The Honey-Bee: Its Nature, Homes and Products

CHAPTER XXVI.. Bees in Relation to Flowers.

BEES IN RELATION TO FLOWERS.

Connection of Plant-life and Insect-life--Reproduction of Flowers--Intervention of Insects--Hermaphrodite Flowers --Cross-fertilisation--Cucumbers, Melons, &c.--Poplars --Firs--Epilobium or Willow Herb--Cincerarias--Darwin's Experiments--Nasturtium--Foxglove--Figwort--Salvia-- Heath--Strawberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry--Apple and Pear--Altruism of Bees.

244-258

CHAPTER XXVII.. Superstitions Connected With Bees.

SUPERSTITIONS CONNECTED WITH BEES.

Superstitions likely to gather around Bees--Unlucky to Buy Bees--Ill Omen for a Swarm to Settle on a Dry Stick-- "Have the Bees been told?"--Turning Hives on the Death of the Owner--Probable Origin of these Errors.

259-267

CHAPTER XXVIII.. The Profits of Bee-Keeping.

THE PROFITS OF BEE-KEEPING.

Methods of Honey-taking--Straw Caps--Bell-Glasses-- Sections--Frames--Extractors--Run Honey--Average Returns of Hives.

268-272

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Fig. PAGE

Comb, Showing Different Kinds of Cells Frontispiece

1. Eggs and Larva of Bees 12

2. Larvæ 13

3. Sealed Cells 14

4. a, Larva full grown, viewed sideways, b, Larva preparing for Pupa state 15

5. Worker Larva and Pupa in Comb 16

6. The Queen of the Hive 19

7. Queen Surrounded by Attendants 20

8. A Drone 29

9. A Worker Bee 35

10. A Worker Bee, showing the Scales of Wax 53

11. Festoons of Bees Suspended from the Roof of the Hive 55

12. Cluster of Bees 58

13. Wax-Worker commencing a Comb 59

14. Diagram of Cells 63

15. Supposed Circular Cells 63

16. Arrangement of Cells 64

17. Diagram showing Slope of Cells 66

18. Arrangement of Combs in a Bell-Glass 68

19. The Queen Cell 69

20. Queen Cells in situ 70

21. Hind-leg of a Bee 73

22. Nervous System of Privet Hawk Moth 81

23. Nervous System of Larva of Bee 82

24. Nervous System of Perfect Insect 83

25. Eyes of a Bee (greatly magnified) 85

26. Facets of Eye of a Bee 86

27. Head of Bee, With Antennæ 98

28. Lower Segments of Hind-leg of Bee, considerably enlarged 110

29. Complete Hind-leg of Bee 110

30. Wing of Bee 112

31. Hooklets of a Bee's Wing 113

32. Abdomen of Bee, showing Respiratory Organs 116

33. Air-sacs of Worker 117

34. a, Air-sacs; b, Ovaries, of the Queen 118

35. a, Tracheæ; b, Elastic Spiral of Tracheæ 119

36. Under Side of Abdomen, showing Wax Scales 121

37. Bee, showing the Wax Scales 121

38. Scales 121

39. Ovaries and Spermatheca of Queen 123

40. Sting of a Bee (greatly magnified) 125

41. Barbs of a Bee's Sting (very highly magnified) 126

42. The Enemies of Bees 141

43. Straw Skep 150

44. Flat-topped Hive and Straw Super 151

45. Neighbour's Improved Cottager's Hive 152

46. " " " 153

47. Modern Hives. Nutt's Collateral Hive in the Foreground 155

48. The Woodbury Hive 157

49. Woodbury Straw Bar-frame Hive 157

50. Cheshire's Bar-frame Hive 159

51. Cheshire's Bar-frame Hive (sectional view) 160

52. Abbott's Standard Frame 161

53. " " (top view) 161

54. Neighbour's Sectional Super (open) 162

55. Frame Super 162

56. Glass Frame Hive, with Super 163

57. Stewarton Hive 165

58. The Carr-Stewarton Hive 167

59. Unicomb Observatory Hive 168

60. A Swarm 173

61. "Tanging" 174

62. Hiving a Swarm 179

63. Swarming Board 192

64. Queen Cage over Sealed Cell 197

65. Inserted Queen Cell 198

66. Bottle Feeder 202

67. Cheshire's Feeding Stage 203

68. Can Feeder 205

69. Round Tin Feeder 205

70. Epilobium Angustifolium. (Young Bloom) 248

71. " " (Old Bloom) 248

72. Cineraria (magnified) 250

73. Tropœolum Majus. (Young Bloom) 252

74. " " (Old Bloom) 252

75. Section of Scrophularia Nodosa 254

76. Scrophularia Nodosa. (Young Bloom) 254

77. " " (Old Bloom) 254

78. Salvia Officinalis. (New Bloom) 255

79. " " (Old Bloom) 255

80. a, Erica Tetralix. b, Anther of Tetralix 255

81. Section of Strawberry Bloom 256

82. Section of Apple Bloom 257

THE HONEY-BEE.

ERRATA.

p. 22, ten lines from bottom, for "not full grown" read "not more than two or three days old."

p. 30, last line but one from the bottom, for "neuters" read "strange workers."

p. 55, line 10 from bottom, for "hind feet" read "pincers on the hind legs."

p. 110, bottom line, for "four anterior tarsi" read "in the hind legs."

p. 111, line 3, for "leg" read "hind leg."

" line 6, for "This pocket" read "Above this, on the outside of the tibia, is a pocket, lined, &c."

p. 136, line 12, for "foul-breeding" read "foul-broody."

ADDENDA.

p. 126, three lines from bottom, add

"The most remarkable function of the sting-apparatus has, in modern times, been discovered to be the insertion of a minute drop of the poison in each honey-cell when filled. This acts as an anti-septic, and prevents fermentation in the sweet liquid."

p. 136, after first paragraph, add

"It is now known that this treatment is by no means always successful when the bacilli have reached the "resting" or "spore" stage."

THE HONEY-BEE:

ITS NATURE, HOMES, AND PRODUCTS.

INTRODUCTION.

In these days of intense business-pressure, it is a good thing for men to cultivate hobbies. We say this, notwithstanding the fact that men with hobbies are likely to become bores, from thinking and talking too incessantly of their pet occupations, or are apt to run into extravagant expenditure of time and money, which could be better utilised. Now, in recommending apiculture, or bee-keeping, as a recreation from more serious pursuits, we feel that we incur little risk of increasing the number of bores in society, or of inducing an undue outlay of hours or pounds on the part of those who follow our suggestions. For, on the one hand, the facts likely to be spoken of by enthusiastic apiarians to casual hearers could not fail to interest; while the practical results of bee-keeping will certainly, to say the least, repay in hard cash all reasonable outlay on the part of any one who is possessed of ordinary good sense, and who learns to manage his hives according to modern methods.

In the following pages we hope to make good both these statements. We are sure that comparatively few people know what marvellous creatures bees are; what constant pleasure may be found in watching their work; what opportunities for skilful use of brain and hand are afforded by an apiary; what a wide field of study and information is displayed by these domesticated insects: and though we shall not hold out dazzling prospects of a large return of money from the pursuit we are commending, we shall show by facts that, in ordinary seasons, the yield of honey should amply cover the cost of the bees, their homes, and their requirements.

Nor would we be understood to limit our recommendation of bee-keeping to men alone. It is an occupation eminently suited to women. It has none of the manifest drawbacks of poultry or rabbit-rearing. The needs of the hives are usually not so pressing as to involve a disregard of weather or important engagements. Many operations in apiculture call for female dexterity of hand and finger. It is true that a little courage, in which few ladies are deficient, is necessary in making a beginning of skilful bee-management. But, duly protected by veil and gloves, even the timid need have no fear of being stung or seriously incommoded.

Intelligent boys and girls of fifteen years and upwards will find a hive or two of bees quite within their power of management, and the clever and industrious insects will afford them a surprising amount of interest, and, it may be, some not unimportant moral lessons.

In the hope of enlarging popular knowledge of these wonderful insects, and so of increasing apiculture, we have written this book. It does not profess to go exhaustively into the practical part of bee-keeping; but enough information is given for ordinary apiarian purposes.

The excellent publications of Langstroth, Cowan, Cheshire, Neighbour, Hunter, Taylor and Wood will supply all details intentionally omitted from the present treatise. To several of the above writers, and to some others mentioned at the end of Chapter I., the author desires to express his obligations for numerous facts.

Many of the most important illustrations in Chapters XI. and XIV., and the whole of those in Chapter XXVI. have been taken, by permission, from the diagrams published by the British Bee-keepers' Association. These diagrams are reductions from drawings made by Mr. Frank Cheshire, who is so well known as having devoted many years to the study of apiculture, especially on its scientific side. To the same gentleman is also due the discovery of many of the physiological marvels given in Chapters XI. and XIV., and of the chief facts embodied in the chapter on "Bees in relation to Flowers."

CHAPTER I.. Historic Sketch.

HISTORIC SKETCH.

Holy Scriptures--Vedas--Egyptian Monuments--The Koran--Etymological Considerations--Literature of Subject--Aristotle--Philiscus--Pliny--Virgil--Columella--Other Classical Authors--Shakespeare--Modern Writers.

Far back in historic time there are records that man had learnt the value of the bee. The book of Job--probably the oldest of our sacred Scriptures--contains a reference to honey. The Pentateuch, the Chronicles of the Israelites, the Psalms, the works of Solomon, and nearly all the later books of the Old Testament, speak of these wonderful insects or their produce. They are referred to in the Vedas of Hindostan, the monuments of Egypt, the poems of Homer and Euripides, and the narrative of Xenophon's expedition into Persia.

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