Considerable help may be afforded by gently collecting the stragglers in a table-spoon, and shaking them off close to the entrance.
In about an hour, all the bees will have entered the hive, which may now be bodily taken to the place previously made ready for it, and which it is intended permanently to occupy,—a shelf, the size of the bottom of the hive, with a sloping piece of wood four inches wide, forms a firm bracket and a substantial stand,—these and all other preparations, such as cutting the opening, fixing the alighting-board, &c., having been previously accomplished when the hive was empty.
It will be as well to screen the hive from view for a few days, until the bees become settled in their new domicile. Although this hive is constructed of double glass, to keep up a more uniform degree of warmth, still, from the cold nature of glass, and the close contact into which the bees are brought with it, it is advisable to place flannel between the outer shutters and the glass of the hive, on both sides. Such precaution is found essential if the bees remain in this hive during whiter, and very much adds to their comfort on cold nights at most periods of the year. In the day time, in summer months, the hive being of double glass, the whole may be fully exposed to view. If the temperature of the apartment in which the hive stands be kept at 60 degrees, this extra attention will not be so needful. As soon as the bees are settled, comb-building will immediately commence, and in about two weeks' time there will be comb spreading over the whole hive. The queen may be viewed depositing her eggs, and all the usual operations of the rearing of brood, storing of honey, and the building of combs, will be open to full inspection, with perfect ease to the spectator. As an object of lively and permanent interest for the breakfast-parlour or conservatory, the unicomb observatory hive may be regarded as infinitely superior to an aquarium or fernery.
At the Exposition Universelle of 1855, in Paris, we exhibited a hive of this description in full working; order. The bees left London on the 5th of July of that year, and were placed in the Exposition on the following morning. An entrance was made for them through the side of the building, as before explained. Our bees had no national antipathies, and they immediately sallied forth to their "fresh fields and pastures new" in the Champs Elysees, the gardens of the Tuileries, the Luxembourg, &c., whence they soon returned laden with luscious store from French flowers.
The Jurors of the Exposition awarded us a prize medal for bee-hives.
WOODBURY UNICOMB HIVE.
The Woodbury Unicomb Hive has many advantages over similar hives as previously constructed. The engraving shows the interior compartment divided into six; these are sis Woodbury frames. The inner sash opens, to admit of hanging up the frames on the notches prepared for them. The width of the hive between the glasses of the sashes is just sufficient to admit of one thickness of comb, with space on each side for the bees to pass and repass, the same as in Neighbour's unicomb. There is, however, a great advantage in the use of this hive; with it, anyone possessing a Woodbury box or straw bar and frame hive can readily commence an unicomb, and as readily put the combs and bees back into the square hive again. The outside shutters on each side are composed of Venetian blinds, admitting daylight, but obscuring the rays of the sun. We had the entrance made at one end, as represented in our drawing; this alteration was made after the pattern of the hive from which Mr. Woodbury allowed us to copy. His own was intended to stand wholly out of doors, and had two central entrances, one on each side at the bottom, the hive itself turning on a pivot.
When the hive was being examined on one side, the entrance was closed by a piece of wood inserted in it; and when the other side was brought round to be inspected, the piece of wood was withdrawn, and placed in the opposite entrance. This was a most ingenious contrivance; but it did not answer our purpose for indoors. When Mr. Woodbury sent us his hive, we were preparing for the International Exhibition of 1862, and, in placing it against the sides of the building, we followed our old plan for ingress by having the entrance at the end. Since that time, we have made a considerable improvement by adapting Mr. Woodbury's cleverly contrived turn-table to suit our own hive. Like Mr. Woodbury's hive, ours has two iron wheels, the one fixed to the bottom of the hive, the other fixed to a stout board running the full length of the hive; on these two wheels the whole hive turns. In the centre there is an opening into the hive, with a passage-way running underneath, so that the bees' entrance is in no way affected by the position of the hive, which revolves, to suit the convenience of visitors inspecting it. Should the queen, with her attendants, not be visible on one side, the other side of the comb can be brought into full view, and examined with the same facility as a picture, or as articles are inspected in a shop window. Thus, in the unicomb observatory hive, the sovereign mother, her train of servitors, the drones, with their aimless movements, and the crowd of ever-busy workers—either building their combs or storing honey—may be always seen, as presenting a veritable tableau vivant.
Another improvement that we have made upon Mr. Woodbury's pattern is, that of accommodating the frames; his was constructed before frame-hives were in use, consequently it is only suitable for combs on bars. Our adaptation has necessitated an increase in size. The outside dimensions are nearly three feet square, and seven inches deep from back to front. Provision is made at top for feeding, and for working two small flat-top glasses for deprivation, which are protected by the weather-board.