The Kentucky Gazette

From the American Museum, for Feb. 1789.

Thoughts on the management of BEES.
Published by order of the Philadelphia agricultural society.

SEVERAL writers on the management of bees, have given very ingenious directions for taking their new made honey, without destroying those useful creatures. My humanity hurt at the idea of offering such to the fatal torch, induced me to imitate those methods; particularly those of Mr. Wildman, and the reverend Mr. White, whose directions I observed very attentively, with some success; but my expectations were not satisfied as I found young broods in every hive I took; and consequently the honey obtained was impure. However, after a variety of experiments, I discovered an easier and better way to take the honey, without the least injury or disturbance to the bees.

My common hives are the same with Mr. Wildman's. They are made of any well seasoned wood, ten inches square, and are disposed in sets; sometimes three in a set; raised two or three inches from the ground. In the hives top slide way from one box to the next: the nearer and closer they join the better (if you please, a pane of glass between by nature, with a sliding door in the back part of each box, through which you may fetch the bee away.

The communications between the boxes are at top and bottom. Those at the top are made long, one inch wide or deep, to when they will force or all.

res The com-

of being those

mll e live or six inches

arrers of an high,

ft deep passage from one

Pvctocor

A. one of the method for ma-

naging bees, practiced by M. Houdman,

and Mr. Wildman, may be seen in the Encyclopedia Britannica, under the article

Bee, and of some curious experiments

and discoveries relative to the propagation

of bees, and the different offices of the

drone, as well as of the queen bee, of every

warm climate, to article of bee Some

at post-their hives, one upon another making five or six. Mr. White expresses

his utter abomination of this disposition in the

following words: Whereas we may prefer

the flat one story to those near ruining,

warm em a misfortune for the poor bees, who,

after traversing the fields, return home

weary and heavily laden and must perhaps

depart her burden two pair of stairs,

dr the parent. The lower room, it is

likely, is not yet furnished with stairs:

for, it is well known, our little architects lay the foundation of their structures

at the top, and build downwards. In

this case, the weary little labourer has

to drag her load up the sides of the walls?

and when she has done this, she will travel

many times backward and forward, as

I have frequently seen, along the roof,

before she finds the door or passage into

the repository, and here again she is

perplexed with a like zig-zag labyrinth

Le one fee acts in the third. What

a waste of that precious time

which our bees value so much and which

they employ so well and what an expense

of strength and spirits, on which their

support and life are dependent -In the

collateral hives, the rooms are all on the

ground floor: and because I know my bees

are wiser on this head than I am, I have made them of such a

moderate, though decent height, that the

bees have much less way to climb to the

top of them, than they have to the crown

of a common hive."

The mouth of the hive may be from

three to ten inches long. I prefer seven

inches) and half an inch high: in the

busy season, this wide entrance facilitates

the bees going out and coming

in. and may be contracted at pleasure

in autumn.

Early in the morning, after having a

swarm into one or these boxes, you

are to add one or two others to it, as you

please. If you add two, then the second

box must necessarily have the communi-

n canons on each file of it. The doors

of the second and third boxes must be

kept closed until the bees begun to

work in them; then they may be o

pened of either the third in July

In a fortnight or so two of the boxes

will be filled, and several swarms cast

out. Each box of the above dimensions

will contain thirty pound of pure ho

ney. In a favorable season and situation,
an early swarm will fill three boxes

with honey, and cast out several

swarms; each of which will fill two

boxes with honey.

Method of taking the honey.

As winter approaches, all the bees

will collect themselves into that box

where the queen takes up her residence,

and great way leave the others, with

their pure contents, to the use of their

owner; whose gain, in good seasons

will be ninety pounds of honey, and

three or four additional swarms one-

time more for every stock kept over

the present winter

Thus you acquire the purest honey,

without the use of the match, or any

trouble in driving or throwing the

bees: for you have only to turn up

the several hives on the thick edge, all

at once, and work off immediately

the in which the bees are collected;

and then the other easily emptied,

and carried off, without disturbing a

single bee. This being done, you

make riddle the side communications

of the remaining box, with fetch cow

dung, or any other way you like, to

keep the bees warm: and close their

door. except about an inch, for the

fame purpose, and to prevent the bees

going abroad too early in the spring, to

the idleness on.

I. n e c. ve your bees from too

great heat or too great cold, a single

board or plank laid on each box, or set

of boxes, is sufficiently,

The o Te, and disappointment: I

have met with in a great variety of ex-

periments induce me to recommend the

foregoing management to every lover

of bees: as I have found it easy, plea

sant, and profitable

GEORGE MORGAN.

April 17, 1786.