The apiary; or, bees, bee-hives, and bee culture [1865]: Being a familiar account of the habits of bees, and the most improved methods of management, with full directions, adapted for the cottager, farmer, or scientific apiarianNeighbor, Alfred
Science
The apiary; or, bees, bee-hives, and bee culture [1865]: Being a familiar account of the habits of bees, and the most improved methods of management, with full directions, adapted for the cottager, farmer, or scientific apiarian
To recur to our subject. After the days of Wildman, our own
establishment in Holborn became widely known for bee hives and
honey. Although we never attempted to start a London apiary at all
approaching in extent that of our predecessor, we have occasionally
kept bees on the house top both in Holborn and Regent Street. At both
those situations, we have noticed that the bees bring "pollen" as
well as honey into their hives. Last summer there was brought under
our notice an illustration of the acuteness of the scent of bees, and
of their diligent search for food, proving too that if sweets can be
obtained even from unusual sources, the bees will find them out. A poor
woman who, at the corner of an adjacent street vends "brandy balls,"
"toffee," "rock," and other saccharine compounds--all well known to and
appreciated by most juveniles,--used to receive frequent visits from
our bees. Their visits to the old dame's domain were at first rather
interesting, and if the few pioneers who had the sagacity to find such
a store had kept the secret only to themselves, their company would
not have been objected to. Such selfish policy does not, however,
accord with the social instinct of bees, and these soon informed their
companions of the good fortune provided for them in an archipelago
of sugar islands. Day by day the swarms of these uninvited visitors
increased, until all legitimate customers were beaten off; and the old
dame had to see, not only her hope of gain destroyed, but her stock of
"goodies" sensibly diminishing by the thefts of these brigands of the
air. She could not, or dare not attempt to, drive the intruders away,
so made diligent enquiry as to where the robbers were harboured. Having
traced them to our establishment in Regent Street, she came to implore
of us to move the bees if possible, or she would have to move her
stall, and so lose her "connection" in the "toffee" and "rock" trade.
Wishing not to hinder the poor woman in gaining her livelihood, we
decided on removing our bees into the country.
It is difficult to assign an exact limit to the distance that bees
will go in search of honey yielding blossoms. It has been proved by
various experiments that they will fly say five or six miles, if the
supplies are scanty within a shorter radius; but bees well understand
that first of all economies,--the saving of time, and if they can find
forage near at hand, they prefer it. Hence, other things being equal,
the quantity of honey stored will be in proportion to the contiguity of
good pasturage. In this way it is that the systematic removal of hives,
as practiced in many districts, has such a notable effect on the honey
harvest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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