Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 3, Anatomy-Astronomy

Apiary.
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er’s hive.
API
WTiile some cultivators of bees have been chiefly anxi¬
ous to promote their multiplication, and to prevent the
escape of the swarms in the natural way, by procuring
what they have termed artificial sxuarms,—which they
effected by separating a populous hive, previous to its
swarming, into two parts, and allowing to each greater
room for the extension of their works; others have con¬
templated only the abundance of the products which they
yielded, and the facility of extracting them from the hive,
without showing any particular solicitude as to the preser¬
vation of the bees themselves. Another class of apiarians
have, on the other hand, had it more particularly in view
to facilitate the prosecution of researches in the natural
history and economy of bees. The hive invented by Mr
Huber is peculiarly calculated for the last of these objects,
and its construction is founded on an accurate knowledge
of the habits of these insects. He has given it the name
of ruche en livre ou enfeuillets, from its opening and shut¬
ting somewhat in the manner of the leaves of a book.
This book or leaf hive is composed of from eight to twelve
square wooden frames, placed vertically, and joined to¬
gether sidewise like the hoops of a cask. Each frame
consists of two uprights, one inch in thickness, a foot in
height, and an inch and a third in width, connected by
an upper and lower cross bar, ten inches long, and of the
same breadth and thickness as the former; so that all the
frames may be joined together, without leaving any inter¬
val. The two external frames are closed each by a pane
of glass, which is covered by a shutter on the outside;
and the whole is properly secured in its place, and further
protected by an external cover. An aperture must of
course be left in the lower part of one of the frames to
serve as a door. In order to determine the bees to con¬
struct their combs in the plane of each leaf, a small piece
of honeycomb is fixed, by means of pegs, to the top of
each in the proper position, as it is well known that bees
always complete their work in the direction in which they
find it begun, unless they meet with some insurmountable
obstacle. A proper distance is thus preserved between
the lateral surfaces of the perpendicular combs; and the
external ones, being only three or four lines distant from
the glass panes, may be easily inspected by opening the
shutters; and also by opening in succession the different
divisions of the hive, both surfaces of every comb may at
pleasure be fully brought into view. No difficulty is ex¬
perienced in introducing swarms into hives of this con¬
struction ; and after the lapse of a few days, when the
colony is fully established, the bees will very patiently
submit to be daily inspected.
Mr Huber’s hive is exceedingly well calculated for pro¬
ducing artificial swarms on the principle of Schirach’s dis¬
covery, of which a full account will be given in the article
Bee. It allows us to judge by inspection whether the
population is sufficient to admit of division,—if the brood
is of the proper age,—and if males exist, or are ready to
be produced, for impregnating the young queen ; all which
circumstances are of material consequence to the success
of the operation. It is essential that some of the larvae
should not have been hatched above three days before
this attempt is made. The frames must then be gently
separated at the middle of the hive, and two empty frames
be introduced in the interval between the former; each
of these new frames having a partition which closes them
completely, so as to enable the two portions to be entirely
separated without leaving any opening. The door of that
portion in which the queen happens to be at this time
may remain open, but the one belonging to the other part
must be closed, so as to retain the bees that have no queen
prisoners for 24 hours, allowing still, however, sufficient
circulation of air. After this interval of time they appear
API
295
to iave forgotten their queen, at least the}r are no longer Apiary
anxious to seek for her, but bestow all their solicitude in'^^S*^
the education of the larvse, so as to convert a certain num-
ber of them into queens to supply the loss they have sus¬
tained. Ihis they accomplish in ten days or a fortnight
after the operation. The two colonies are now perfectly
distinct, and are never found afterwards to intermix.
Another advantage attending a hive of this construc¬
tion consists in its enabling us to force the bees to pro¬
duce a much greater quantity of wax than they would
naturally do. The interval which separates the combs
when the bees have not been disturbed in their opera¬
tions is constantly the same, namely, about foyr lines.
Were they too distant, it is evident that the bees would
be much dispersed, and unable to communicate their heat
reciprocally, and the brood would not be preserved in a
sufficient degree of warmth. Were the combs too close,
on the contrary, the bees could not freely traverse the
intervals, and the work of the hive would suffer. It is
evident that we may avail ourselves of this instinct, and,
by separating farther asunder the combs that are already
built, induce the bees either to extend the breadth of
those they had begun, or to build others in the interval,
if sufficient space be allowed them for this purpose. Thus,
by interposing three empty frames, one between every al¬
ternate interval of the combs in a hive containing six
combs, three additional combs, if the proper season be
chosen, will be obtained at the end of a week; and if the
weather continue favourable, the operation may be re¬
peated, and the same number of additional combs pro¬
cured the week after.
The principal obstacles to the general employment of
Mr Huber’s hives are the expense of constructing them,
and the greater degree of attention which they perhaps
require from the cultivator. It has also been objected
that the flatness of the roof was prejudicial, by allowing
the moisture which exhales from the bees to collect at
the top, and to fall in drops at different parts, to the great
injury of the subjacent contents of the hive. Feburier Hives of
proposes therefore the employment of frames in the form other apia-
of a trapezium, so that the roof shall be considerably in-1™118*
dined to the horizon. He borrows this shape from Bose,
whose hive consists, however, only of two boxes joined
together sidewise, and separable in order to form artificial
swarms. This was an improvement upon Geheu’s hive,
which was formed of two square boxes united laterally.
Delator had recommended a still more simple form than
that of Bose, though less convenient; namely, that of a
triangle resting on its base. Mr Ravenel’s hive consists
of three square boxes instead of two; Mr Scrain’s is also
made up of three boxes, but they are low and of great
length, and are joined endwise,—a communication being
established between them by apertures made in the divi¬
sions which separate the boxes. It is now, however, well
established, that partitions of any kind are detrimental to
the prosperity of the colony. The same objection applies,
though perhaps in an inferior degree, to the system of
storied hives, or those which are divided into stories one
above another. A great variety of the latter description,
however, have been recommended by different cultiva¬
tors. In France they are known by the name of ruches en
hausses. Mr Thorley’s improved hive is of this class, and
Mr Lombard’s ruche villageoise may also be referred to the
same head, although it be of much simpler construction
than any other compound hive. Mr Lombard’s hive is com¬
posed of two parts, a body and a cover, forming together
an elevation of from seventeen to twenty inches, on a
uniform diameter of one foot, excepting the upper part,
which ought to be convex. The body is formed of bands
of straw, similar to that of the cottages in this country