THE Bee is an Insect more universally dispersed tho­roughout the World than any other that is known to be useful, and their mellisluous Colonies of very great Antiquity; Sampson feeding on the Honey made by a Swarm of Bees that hiv'd themselves in the Carcase of a Lyon, and Jonathan tasted of the Honey that dropped from a full Comb in a Wood. Pro­phane Authors also have not passed these Insects over in silence, the most ancient Poets and Naturalists having written large­ly of them; as Hesiod, Philistus, Menecra­tes and many others. Aristomarchus for fifty eight years did little else but keep Bees, and Philistus employ'd his whole Life-time about them, as Pliny relates, lib. 11. cap. 9. Honey being much more in e­steem [Page 2] in those Ages than in these, sugar having lately gained a Repute above it. For if you observe most of the ancient Instructions for Conserving, Preserving, or other Confectionating, Honey was then prescribed where sugar is now: So that thence it may be presum'd that Bees were more nourish'd and cherish'd than in these later times. Such an opinion had the An­cients of Honey, that in case it were ga­thered by the Bees under a certain Con­stellation, that it would be so heavenly a sweet Liquour that no one thing in the World might be comparable to it (Pliny lib. 11. cap. 14.) for the universal Cure of Diseases, and restoring from Death to Life, like unto that Celestial and divine Nectar which they supposed did immortalize the Gods above.

There are scarce any parts in the known World, unless in the Torrid Zone, where these Insects are not harbour'd; from Asia through all Europe unto the North America, the vast Territories of Russia, Tartary and other remote parts from the Southern Seas, being plentifully stock'd with them, su­gar not being there so usual.

But how these numerous Insects first came to be reduc'd into Colonies is uncer­tain, unless Arist [...]us the Son of Apollo and [Page 3] King of Arcadia (as some report) was the first Discoverer of their Use and Order; a Work becoming so great a Person. But certain it is, that they in ancient times had their residence in hollow Trees in ancient Woods, as that of Jonathan's finding Ho­ney there seems to assert: and in other Concavities.

And at this day in many places it is not unusual, to find Swarms in Trees and hol­low places in Buildings, &c.

From whence their Swarms issuing out, it is probable that they were entie'd into Hives or other Receptacles prepared for them, which were first made of Rinds or Barks of Trees, in imitation, as may be sup­posed, of the hollow Trees they natural­ly placed themselves in. Afterwards by degrees they began to make them of o­ther Materials: And some before Pliny's time, had made such Hives, with that fissile Glass we call Island-glass, where with Ships [Page 4] are glaz'd; and some of clear Horn, pla­ced in Frames to discover the Bees Work, although in vain Then they betook th [...]m­selves to the making of Hives of Osier­twigs, and such like, and dawb'd them; as yet in many places are used. From all which it may be concluded, That Bees pre­serv'd in Colonies, and their increase by Swarms, is of that Antiquity, that no Histo­ry certainly mentions the first Invention of their management, unless you will cre­dit that of Aristeus.

THat Bees are Insects, and that the most, if not all, of Insects are some­times engendred by Putrefaction, is not by any denied; Bees many times being en­gendred in the corrupted Carcases of Beasts, according to the Poet;

To which end also the same Poet directs the very Method of ordering a Steer, some a Heyfer, others an Ox, limiting it to that Species, others producing other Insects, that out of their Carcases Multitudes of Bees may be engendred. And it is not improba­ble that the Carcases of these Beasts should produce Bees, when we every Summer perceive, that other Beasts that lie in the open Air do produce Insects of other Spe­cies. But this of Bees may not so well suc­ceed in these Northern, as in the more Southern Parts of Europe, where our Poet lived.

It was the Opinion also of the same Poet and of others, that Bees gathered their Seed out of certain Leaves and Flowers, [Page 6] and carried them to their Hives, out of which their young were produc'd.

But this Opinion gains not much credit, nor is the other way practicable here. Therefore other ways for the Generation of these worthy Insects are to be discovered. Aristotle himself thought it a work of great difficulty to discover it: And Butler in his Feminine Monarchy hath taken great pains about the Generation of the Queens, Princesses, Drones and Honey-Bees; to which Curious Tract we refer you, only from him shall observe, that Bees begin to Breed a­bout the middle of February, if they are well provided for and the Spring be for­ward, else in March, by laying their Eggs or Seed at the bottoms of their void Cells; which by the warmth of the Bees sitting on them (the season of the year concurring) are converted into Worms or Grubbs, as most Insects are before they fly. Thus by [Page 7] the old Bees sitting on, warming, and feeding these Grubs, in about three weeks time, are a whole Set of these Insects ge­nerated. And as the Spring comes on and Food increases, so do they increase their Breed, throughout the Months of March, April, May, June and July continually feed­ing their young, either with their old stock of Honey in bad Weather, or with new Food and Water, which they conti­nually gather and carry to their young if the Weather permit them to fly abroad; or else in building Combs, as far as their room will suffer them and as it is for their own convenience. And thus do they build and breed until the end of July and some­times after. For when Bees have done swarming you may be confident they have done breeding and not before.

But whether the Drones are the Males or Females, or whether the Females, if the Honey-Bees are such, before Droning time have conceived for the ensuing year, I had rather submit to the Judgement of the most Experienced and Ingenious Butler than endeavour to disprove it.

However from his Writings and every Ingenious Bee-master's Annual Experience, I may safely conclude, that Bees do not spend their time in these Spring and Sum­mer-months [Page 8] (whilst they breed) in Luxu­ry and Idleness, as by some is imagined; but to maintain and increase their Colonies, during that part of the year that yields them plenty of Matter out of the various Blossoms that are abroad, for the build­ing of their Combs and feeding their young; until not only that Matter that is fit for those uses ceaseth, but until the Leaves of the Oak and other Honey-bear­ing Leaves and Plants yield plenty of that Nectar or Celestial Dew that they lay up in store for their Winter and Vernal Provi­sion, and whereof their Masters many times deprive them.

In vain therefore can it be expected, that this noble (yet indocile) Insect, should be either perswaded to desist from breed­ing sooner than the season of the year en­forceth them; or to gather Honey before it is to be had, as some would insinuate into us to believe.

It is not to be fear'd (in case it were in our power to prevent them) that Bees will ever overstock themselves; for were the Hive never so full of Bees, they would the sooner fill their Cells with Honey, and the better live over the Winter. And after they have kill'd their Drones, which they usually do before the gathering of their [Page 9] Honey, there is not an idle Bee nor a Beggar amongst them.

MAny Attempts have been made by several Ingenious Persons, for the encrease of Bees without the troublesom and hazardous way of Swarming; by giv­ing them liberty in the Spring and Summer to swell their vast numbers into several Artificial Hives, set the one under or by the other. But when they are dis­persed into several Hives or Boxes, and near an equal proportion in each Box; yet when there Hives are separated with the Bees in them, that part separated from the old Stock will not thrive: A great Argu­ment of their want of, and love unto their King or Queen, which doubtless remains amongst his greatest Riches in the first Stock; from which if part of them volun­tarily separate themselves, by swarming with their Leader they soon betake them­selves to their work.

So that I could never observe from the Experience of any other, nor yet from my [Page 10] own, although often and seriously attempt­ed, that the Stocks or Colonies of Bees could by other wayes or means, than by their own voluntary Swarming, be ever multiplied or increased.

Therefore if you design many Stocks in your Apiary, or that you keep your ordi­nary stock only for increase wherewith to store your better Hives (hereafter discours­ed of) which you keep for the sake of the Honey, be sure not to over­hive your Bees; for the less the Hive is, the oftner they swarm. For Bees over-hived rarely in­crease, unless it be an early Swarm and in a good Summer. And in good Summers, an early Swarm not over-hived may cast a Swarm it self: A sufficient argument that they spend not their time in Luxury and Idleness; and that although they have room enough in their Hives to make their Combs and store themselves with Honey, yet do they breed during the breeding­time, else could they not send forth a new Colony so soon; and cannot employ them­selves in gathering Honey before it falls.

The sending forth of Swarms or Colonies doth not at all hinder or confound the Bees, it being but the work of two or three days to prepare for a Swarm: unless the badness of the weather prevent, which may [Page 11] as well prevent them of working as of swarming. And after they are hived, they, the very next day, fall to making of Combs if the weather permit, and will in few days in fair weather have made large Combs and laid their Eggs or Seeds for an­other Breed. So that it cannot be reason­ably imagined that Bees are in any confu­sion either before or after Swarming, or that they loose any time besides the day they swarm, as some have reported.

Bees usually swarm twice in a year, some­times thrice, and (though but seldom) four times in an extraordinary good year; so that there is no danger of a decay of your Stock, unless through your own neglect, but a certain hope and confidence of taking a Swarm every year from each Hive to supply your new Hives, (we are hereafter to treat of) without any diminution to your breeding Stock; and as may also be presumed, a store left for a future encrease, and those that are superannuated left for you into the bargain, so that care be al­ways taken not to over-hive them.

BEfore we did observe, that some of the ancient Bee-masters had made Hives of transparent Matter, that they might the better discern the Work of the Bees; which it seems did not succeed ac­cording to expectation, else had they been more frequently used and approved of by the Reporters of them. Butler also con­demns the use of them to that intent. And most true it is, that you cannot through the clearest Glass discern their working, nor yet their Combs, unless in July or Au­gust about Noon, when most of the Bees are abroad, and their Company begin to wax thin by their killing their Drones and death of their old Bees, which now through their constant and extraordinary labour have worn out their Wings, and fall far from home, uncapable of ever re­turning.

Then may you discern the ends of their Combs filled with transparent N [...]ctar, but from that time they work not in making Combs nor yet in breeding.

Some have been of opinion, that by the light of these transparent Hives, these in­dustrious Creatures do frame their work with more expendition and delight. To which I may answer, That in the darkest Cells or Caves they shape their Combs as curiously and artificially as in the most lightsome: And that in these that are transparent, the numerous labourers do so much obscure their work, that you would think the Light of small advantage to them. Therefore Glass for that purpose is of no great use.

It is likewise supposed that Bees take much pleasure in the Light of these Hives, and so are thereby the more prompted to Industry: Whether that be so or not is difficult to determine.

But it is probable that an Hive made with large Squares of fine French or Dutch Glass, which is more transparent than the English, may not incommode the Bees; [Page 14] especially if each Glass-window hath its Shutter over it, to close it from the cold as the weather requires it. This I am sure that it yields the Spectators much pleasure and delight to see these nimble Crea­tures always in Motion and full of business whilest the weather is hot, al­though not that exprected and promised pleasure of the view of their Architecture.

Now if you design really to improve these Animals to their greatest height of advantage, you must observe their true inclinations, and follow them in that very Method that naturally they themselves tend unto. As

1. In what place soever they design to inhabit, they begin their work above and work downwards.

2. In a Narrow Hive or place where their number is great, they are much im­peded in their work; and in a broad Hive (so that their Number be proportionable) they begin many Combs according to their number, and do not so much hinder the one the other.

3. In a tall Hive or other Cavity, when their Combs are of any considerable length they become weary, because they conti­nually ascend and descend in the narrow passages between the Combs; which is not [Page 15] only troublesom, but a great hindrance to those that are below. For I have al­ways observed, that the uppermost part of the tallest Hives are never with­out Bees; but at the coldest time of the day or night, then very full, and at the hottest times they are continually a­scending and descending. To prove which I once cut off with a sharp knife, the top of a straw Hive and some part of the Combs, thinking by that means that they would as well have passed out that way as at the bot­tom of the Hive; over which I placed a Glass-hive made after Mr. Hartlib's way, published in his Common weath of Bees, that in case the Bees would have always ascended, they might have then built in the new Hive over them: but they would not forsake their Combs.

4. The Bees always fix their work to the top of the Hives, and not to the Sticks only that are placed in the Hive, as by some is erroneously affirmed; those Sticks being placed in the Hives by some to strengthen them, that they should not sink with the weight of the Combs, by others to preserve the Combs from breaking in case the Hives should be leaned side ways or re­moved.

5. They always Swarm for want of Room.

[Page 16]6. A place cannot easily be over-stock'd with Bees, so that they have liberty to fly without incommoding the one the o­ther; but if the Country be barren or wanting of Meadow, Water and Oaks, it may be overstock'd.

Therefore make a Box or Hive of about eight Inches in height in the Inside, and a­bout twelve Inches broad, four square, close at the top and open at the bottom, with a Square of French or Dutch Glass on each side of about four or five Inches broad and five Inches deep, so g [...]oved in that no Air may pass through the sides of it; which may be prevented by fixing it in with Paste or Cotton-wool. Let there be Shutters or Covers for each Square of Glass, to be added and taken off at pleasure, by means of small Buttons or Hasps; or you may make it without Glass if you please. Let there be two Teeholes or Doors, the one in the middle of the one Square-side at the bottom, and the other in the middle of the other Square-side next adjoyning; that when this Hive stands with the one Door towards the South East, the other may be towards the South-West, each door being about three Inches long and one third part of an inch deep.

Then make another Box or Hive of the [Page 17] same depth, and about six or eight Inches broader, with two Squares of Glass on each side, two Doors on two of the sides, that they may tend towards the same coasts as the other: Let this Box be open at bot­tom also and close at the top, except an hole in the Middle of about three Inches Diameter or Square. You may also make a third Box of about two Foot over or more, but of the same depth as the sormer; always encreasing the Num­ber of your Glass-squares, and Doors pro­portionable to the breadth of your sides.

The Tops of these Boxes must be made of well-season'd dry Wood, Oak, Beech, Fir or Sugar-chest, and made in Pannels joyned to prevent shrinking, swelling, warping, splitting, &c. the sides with Studds and Pannels, as every Joyner can direct you. The top on the inside may be ei­ther of the Board as it is, which is best; or if you doubt that it will shrink you may line it with a thin Matt, as I have seen it, or Plaster it with sine Mortar made of Lime and Hair; always remembring to singe off the hair that may probably stick without the Mortar.

You may also make sticks to hang in se­veral places of the Boxes, of about half an Inch square, fixed in the upper part of the [Page 18] Box and extending to the bottom or very near it, the better to preserve the Combs steady, and to help the Bees the easier to come to their Combs.

The first of these Boxes you may take a swarm into it at Swarming time, and set it in its place where it is to stand, leaving both the Doors open to the coasts before mentioned; which if the Swarm be great will be quickly filled. When you per­ceive it near full add the second Box un­der it, placing the first on the middle of the undermost, leaving the hole in the middle open. This may be done in the cool of the evening or in the night. The next day will part of the Bees take to their new Box, but the greater number continue their former employment un­til they have quite filled the upper. Then will they fall to work in the low­er, and it's probable may fill that also the same Summer. As you find occasion, you may add the third, and so a fourth or fifth, leaving the several Doors open in every Box whilest you find there is occasion; and as the weather grows colder and the Bees labour less, so you may lessen their passages by small Wedges, made flat and fit for that purpose; so you may keep their Glass shut as you think good. You may if you please [Page 19] let your uppermost be a small Straw-hive, which is as good, though not so comely or suitable, as that of Joyner's Work.

You may make a Frame of Wood on four Leggs, covered with Board or Lead, or what you please to place these Boxes in to preserve them from the Wet, much whereof they will not endure. Let the drip be carried off from the two fore­most sides, lest it drive too much on the Hives or Bees. This Case or Bee-house must stand Arras-wise with one Corner towards the South, that the Boxes also may the better stand that way. It must have doors on every side: the two Back-doors may be whole, and made to open only when you have occasion to move, order or view your Bees. The two Fore-doors may be made in several parts; the upper third part to open upwards, supported, dripping for­wards, by slender Iron-hooks, that the wind stir them not; these serve to keep the Bees and Boxes from Rain and Sun. The Un­der-doors may be made in halves, the one to hang on the East and West-posts, and the other on the South-posts; those on the South-posts to be taken off the Hooks all the Summer, and in the Winter also, except when the Bees are to be total­ly confined. The Copper Cut will shew [Page 20] you the form of the whole, as well Boxes as Bee-house.

From this Form or Model of keeping of Bees these Conveniencies and Advantages will certainly ensue.

1. The Bees have not far to ascend, their Habitation being but low.

2. They are not hindred for want of Room, nor for want of Entrance; their Doors are wide and on several sides of the Hives or Boxes, that they have great free­dom of passage to and fro in the most busie time of their Gathering.

3. The Bees have the benefit of the Sun the whole day by this position of the Hive. In hot and dry weather the morning Sun is most necessary, to invite them abroad before the Dews are off the Fowers and Trees; and the evening Sun is necessary at all times.

4. Their entrance or doors may easily be straitned as the season of the year re­quires.

5. The Boxes themselves may in the Winter be secured from cold Winds and Rains, and the warm Sun may be exclud­ed in the Winter-months, which shining on the Hives, tempts the Bees to come a­broad to their ruine, and usually wakens them out of their Winter-fleeps; provo­king [Page 21] them to expend their Provision, which in the Spring time, if the weather prove unseasonable, they may want.

6. you may make use of your Glass-Windows at any time to view the nume­rous Colonies of these most laborious A­nimals.

7. These broad and flat Boxes will harbour with advantage, as many Bees as possibly can cohabit together in any one Colony, with all imaginable convenien­cy. And as they increase in Number, so m [...]y you increase your Boxes, until you find them at a stay: And then it is best to take them by the usual way of Smothering by the sume of Brimstone, admitted by some hole left at the bottom of the Bee­house, and kept stopp'd until you have occasion to use it for this purpose. For let not any one imagine, that their Honey can be taken from them and the Bees pre­served; unless by some sorts of driving mentioned by Butler in his Feminine Mo­narchy, which also are not commended.

The Bees will never forsake their Combs that are full of Honey, as I have several times experimented, as well by cutting off the top of the Hive and placing another over it, as by inverting a Hive with the bottom upwards and placing another over [Page 22] it; wherein the Bees built some Combs, yet by far the greater part of them kept to their former old Hive. Therefore all the boasts and affirmations of what hath been done to that purpose have been vain, unless such pretended Experimenters have met with a new Species of Bees.

THese Animals spend their time, as long as the weather will permit and any thing will yield them matter to work upon, in gathering Honey either gross or pure, or Wax, as their occasions require and the season of the year will afford them, ac­cording to the Poet,

In the first of the Spring in Febru­ary, if the weather be fair, they will a­broad; and in that Month and the next, as the Spring is earlier and later, they ga­ther much on the Hazel, Dandelyon, Dazie, Violet, Withy, Alder, Daffodil, &c. But a­bove any other Tree they most affect the Phyllirea; one sort of them beareth in those Months an abundance of greenish Blossoms which yield great plenty of a Gummy Ro­sinny Sweat, which the Bees daily transport to their Hives, and yet it as often as the day reneweth. Nothing can be more ac­ceptable to your Bees than a Hedge of this Tree about your Apiary, it being a very close Fence green all the Winter, and yield­ing so great a quantity of acceptable Food in the usual time of their greatest Ne­cessity.

Although these Trees are not now very common, yet are they easily propagated from Seeds, Layers or Slips. And I do as­sure [Page 24] you the effects of them to be as afore­said, and do not advise it to your loss, as a certain Author did to place the Elm a­bout your Apiary; a Tree that hath been always esteemed injurious to Bees, not on­ly by ancient and experienced Bee-masters, but our modern Botanicks. Nor as hath been advised to plant the Palm. tree, which neither Gold nor Silver can purchase to flourish in this Northern Clime.

The residue of the Spring do the Bees plentifully gather on the Blossoms of the Black-thorn, Bullace, Plum, Cherry, Pear, Apple, Goosberry, Peach, and many other Fruits and Flowers, of the Gardens as well as of the Meadows.

Thus from one Tree and Blossom to ano­ther do these industrious Insects gather their food, being more gross than the fine Honey they gather in the Summer for their Winter-store; this being but the Ambrosia, as Bu [...]ler terms it, serving only for present main [...]e [...]nce for themselves and their Brood for want of which (their old stock of f [...]e Honey or Neotar being spent, and the wea hor bad that they cannot gather) [Page 25] they often die. Therefore those Plants that afford them most of this early Food ought to be propagated about your A­piary.

When the Spring is a little past, and the Summer or May-month well entred, then the Bees prosecute their building, preparing Cells wherein to store up their Treasure for the succeeding Winter; not neglect­ing their Breeding, which they continue until Nature (their Mistress) Prompteth them to decline it, and follow their work of gathering and storing up their Nectar whilest it is to be had. Every Bee hath his several Office, some to gather, others to build, &c. as the Poet ob­served.

After the Summer Solstice the pure Ne­ctar rests on the Leaves of the Oak, and some other Trees, but most on the Oak; so long as these Dews fall, the Bees dayly lade themselves home with it; they not o­mitting their making of Combs, nor as yet their Breeding.

Besides from Trees, they gather much Honey from Thyme, chiefly to be nourished in and near your Apiary, as the Poet ad­vised.

For Thyme yields much and very pure Honey. The Pines are only supposed to be for shelter, being ever green, in the room of which you may place Phyllirea, which is to be prefer'd, yielding both shel­ter and food.

After the Honey-dews are over, Bees gather but little; neither do they then build any more Cells, having no need of them, but fill at those times all their Cells to the very top, not only with Honey, but all the Intervals with their Bodies.

So that if you should separate or drive the Bees from their Combs before the fall of the Honey-dews, and take the upper part, you would have but little advan­tage, by reason of the young Grubs you would have mixt with your impure Ho­ney. And if you should separate or drive them after, you would not leave where­with to maintain them over the Winter; and your driving of them, being a linger­ing Death, would prove greater cruel­ty to these Animals than a sudden suf­focation.

Not but that they in the Autumn con­tinually employ themselves in gather­ing very pure Honey in small quantity, from the time of the Honey-dews, un­til the severity of the Winter pro­hibits their Flight; but not enough to renew their Store for the succeeding Winter.

All which considered, you will soon be of the Poet's Opinion,