STORAGE ITEM PROCESS ING-CNE Lpl-F20A U.B.C. LIBRARY /i-^cti a^-^ BEEHIVES. TWO SILVER MEDALS AWARDED to GEO. NEIGHBOUR d- SONS, at the Paris Exhibition of 1867. The only English Ex- hibitors who obtained a Silver Medal for Beehives. THE LIBRARY IIP VE. As origin s'orkiBg three bell as three windows, 5s laany other practical 2 J d. md for a Alp \. N. & es with aproved ided. THE UNIVERSITY OF ith full BRITISH COLUMBIA Stocks, Swarms J. >/• V/inson Collection The 1 A new! I Draw- ings and I Agents made by James i^ee, ai nis prices. or GEO. NEIGHBOUR & SONS, 127, High Holbom, W.C; 149, Eegent Street, London, W. ; BOOKS FOE OOUilTRY E^J'JlLiSN'E Half-Hours at the Seasiae Or, Recreations with Marine Objects. By J. E. TAYLOR, F.L.S., F.G.S., Author of " Geological Stories,' &c. Small Svo., with about 150 Illustrations, price 4s. plain ; 6s. coloured. Half-Hours in the Green Lanes. A Book for a Country Stroll. By J. E. Tavlor, F.L.S., F.G.S. Sm?il Svo., nearly 300 cuts, price 4s. cloth. Half- Hours with the Stars. A plain and Easy Guide t(3 the Knowledge of. the Ck)n.stellations, cho-^g, in 12 Maps, the Position of the Principal Star-Groups XigTit afterlight flirougli- out the Year, with Introduction and a separate Explanation of each Map. True for everj' Year. By Richard A. Proctor, B.A., F.R.A.G, Second Etlition. demy 4to., price 5s. Half-Hours with the Microscope. By Edwin Lankester. M.D., F.R.S. Illustrated by 250 Drawings from Nature by TuFFEN West. Xew Edition, much enlarged, with a chapter on the Polariscope, and Frontispiece printed in Colours. Price 2s. 6d. plain ; 43. coloured. Greological Stories. piece of Being the Autobiography of—A Granite ; Quartz ; Slate ; Limestone ; ; Salt ; Jet ; ; Sandstone ; Coal Rock Chalk Purbeck Marble ; Clay ; Lignite ; The Crags : A Boulder ; A Gravel Pit. By .1. E. Taylor, F.G.S. Large fcap. •8vo., fully Illustrated, price 6s. The British Fern. (A Plain and Easy Account of. Together with their Classification, Arrange- ment of General Structure, and Functions, Directions for out-door and in-door Cultivation, &c. By Mrs. Lankester. Fully Illustrated, price 4s. coloured by hand. Every Known Fern. Synopsis Filicum ; including Osmundacese, Schizneacefe, Marattiaceae, and, Ophioglossacefe, accompanied by Figures representing the essential character- istics of each Genus. By the late Sii" W. J. Hooker, K.H., and John Gilbert Baker, F.L.S., Assistant Curator of the Kew Gardens. Price £1. 2s. 6<l. plain ; £1. 8a. coloured by hand. Second Edition, brought up to the present time. "Wild Flowers worth Notice. A Selection from the British Flora of some of our Xative Plants, which are most attractive for their Beauty, Uses, or Associations. By Mrs. Laxke.steFw. Illustrated by J. E. Sowerby, Fcap. Svo. cloth, coloured by hand, price 4s. A Manual of Structural Botany. By M. C. Cooke. New edition, with new Chemical Notation. Illustrated by more than 200 \Voodcut3, Price Is. ; bound Is. 6d. A Manual of Botanic Terms. By M. C. Cooke. Xew Edition. Greatly enlarged and including the recent Teratological terms. With more than 300 Illustrations. Fcap. Svo. cloth, price 2s. 6d. London: ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, Piccadilly, W. f^, I, mmwii OF mm&i wummmn FUULl^lIEI) HVHRY TIIUli^^DAY. PRICE TWOPEXCE. CONTENTS: 9biar» ant» ^j^iarn.— Articles and Notes on Cage Birds and Bee Keeping; Accurate and early Reports of Shows. [As a t'uarantee of the accuracy and reliability of the articles and notes on all matters connected with bees, we may mention that the department is edited by Mr. Frank Cheshire, who is well known as a highly scientific and successful Bee Master. Mr. Cheshire is about to commence a series of articles on ilanagement of Bees, dealing with the subject exhaiistively.] poultry antJ Habbtt^.— Articles on Poultry, Pigeons, and Eabbits; Full, early and accurate Reports of Shows. IRcunel antl Stable.— Articles on Dogs and Horses; Full and speedy Re^ orts of Shows, &c. iri5!)ing aiiK ^i)ooting;.— Current Events noted ; Articles and Letters from various Correspondents on the many questions embraced by these Sports. Natural ^denre. —Articles and Letters on Entomology, Botany, Zoology, &c. dfar ant( ^ear.—Emigration fully treated ; Travels in all Countries : Epitome of recent Greographical discoveries and doings. dTarm antJ ^artJen. — Reports of Meetings of Agricultural the and Horticultural Societies ; Articles interesting to Farmer, professional and amateur ; Gardening in all its and branches ; Cultural directions for various flowers fruits, both out of doors and under glass. IIEPORTS OF ALL IMPORTANT EVENTS IN Football Racing, Athletics, Cricket, Rowing, Swinmiing, Archery, Golf, and other Sports in their Season. Quarterly Subacription, prepaid, 2s. 8d. OFFICE, 32, WELLINGTON ST., STRAND, LONDON, VV.C. MANUAL OF BEE-KEEPING. Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2010 with funding from University of British Columbia Library http://www.archive.org/details/manualofbeekeepOOhunt • I © .H <D jq © fi P4 o 0) cs © C>D O ri^ COO © ro © G ro o ^ cc © ro +^ ro 6 ^ ^ ro CO *» i-i ro ^ «$ CQ H © fD H -p BEE PALACE, Exhibited by C. W. Smith, Esq., At th'i British Dec-Keepers' Association First Exhibition, Crystal Palace, 1874. — A MANUAL OP BEE-KEEPING. BY JOHN HUXTEE, Honorary Secretary of the British Bee-keej'ers' Asscciaiicn. " Some have taught That Bees have portions of etherial thought, Endued -with particles of heavenly fires. For God the -whole created mass inspires." Vit^gil. LONDON: HOBERT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY AND ALL EOOKSELLEES. 1875. DiPRCSE & Bateman, rrmteri=, 13 & 17, Tortugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. PREFACE Ix my position as Honorary Secretary of the British Bee-keepers' Association, I have frequently been asked to recommend a moderately priced book, which would instruct the inquirer how properly to manage his Bees ; to my great regret I have been unable to give a satisfactory reply. I was acquainted with no work embracing the requisites of cheapness and completeness up to our present standard of knowledge, to bring it within the means of the many. The best work in the Enghsh language is unquestionably Lnnrjstroth on tlie Honey Bee ; but this is pubHshed in America, and costs here Ten shillings and sixpence. All others that I knew did not explain the various systems and apparatus suf6.ciently, or were too costly for general use. It was universally acknowledged that the Apiarian Exhibition of 1874 had given an immense impetus to VI PREFACE. Bee-culture, and I had great hopes that one of our clever and learned Bee-masters would have announced during the Winter a new work on the subject, which would fulfil the desired conditions ; but the 1st day of February, 1875, arrived, and I had not heard the wished-for news; so, reluctant to let the Spring appear without the needed help, I resolved, faute de mieux, to attempt the work myself ; and, having sought and found a pubKsher, began and completed this httle Manual in my leisure evening hours of the month of February. This I must beg may excuse any defi- ciencies that may be discovered. My work is very unpretentious. I am full}^ aware there are many shortcomings, possibly errors, in it; and I am perfectly conscious of my inabiHty to do justice to my task, for I may at once say I make no pretence to originality, therefore have not scrupled to extract from the writings of previous authors any drawings or matter where I felt myself unable to improve on them. I have been particularly indebted in this way to Langstroth on the Honey Bee, The PREFACE. Vll British Bee Journal, the articles of Mr. Cliesliire, in The Countryy The Journal of Horticulture, King's Bee- keepers* text Bool'y and Neighbotiys Apiary. I liave» I believe, in most cases acknowledged the author from whom I have borrowed. If, in any instance, this ls omitted, it is unintentionally ; therefore I hope to be pardoned. My aim has been to make known the various new inventions and appHances in apiculture, and to encourage the culture of the Bee, by showing what wealth is lost to the nation at large by its neglect and to give in a popular and handy form practical in- structions to the novice which may start him fairly on the road to profitable Bee-keeping in a merciful and rational manner. Is it too presumptuous to hope, also, that the adept may herein find some useful hints and facts with which he was not acquainted ? Earnestly trusting that my work may not be in vain, I am, &c., joh:^ huxter. 5, Eaton Rise, Ealing, Middlesex. TABLE OF CONTEXTS PAGE. Preface -v Natural Histokv of tue Honey Bee - - - - 1 Bee-keeping -.--.___- 23 Hives -.-37 Supers -----.-_-_ 69 Ekes and Xadirs - - - - - -- -73 Feeders .......... 74: Queen Cages ---------78 Bee Houses 84 The Honey Extractor or Slinger . - . S5 Drone and Bee Traps -------89 On beginning Bee-keeping ------ 92 Guide Combs -.-------97 Quieting Bees --------- 102 Driving 106 Natural Swarming - - - - - - - -111 Artificial Swarming ------- 124 Queen-breeding and Nucleus Hives _ - - _ 130 LiGURiAN Bees and the Methods of Ligurianizing an Apiary ._------- 141 Transferring Combs and Bees to Frame Hives - - 149 Removing Supers from the Hives ----- 154 Robbing ---------- 155 Feeding --- -- 157 Pollen _. - - - 164 Ventilation of Hives - - - - - - -166 Stings - - - - - - - - - -]72 Removing Bees --------- 177 Pasturage for Bees -------- 178 Diseases of Bees -------- 182 Enemies of Bees - - - - - - - -198 Combs 201 Draining Honey from the Combs ----- 210 The Uses of Honey 212 Preparation of Wax - - - - - - -216 Propolis ------ _--- 217 Profit ---------- 218 Calendar - - - - 223 — A MANUAL OF BEE-KEEPIN(}.