The old proverb runs:—"It is the early bird that finds the worm." The hive that is strong is certain to produce the most honey. To make this plain, we will suppose that a bee-keeper has a weakly hive; it will take some weeks, if not months, to grow populous; and as soon as the strength of the hive has recovered, the honey season will have advanced, if not ended, whilst the strong stocks have been able to take full advantage of the supplies, having an abundance of labourers to collect the honey and store it in supers for their master. To induce the bees to build quickly, cover up the super with as much warm woollen covering as you can, as recommended for glasses, [page 65].
In fine seasons, and under good management, extra supers and body boxes (the latter to be used as "nadirs") maybe required to place above and below the supers and nadirs partly filled, in order to reap the full benefit of the honey season; for with strong colonies one box after another may be inserted, till the whole towers from six to ten boxes high. This plan is, indeed, collecting honey while the sun shines, but requires a greater amount of apiarian skill and good pasturage to carry on in its entirety than is generally possessed. In other words, we in the south may find it difficult to rival our accomplished brother-apiarians north of the Tweed, for they do wonders with the Stewarton hive.
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.
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 either side, 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" backgammon chess-boards were set up on end together. 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; so that we strongly recommend scientific apiarians to use some kind of bar and frame hive in preference to Huber's. 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. The invention was invaluable for Huber himself, and it suggested to other apiarians the adoption of the present plan of vertical bars and frames.
The character of Huber and the circumstances under which he pursued his observations are so remarkable, that we need scarcely apologize 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. 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 Reaumur and Bonnet, and the conversation of the latter, directed his curiosity to the history of the 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 Ch. 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.