§ VIII. HUBER'S HIVE.
To Francis Huber—not improperly styled "the prince of apiarians"—we are indebted for more extensive and accurate observations on the habits of the bee than have been contributed by all other observers since the time of Aristotle. We have here introduced a description of Huber's leaf hive (and should be glad to exhibit one) for the sake of its historic interest in connection with apiarian science. Though entirely gone out of use it was invaluable for Huber himself, and it suggested to other apiarians the adoption of the present plan of vertical bars and frames.
In connection with this last point of interest it seems fitting to introduce here some very brief account of the development of the movable-frame hive. From "time immemorial" there have existed bar hives—indeed, they have been traced to the ribbed carcase of Samson's lion. But in most cases the bars were not movable ones—they were simply designed to aid the purpose of keeping an upper story in some degree clear of the queen's inter-meddling. And even when they were capable of removal they added but a slight step in advance, and the credit of the inventions of Golding in England and Dzierzon in Germany is due not to the bars themselves but to their mode of affixing, and especially to the guide-comb attached beneath. At about the same date with these there appeared a Russian hive known as the Propokovitsch, which consisted in an arrangement of several stories of frames inserted endways and resting on cross pieces below them. Thus one invention supplied bars without frames, while the other offered frames without bars. But the right idea had now been caught, and it is not surprising that several apiarians, independently and simultaneously, were engaged at this period in working it out.
Briefly summarised the sequel is as follows. In 1841 our own countryman Major Munn obtained a patent in France for his movable bar-and-frame hive, of which he published a description in England in 1844;[21] in America in 1851 Mr. Langstroth completed the invention of his movable bar-frames; and in Germany in 1853 Baron von Berlepsch by a distinct inventive process added the frames to Dzierzon's bars. Thus England appears after all to possess the honour of the contrivance, although we certainly proved the last to make of it any general or extensive use. Major Munn's original hive opened at the back, and when in 1851 he reappeared in print with a hive opening at the top, he had altered the frames (and hive too) from oblong to triangular. Probably one reason of the invention's failure was the expensiveness of the Major's fittings, which are such as to make the hive appear in his engravings more like some astronomical instrument than a box for bees and honey. Be this as it may, there was practically no such thing as a frame hive in use in England till 1860, when Mr. Tegetmeier was the means of reintroducing it—whether from Germany or America we are not quite sure. The German hives, however, open at the end, while Mr. Langstroth's are like our own; so that, whoever was the inventor of bar-frame hives, the hive of English apiarians comes nearer to this gentleman's than to that of any one else. Mr. Woodbury it was who afterwards brought out the frame hive which met with the first general acceptance in this country.
[21] "A Description of the Bar-and-Frame Hive invented by W. A. Munn, Esq.:" London, Van Voorst, 1844; 2nd ed. 1851. In his edition of Bevan's "Honey Bee," brought out in 1870, the Major tells us that he had been for some years engaged in connection with this distinguished author (and we presume Mr. Golding) in, the preparation of the above hive.
Having made allusion to the construction of the German hives it may be acceptable to some if we append a few additional particulars. According to Von Berlepsch, the depth should be about sixteen inches, the length twenty-eight, and the breadth only nine, so that the receptacle is high and narrow, and reaches a long way back. The frames, which fit crossways, are consequently much like our own turned up on end, or perhaps more frequently two frames are used, one as a story above the other. With the most approved hive (the "Lagerbeute") instead of supers the further end of the long box is partitioned off and goes by the name of the "honey-room." Then, as the only practical opening is at this end, not only must this "room" be cleared away equally with our supers before the brood frames can be got at, but none of these can be reached without taking out all the others that are in front of them. When supers are used the frames can be extracted without interfering with these, so that some advantage might then result from such arrangement; but generally speaking this operation of removal is a rare necessity while the supers are on. In some cases extraction at the top may be the more convenient, and in others at the end; and we have therefore in our Philadelphia hive ([§ xii.]) endeavoured to unite the two advantages by supplying an opening both at the side and the top.
To return, however, to the subject of our present section. During the early period of Huber's investigations he prosecuted them by means of single-comb hives, which allow of each side of the comb being examined. He found, however, that there was one important defect. The bees could not in these hives cluster together, which is their natural method of withstanding the effects of a reduced temperature. Huber hit upon the ingenious expedient of combining a number of single-comb frames, so as to form one complete hive, which could be opened, in order to expose any particular comb, without disturbing the rest. From the manner of the opening and closing of this hive it has generally been called the "Leaf or Book Hive." The division separating each comb is joined both back and front with "butt hinges," fastened with a movable pin, on withdrawing which, at both sides, each comb and the bees on it may be inspected as easily as if in a single-comb hive. Huber's leaf hive is thus in appearance as if several ordinary "History of England" chess-boards were set up on end together; but each single portion is distinct, instead of there being any coupling of twos. The floor-board on which the hive stands is larger than the hive when closed, so as to allow of its being opened freely at any particular "volume." An entrance-way for the bees is hollowed out of the floor-board as in other hives. There is a glass window in each end of the hive, which is provided with a shutter.
There is, however, one serious objection to Huber's hive, which, though not noticed by him or his careful assistant, has prevented its general use—that is, the difficulty there is in closing it without crushing some of the bees—a catastrophe which, by exasperating their comrades, is certain to interfere with any experiments. There is no such risk in the bar-and-frame hive, whilst in it every facility possessed by Huber's is retained.
The character of Huber and the circumstances under which he pursued his observations are so remarkable that we need scarcely apologise for stating a few particulars respecting him here. He was born at Geneva, in July 1750, his family being in honourable station and noted for talent. Just as he attained to manhood he lost his sight, and remained blind to the end of his days. This apparently insuperable obstacle in the way of scientific observation was overcome by the remarkable fidelity with which Burnens, his assistant, watched the bees and reported their movements to Huber. Madame Huber also, who, betrothed to him before his calamity, had remained constant in her affection, assisted in the investigations with great assiduity during their long and happy wedded life. Huber, fortunately for science, was in a position to devote both means and leisure to these observations; and Burnens, though only a peasant, was a superior man, and rose by his worth to become chief magistrate of his native village. In later years Huber's son Pierre rendered important aid. We quote the following from "Memoirs of Huber" by Professor de Candolle:—
"We have seen the blind shine as poets, and distinguish themselves as philosophers, musicians, and calculators; but it was reserved for Huber to give a lustre to his class in the sciences of observation, and on objects so minute that the most clear-sighted observer can scarcely perceive them. The reading of the works of Réaumur and Bonnet, and the conversation of the latter, directed his curiosity to the history of bees. His habitual residence in the country inspired him with the desire, first of verifying some facts, then of filling some blanks in their history; but this kind of observation required not only the use of such an instrument as the optician must furnish, but an intelligent assistant, who alone could adjust it to its use. He had then a servant named Francis Burnens, remarkable for his sagacity and for the devotion he bore his master. Huber practised him in the art of observation, directed him to his researches by questions adroitly combined, and, aided by the recollections of his youth and by the testimonies of his wife and friends, he rectified the assertions of his assistant, and became enabled to form in his own mind a true and perfect image of the manifest facts. 'I am much more certain,' said he, smiling, to a scientific friend, 'of what I state than you are, for you publish what your own eyes only have seen, while I take the mean among many witnesses.' This is doubtless very plausible reasoning, but very few persons will by it be rendered distrustful of their own eyesight."
The results of Huber's observations were published in 1792, in the form of letters to Bonnet, under the title of "Nouvelles Observations sur les Abeilles." This work made a strong impression upon many naturalists, not only because of the novelty of the facts stated and the excellent inductive reasoning employed, but also on account of the rigorous accuracy of the observations recorded, when it was considered with what an extraordinary difficulty the author had to struggle.
Huber retained the clear faculties of his observant mind until his death, which took place on the 22nd of December, 1831. Most of the facts relating to the impregnation of the queen, the formation of cells, and the whole economy of the bee community, as discovered and described by Huber, have received full confirmation from the investigations of succeeding naturalists.