AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Brenda M Kellar for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology presented on May 4. 2004. Title: One Methodology for the Incorporation of Entomological Material in the Discipline of Historic Archaeology Using the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) as a Test Subject. Abstract approved:. Redacted for Privacy David R. Brauner Using the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) this thesis shows that entomological information and material can be retrieved using current historical archaeological methods. Historical archaeology has the ability to uncover connections between arenas as varied, and seemingly isolated, as the honey bee, the environment, and human cultures. By focusing on one of these arenas, the honey bee in this thesis, we can learn about the forces that drive change within all these arenas. Additionally, historical archaeology can help us to trace the affects of change outside the source, so that a change in the honey bee population is understood to affect both human cultures and the environment. © Copyright by Brenda M Kellar May 4, 2004 All Rights Reserved One Methodology for the Incorporation of Entomological Material in the Discipline of Historic Archaeology Using the Honey Bee (ApismellferaL.) as a Test Subject. By Brenda M Kellar A THESIS Submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Presented May 4, 2004 Commencement June 2005 Master of Arts thesis of Brenda M Kellar presented on May 4. 2004. APPROVED: Redacted for Privacy Major Professor, representing Applied Anthropology Redacted for Privacy Chair of the Department of Anthropology Redacted for Privacy Deanof the Gdduat School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any Redacted for Privacy J3rendaMKellar, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author expresses sincere appreciation to: Lisa Ede, from the English department at OSU, for being one of the first people to believe that I could accomplish this goal Deanna Kingston, from the Anthropology department at OSU, for keeping me on track throughout the entire process David Brauner, from the Anthropology department at OSU, for sharing my enthusiasm and never letting mine lag Everyone at Colonial Williamsburg for aiding me in my search for the first honey bee in North America And finally, Michael Burgeft, for telling me that at one time North America was a continent without honey bees, an idea that fascinated me, and for supporting my attempt to identify honey bee remains retrieved from soil samples. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction............................................................ 1 Settlement Patterns ................................................... 10 Macro-Location (outside the homestead) 13 Micro-Location (within the homestead) 28 Material Culture ................................................... 35 Beehives.................................................... 36 Hive covers .................................................... 45 Moving hives.................................................... 47 Honey extraction/Beeswax processing 50 Swarming.................................................... 57 Beehunting.................................................... 62 Summary.................................................... 62 Archaeology............................................................. 64 Excavation 1.................................................... 66 Excavation 2..................................................... 70 Analysis of Colonial Williamsburg, VA flotation samples 74 Analysis of Fort Hoskins Flotation Sample................. 78 Summary..................................................... 79 Points of Interest ..................................................... 81 Clover..................................................... 81 Economics..................................................... 85 Tanging..................................................... 89 Conclusion ..................................................... 93 Works Cited ..................................................... 99 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 17th 1 century English children's picture book.............................................32 2 Beehives under a protective roof outside a blacksmith's shop........................32 3 Bas-relief from sun temple of Ne-user-re................................................37 4 Storifying hives.................................................................................39 5 Theft-proof hive..................................................................................40 6 Huber's leaf-hive, 1792.....................................................................41 7 Straw hive construction tools..............................................................42 8 Bell shaped straw hives.....................................................................43 9 Straw hive with bars...........................................................................43 10 Bee hive caps.................................................................................46 11 Moving beehives by hand cart............................................................49 12 Protective hood..............................................................................51 13 Protective clothing.........................................................................52 14 Honeycomb extraction equipment.......................................................53 15 Bellows fumigator.........................................................................56 16 Rehiving a swarm...........................................................................59 17 Apismell?fera L.stinger..................................................................65 18 String outline of first excavation.........................................................67 19 Honey bee wing.............................................................................69 20 Equipment used for second excavation.................................................70 21 Corer with sledgehammer and board cap in front of hive............................72 22 Honey bee mandibles.......................................................................73 23 Honey bee sting aparatus with exposed stinger........................................80 24 Side view of honey bee sting aparatus..................................................80 25 Side view of the sting chamber..........................................................80 26 Wooden hives..............................................................................98 LIST OF TABLES Table ag 1 Time table of honey bee dispersal in North America according to documentary sources .............................................................................. 27 2 Augusta County, VA Inventories....................................................29 3 Results of microscopic analysis of colonial flotation samples...................77 One Methodology for the Incorporation of Entomological Material in the Discipline of Historic Archaeology Using the Honey Bee (Apis melliferaL.) as a Test Subject Introduction Aristophanes, 448-380 BC: "Active, eager, airy thing, Ever hovering on the wing" [Ransome 1937:20] As an undergraduate I took an entomology class that changed my life. Dr. Michael Burgett, Professor of Entomology at Oregon State University and Apis expert for Oregon, told the class that honey producing bees did not exist in North America before the early17thcentury. I am not sure what he said during the rest of the class because in my mind I was trying to experience a world without honey bees no "busy as a bee" or "beeline" or "honey of a deal." I must admit that after three years I am still trying to understand what that world must have been like even though I have spent those three years using historical archaeological techniques to try and trace the enormous number of impacts the introduction of the honey bee (ApismellferaL.) has had on the development of the United States. Because of my search, I have received a small glimpse into a world where the honey bee is a stranger. This paper is an attempt to share what I have learned and to instill in others some of the excitement I feel about incorporating entomological material into the discipline of historic archaeology. I want to show that entomological material is retrievable, that historic documentary sources offer intriguing insights into the role of insects in the development of culture in the United States, and that historic archaeology is the perfect discipline to trace the honey bee (or any insect) geographically, economically, ideologically, and politically through time. The United States culture was founded on an agricultural economy and this has been investigated at length by historians, economists, archaeologists, etc. Yet the partner in this agricultural endeavor, the honey bee, has not been well researched as an integral part of this development. Even now, when the United States is turning from an industrial nation to an information-based nation, agriculture is a necessary part of the United States culture with the honey bee, perhaps, a more important part of that agricultural component than ever. Currently, the United States produces around nine billion dollars worth of agricultural commodities requiring insect pollination; 95% done by the honey bee. In 1993 it was estimated that one hive of honey bees in Oregon was responsible