.

Some naturalists and apiarians have supposed that the queen is 5eZ/*-impregnated ; that is, that the fecundating germ of the ovary is inherent in her, and when her eggs are laid, that the drones fertilize them, and generate the principle of animal life by incubation, or sitting upon them. Others have supposed that a vivifying seminal aura exhaled from the drone, penetrates the body of the queen, and that produces impregnation. This opinion arose from the fact, that a strong odor is sometimes exhaled from them.

Naturalists rightly' supposed, that a sexual union did take place between the queen and drones in some manner, but how, or when, Was beyond the scope of their knowledge, since such an union had never been beheld by mortal eyes. However, during the latter part of the eighteenth century, light seemed to dawn upon this long hidden mystery, which had lain shrouded in darkness for thousands of years. The fact that the sexual union of many species of winged insects takes place in the air, while on the wing, did at last, after centuries upon cen-

MINER g AMERICAN turies had past in wild speculation, cause the films to fall from the eyes of the naturalists of the day, and they came to the conclusion that the impregnation of the queen bee must be effected in the like manner.

That many hundred years should have past away, before this simple fact should have become developed, is truly a m_atter of surprise ! Yet it is a matter of still greater surprise, that many apiarians of the present day pertinaciously adhere to ancient notions in regard to the agency of the drones in the impregnation of the queen, and utterly refuse to divest themselves of traditions founded in error and superstition.

That such is the natural use and purpose for which drones were created, viz : to effect impregnation on the wing, I presume the reader will readily believe, on hearing what I have to say on the subject hereafter, in Chap. iii. devoted to ''drones''

HUBER, THE GRE \T (?) APIARIAN.

Huber, a German naturalist of distinction, who flourished at the close of the eighteenth century, has placed this question beyond \ doubt ; provided that we may place confidence in his statements, which I consider somewhat questionable.

Since Huber is cited as orthodox authority by almost every writer on the honey bee, or at least by a very large portion of them, and inasmuch as man}^ eminent naturalists and apiarians consider the greater portion of his writings as an ingenious fabrication of expe-

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riments, that never occurred save in the imagination of

this naturalist, or of his assistant, I deem it necessary to place the position of this author fairly before my readers, that they may be able tc- judge for themselves, in some measure, Vv^hether he is, or is not, entitled to full credence. I do this, partly for the reason that some authors on this subject, within the reach of an American public, servilely tread in the footsteps of Huber, without ever having read his writings from his own pen, w^hich is perfectly apparent, from the limited knowledge of his work, possessed by the writers, as their essays plainly manifest.

At the time that Huber wrote, about the year 1790, the natural history of the honey bee, as well as its domestic economy and managemicnt, was in a state of obscurity. Very few men of talent had given the subject a profound attention, and the traditions and absurd fancies of olden times, in regard to this insect, were believed and acted upon, by the majority of bee-keepers. At this epoch, Huber professed to have made a series of experiments, during a period of some five or six years, illustrating the physiology and economy of the honey bee to an extent that had never been reached before. But his writings throw no light whatever upon the domestic management of bees ; therefore, they are of no value to the apiarian who studies the economy of bees, merely for the profit derived from them. The naturalist alone considered his discoveries as highly important and valuable, and being a novelty, the world at once •ook the truth of his theories anrl experiments for grant- 1* ed, and Hu 3er was forthwith placed upon the pinnacle of apiarian science.

Many apiarians who subsequently wrote upon the bee, servilely followed him through both truth and fallacy, without being able, from their own experience, to either refute or corroborate his theories and hypotheses. Encyclopoedias and other publications cited him as unexceptionable authority, and he was styled the " Prince of Apiarians;" hence we find American authors taking their cue from soQie foreign proselyte to his theories, and blindly re-echoing many of his discoveries as facts, which may be as far from the truth, as the east is from the west !

The reader may here inquire, if the natural history and domestic economy of the honey bee, is so involved in mystery and obscurity, as not to be fully understood at this late day, and susceptible of being clearly expounded and laid down, without the possibility of error? Yes sir, it is thus involved ; and the day will never coQie, when the veil of obscurity that now shrouds much pertaining to this interesting little insect will be wholly removed.

Man may experiment — he may send forth theory and hypothesis to the end of time ; yet the natural instinct and wisdom of the bee, in many of her acts, and the modus operandi of her internal domestic labors, to a great extent, will forever be terra incognita to all human knowledge!

Let not tire reader suppose from the above remarks, tliat we are 'oDmed to remain ignorant of important facts, to enable us to meet v/ith perfect success in our

management of bees — the curtain has been raised, and man has hehddi— enough for man to know.

As the wisdom of God is past finding out, so is the instinctive wisdom of the Kttle bee, a direct attribute of the Architect and Creator of all animate and inanimate nature, beyond the pale of human knowledge.

ruber's authority doubted.

As it will be necessary for me in the following work, to frequently allude to Huber and his writings, since the history of the bee is based, to a great extent, upon the foundation laid by him, the reader will excuse a continuation of remarks touching the confidence due to his statements. His writings comprise simply a series of letters to his friend and patron, Bonnet, of Geneva. Bonnet's reputation as a naturalist stands high, and those letters were written at his suggestion of various things pertaining to bees, then in obscurity, and which, for the benefit of science, it was necessary to unfold. Huber being in affluent circumstances, and unable to attend to any ordinary pursuits, in consequence of his blindness, he being unable to discover the difference between a white person and a colored one, he, with the aid of a servant, instituted his experiments in the economy of bees, to avoid that tedium vitce that ever accompanies the unemployed.

Now, had Huber had personal ocular demonstration of what he has written, as being verified by him, through his ass*stan% we might consider him entitled to credence ; but he trusted entirely to his servant, in all those alleged discoveries that have astonished and amazed the v^^orld.

I can give but a faint credence to -discoveries thus verified, so far as the authority is concerned ; but where Ruber's statements tally w^ith well known principles, we should give him the benefit of our confidence dn his assertions.

The reader may be interested to know what wonderful discoveries this man has made ? They consist in discoveries relative to the impregnation of the queen, — ■ retarded impregnation and its effects — verification of the existence of fertile workers — the power of the bees in raising a queen from any ordinary worker's egg at pleasure — combats of rival queens — massacre of drones, &c., &c., interwoven, as many apiarians presume, with considerable fiction, since many things which he alleges to have seen, or rather that his servant saw, have never been beheld by any one else.

huish's opinion of huber.

Huish, a writer of some celebrity on bees, whose work was published in London, in 1844, says, "Huber, from a natural infirmity of the eyes, was wholly disabled from prosecuting his researches into the natural economy of the bee, and consequently that he relied solely on the skill and information of his servant, Francois Beurnen's, for the veracity of those singular discoveries, which, under the sanction of his name, have been sent forth into the world, but which will never stand the test of a rigid and scientific examination.

Now, this same Francois Beurnens was a rude, uneducated Swiss peasant, with a mind immersed in all the prejudices of his country, and who pertinaciously adhered to many of the Swiss customs in the management of bees, which have for their basis the grossest ignorance and superstition. Thus, for instance, when any of the family died in v/hich Beurnens was a domestic, he turned all the hives in the garden topsy turvy, in which condition they were obliged to remain until after the funeral, as it was most proper and becoming that the bees should be made to sympathize with the loss which the family had sustained.''

Notwithstanding that the lash of ridicule has been well applied to Huber, by those apiarians whose experience has proved a portion, at least, of his writings as fallacious, yet some of his discoveries are undoubtedly true, inasmuch as they accord with the observations of apiarians in general ; and of this kind is the discovery .of the manner in which the impregnation of the queen takes place in the air, by the drones, the subject on which I was speaking, that gave rise to the introduction of this author; and I think I cannot more profitably occupy the attention of the curious reader for a few moments, than to give his account of th"'s discovery in his own words. Here it is: — ruber's discovery of the impregnation of a aUEEN.

" Aware that the males usually leave the hive in the warmest part of the day, in summer, it was natural to suppose that if the queens wxre obliged to go out for fecundation, instinct would induce them to do so at the same time as the others.

" At eleven in the forenoon, we placed ourselves {Beuimens was the ont to watch for the queen, directed hij Huher, the reader will understand ; yet Hither always wrote as if he could see) opposite to a hive containing an unimpregnated queen, five days old. The sun had shone from his rising, the air was very warni, and the males began to leave the hives. We then enlarged the entrance {Huher had contracted the eritrances of several hives to prevent the egress of the queens,) of that selected for observation, and paid great attention to the bees entering and departing. The males appeared and immediately took flight. Soon afterwards the young queen came to the entrance ; at first she did not, but during a little time traversed the board, brushing her belly with her hind legs, neither workers nor males bestowing any notice on her. At last she took flight. When several feet from the hive she returned and approached it, as if to examine the place of her departure, perhaps judging this precaution necessary to recognize it; she then flew away, describing horizontal circles twelve or fifteen feet above the earth. We contracted the entrance of the hive that she might not return unobserved and placing ourselves in the centre of the circles described :jn her flight, the more easily to follow her, and witness all her motions. But she did not remain long in a situation favorable for our observations, and rapidly rose out of sight. We resumed our place before the hive ; and in seven minutes the young queen returned to the entrance of a habitation which she had left for the first time. Having found no external evidence of fecundation, we allowed her to enter. In a quarter of an hour she reappeared, and after brushing herself as before, took flight, then returning to examine the hive, she rose so high that we soon lost sight of her. This second absence was much longer than the first, it occupied twenty-seven minutes. We now found her in a state very different from that in which she was after the former excursion ; the organs distetided by a substance, thick and hard, very much resembling the matter in the vessels of males, completely similar to it in color and consistence."

Huber afterwards says, that from subseqiient discoveries, he found that v/hat he took for the generative matter, was the male organs left in the body of the female.

aUEEN's FLIGHT TO MEET THE MALES.

That queens do thus sally forth on the second or third day after entering a new habitation with a swarm, is a fact that has come under the observation of many apiarians, yet it is doubtful whether the change in the appearance of them on their return, as spoken of by Huber is generally, if ever visible. If the young queens are to be seen at all, it i> at this period, and it is not unfrequent, that queens of all swarms, after the first, during the first few days of their inhabiting their new tenement, are found in a cluster of bees at the entrance of the hive or near it. The reason of this is, that on the return of the queens from their excursions in search of drones, they are immediately surrounded by their subjects and held prisoners for a brief period. The reason why the queens of first swarms are not thus found is, that such swarms are accompanied by old queens, whose impregnation is already effected.

ANALOGY PROVES IMPREGNATION ON THE WING

It is a well known fact that the sexual union of the humble bee takes place on the wing. I have frequently witnessed it ; and it is the same with the most of insects of the winged tribe ; hence analogy is strongly in favor of the theory of the impregnation of the queen hone}- bee as aforesaid.

HUBER CONFINES QUEENS TO PROVE THE THEORY OF IMPREGNATION ON THE WING,

Huber states that he confined the queen with a large number of males, and also confined her with the males excluded from the hives; at the same time admitting the ingress and egress of the workers as usual, and in every case, which were numerous, the queens remained sterile. He confined them over a month, which was enough to test the question whether a queen can be fertile and not leave the hive.

BEE-XEEPER S MANUAL. 17

RETARDED IMPREGNATION.

Huber also states, that when a queen is retarded twenty-one days from her birth in her impregnation, she then, and ever thereafter, lays drone eggs only.

As no one has ever experimented on queens in the manner of the above two cases, — at least, no one having yet given publicity to any observation, refuting or corroborating Huber's discovery, it is not easy to say, whether the last case be true or false.

In regard to the sterility of queens that have not been allowed to leave their hives, there is no doubt. Their impregnation being effected on the wing, it follows, of course, that confinement with, or without males, must render them barren.

That retarded impregnation does cause queens to lay drone eggs, is quite possible, yet the fact might not come under the observation of an ordinary bee-keeper in a century, in most cases, since nature has so amply provided for the effectual impregnation of queens, that to be retarded by any natural event, is out of the question, except in cases of the death of a queen, at a period when the drones are exterminated, or so few of them existino; as to jeopardize the ympregnation of the successor to royalty.

I, myself, have had a case in which drones only were produced, but whether it was owing to a retarded impregnation of the queen, or wh-ether it was the production of fertile workers, I am unable to say positively,

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owing, unfortunately, to the destruction of the stock, by my own act, before the question could be decided.

I shall give the full details of this singular case in my remarks on "workers,'' as it more properly belongs lo that.class of bees.

Chapter II. The Workers

The workers are the smallest bees of the family. A worker's head is of a triangular shape, as well as that of the other classes, — the abdomen is connected with the trunk or thorax, by a small ligament, of a thread-like nature, and it is composed of six scaly rings, at the apex of which, is the sting, which is full of barbed points like an arrow, which can only be seen by the aid of a strong magnifier, and which prevents the extraction of the sting when darted into one's flesh, causing a portion of the entrails of the bee to be drawn out with it, and thus causing death to the insect.

Every bee has four wings ; and on queens the number of wings is more preceptible than on workers or drones. They have six feet. — The eyes are situated upon the upper surface of the head. — Every bee has a pair of antennce, of a fine wiry flexible nature, protruding diagonally from the head, which are used as organs of /«e/- ing, or perhaps of smell, since a stranger-hee is known at once, on applying the antennae to it.

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The antennae of the queen generally are turned or curved downward. — This is their natural position, and the inexperienced bee-keeper may know her majesty from this circumstance, when he is in doubt as to her identity.

Workers have spoon-like cavities or baskets upon their posterior legs, that hold the pollen or farina gathered by them. No other bee^-has these cavities. Workers also have a honey bag, or stomach, expressly to hold the gatherings of the day. It will hold about half a drop of honey. The bodies of bees are covered with a hairy down, which, through a microscope, appears like a defence o^ palisades.

Wonderful are the labors of this class, and truly may they be called " workers," for never did industry show a brighter example of indefatigable perseverance, than in the labors of this little insect.

The following little stanza often recurs to one's mind as he surveys these ever industrious workers, hurrying to and fro, on a bright sunny day.

"How doth the little busy bee, Improve each shining hour ; Gathering honey all the day, From every opening flower."

The workers are the architects of the association. They construct the eels, arrange their size and distances, repair damages, &c., &c. They are the laborers of the family ; they gather the honey and farina, and compound the food for the young bees, and upon their skill and labors depend the prosperity of the colony.

3EE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 21

Who that has witnessed this class of bees, during the height of their harvest, has not been forcibly impressed with their indefatigable industry! They sally forth before the rising of the sun, and return when evening twilight has cast her sombre mantle over the face of nature, laden with sweets, which but for this industrious insect, would be lost on the desert air. Neither the scorching rays of a vertical sun, nor the peltings of the storm, can restrain their zeal in securing to themselves life and prosperity, by availing themselves of every moment that can possibly be employed, when the fields are decked with the flowers that most invite them.

They do, indeed, afford a theme worthy the attention of the philosopher and moralist. Man is here taught a lesson that should never be forgotten ; but ever be indelibly impressed on his mind. The improvident and lazy may here learn, from the book of nature, truths that would lead them to fortune and prosperity, were not their consciences seared and callous to ail lessons of wisdom.

The little bee, aware that the days of her harvest are few, " makes hay while the sun shines," and that Divine injunction, '* Whatsoever thy hands find to do, do with all thy might," is here acted upon, and carried out to the letter, to the shame of man, for whose especial benefit it was given.

To the bee, no written law can be given by their Creator; consequently, an instinct is given them to guide them in their labors ; and w^hen the flowers are faded and gone, and the bleak blasts of winter flit around, sho looks upon her loaded combs, as the reward of her toils, and laughs at the raging winds and pitiless storms.

But how stands the case with man — the being who is made but a grade inferior to Angels ? Does he show himself worthy of his vocation — does he even show himself equal to the little puny honey bee, in foresight of those evils that delay, neglect, procrastination, inaction, or downright laziness produce ?

For an answer, just cast your eye around. — In yonder hovel is a human being clothed in rags, surrounded by a large family of children, who are crying for bread. The emaciated mother, the unwilling victim of the father's improvidence, is fast approaching the grave. Her leaky tenement has, year after year, caused the seeds of disease to germinate, and now friends call to console — • to alleviate ; it is too late. Ah ! how is this ? has this man had his health — has he had the use of his limbs, in this land of prosperity, where poverty need be known only in name, to be thus impoverished, and to have his house falling around his head ? Indeed, he has been as hale and hearty as the most robust among us. He is also an excellent workman, but he has never heeded the old adage, " make hay while the sun shines ;" and when winter comes, it finds him naked and pennilc*;s — his children cold and -hungry, and his wife without the ordinary comforts of life. Would he but follow the example of the little bee, and from her learn wisdom, poverty would be banished from his door, and the bleak winds of winter w^ould bring no terrors, and their howl would be music in the ears of the little fire-side group.

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as they sing their merry songs of contentment and happiness.

THE EFFECTS OF A SUDDEN STORM ON BEES.

I have often seen these workers returning so late in the evening, in warm sultry weather, that they were barely able to find their respective hives ; and so eager are they to devote every moment to their labors, that many of them, suffer themselves to be overtaken by the tempest and storm, before they take their homeward flight.

It may be supposed, that under such circumstances, storms and winds arise so suddenly, that the bees are taken by them unawares ; but such is not the case.

Wishing to note particularly the return of bees from the fields, in the height of their harvest, and to what ex^ tent they would remain out, on the approach of a heavy thunder storm, I, in the month of June last, took a station among my hives, on the approach of a shower, and minutely watched their course. It was about the middle of the day, or noon ; the sun had been shining all the morning, and the bees were out in their greatest numbers.