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Original text lacked a Table of Contents.

Text emphasis denoted as _Italics_ and =Bold=. WHole and fractional
parts of numbers as 12-3/4.




                                  THE
                          BEE-KEEPER'S MANUAL

                            [Illustration]




                                  THE
                         BEE-KEEPER'S MANUAL,

                                  OR

                            PRACTICAL HINTS
                                ON THE
                 MANAGEMENT AND COMPLETE PRESERVATION
                                  OF
                            THE HONEY-BEE;

                                 WITH
               A DESCRIPTION OF THE MOST APPROVED HIVES,
                AND OTHER APPURTENANCES OF THE APIARY.

                                  BY
                             HENRY TAYLOR.

                    SIXTH EDITION, WITH ADDITIONS.

                  ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS.

                                LONDON:
                GROOMBRIDGE AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW.
                               MDCCCLX.




Contents


  CHAPTER                                                  PAGE

  The Bee-Keeper’s Manual.                                    1
       The Queen or Mother Bee                                4
       The Common or Working Bees                            11
       Swarming (or Single Hiving) and Depriving Systems     21
       Common Straw (or Single) Hives                        27
       Straw Depriving Hives                                 30
       Hive-Covers                                           37
       Floor or Hive-Boards                                  42
       Hive-Stands, or Pedestals                             37
       Wood Box Hives                                        51
       Wood Bar Boxes                                        54
       Bar Glass Hives                                       72
       Straw Bar-Hives                                       73
       Circular Wooden Hives                                 75
       Collateral System                                     78
       White’s Collateral Hive                               81
       Nutt’s Collateral Hive                                82
       Nadir Hive                                            87
       Bee Sheds and Houses                                  94
       Position and Aspect                                   97
       Bee Passage and Number of Hives                      101

  Summer Management.                                        106
       Wax and Combs                                        109
       Propolis                                             112
       Honey                                                113
       Pollen and Farina                                    113
       Water                                                115
       Shade                                                115
       Moths, Wasps, Hornets, and Other Enemies             116
       Super-hiving                                         119
       Bell-glasses                                         120
       Triplets and Nadirs                                  122

  Autumnal Management.                                      124
       Remove a Full Box or Super                           125
       Honey Harvest                                        128
       Comb-Knives                                          130
       Robbers                                              131
       Autumnal Feeding                                     132
       Feeding-troughs                                      133
       Bee Food                                             137
       Winter Store                                         138
       Autumnal Unions, Fuming, and Transferring Bees       140
       Driving of Bees                                      152

  Winter Management.                                        157
       Winter Positioning                                   158
       Damp in Hives                                        161
       Temperature                                          162
       Dysentery                                            164

  Spring Management.                                        166
       Cleaning or Changing Floor-boards                    167
       Comb-pruning                                         167
       General Directions                                   168
       Spring Feeding                                       170
       Enemies and Robbers                                  175
       Super-hives                                          176
       Temperature and Weather                              177
       Swarming                                             180
       Returning of Swarms                                  183
       After-swarms                                         186
       Uniting of Swarms                                    192
       Prevention of After-swarms                           193
       Maiden Swarms                                        196
       General Directions on Swarming                       196
       Artificial Swarming                                  199
       Dividing Bar-Hive                                    204
       Bee-Protector                                        208
       Remedy for the Sting of a Bee                        210

  Conclusion.                                               212

  Index.                                                    217




PREFACE

TO

THE FOURTH EDITION.


Twelve years have elapsed since the original publication of the
Bee-keeper's Manual. For the fourth time the author is called upon to
revise his little book, and he still thinks that the leading object in
offering it to public notice will best be explained in the words with
which it was first introduced. "The existence of the following pages
had its origin, some time ago, in the request of a friend, that the
author would give him a brief practical compendium of the management of
Bees, on the humane or depriving system. Similar applications came from
other quarters. The subject is one which has of late acquired increased
interest; but the hints following would perhaps never have been
prepared for the press, had not the hours of a protracted confinement
by illness required some diversity of occupation and amusement. On
reviewing his experience as an amateur bee-keeper, the author was led
to believe that the result of it, added to a concise view of such
particulars as are usually spread over a large surface in works of
this nature, and arranged according to the progressive order of the
seasons, might be useful to others, seeking like himself occasional
relaxation from weightier matters in watching over and protecting these
interesting and valuable insects. Step by step this or that defect of
construction in his Hives had been remedied, and such conveniences
added as necessity or the spirit of improvement from time to time had
suggested. These are briefly described in the following little work.
If it have the good fortune, though in a small degree, to smooth the
path (usually a rough and uncertain one) of the apiarian novice,--of
removing ignorance and prejudice, or of obviating any portion of the
difficulties with which a more general cultivation of bees has to
contend,--why may not the contribution of this mite be considered a
humble addition to the store of USEFUL KNOWLEDGE?"

In its present renewed form, the author has been induced partially to
extend his first design (originally much restricted in its scope), by
entering somewhat more at large into the subject of Bee management,
and the general details of practice. Although not professing to offer
his remarks to any particular