A Profitable Instruction of the Perfite Ordering of Bees / With the Maruellous Nature, Propertie, and Gouernemente of Them: and the Necessarie Vses Both of Their Honie and Waxe, Seruing Diuersly, as Well in Inward as Outward Causes: Gathered Out of the Best Writers

by Thomas Hill

This is a speciall argument and note, that the Bées, are diseased, if that they fly scattering in the swarme, if they kéep not their proper colour, but be (as it were) of a strange and contrarie colour: if they also are ouer leane, if they appeare dustie and hairy, and that out of their cottages bée dead Bées carryed thence. When al these notes and signes are espied in the Bées, it is then highe time to séeke remedye for them, leaste helpe (by longer running) be sought too late. Therfore Palladius willeth to minister the kernels of Pomegranats, brused and mixed with swéete and pleasaunt Wine, and the same powred into the chanels or gutters of halfe canes, set nere to the mouths of hiues, or honny, with Rose leaues well beaten togither, and so ministred to them, or the berries of the Saruice trée brused, and mixed with Honny: for lacke of these helpes, a man may make a smoake of drie Oxe or Cowe dung, whiche smoake muche delyghteth and comforteth them, so that the same be often vsed vnto Haruest.

But if throughe the Maggots or little wormes of the Butter-flyes the Bées be diseased, Rutilius then iudgeth it beste, to set a brasen Candlesticke, or suche like vessell, with lighte burning in it at Euening, within the hyue, that to the same light (the Butter-flyes gathering, and flying about) may so fall down into it, and be destroyed.

Aristomachus writeth, that the diseased Bées maye bée couered in this maner, if that all the corrupt combe within the hiue be taken forth, and freshe foode anewe put in of the whole, and the hiue after smoaked within. Also he affyrmeth, that Rosemarie sodden with water and honny togither, and beyng colde, poured into halfe canes or Elder stickes, made hollow like gutters, and the same set by the mouthes of the hiues, for the Bées to drinke on, doth recouer the Bées again. Hyginius affirmeth that eyther the Oxe or mans vrine set in like manner (as aboue saide) by the mouths of the hyues, doth also recouer the diseased Bées. Nowe all these, and suche like muste the kéeper of the Bées doe, whiche is bothe sober and chaste, and féedeth not vppon sowre or tarte meates, nor filthy or strong of sauour, nor any salt meates.

¶ What manner of person, the keeper of Bees ought to be. Cap.xiij.

The Bées for that they muche abhorre all filthye stinkes and smells, Palladius willeth the kéeper of them to eschewe dilligently al strong and yll smelling sauoures, one also that delighteth to be chaste of body, and frée from filthinesse, among these not breathing sowrely, or of a stinking breath, not sweating, nor sauouring of sweat, not one besides of wicked conditions, or suche a person as standing among the flight of the Bées, doth not earnestly moue and procure them to fly to him, or as one stinged endeuoreth to defend himselfe from them, but rather as a flatterer among his acquaintance, and children, hath learned to entreate, and please the Bées by a more gentle manner. He also whiche mindeth to haue also in a readinesse the hiues vnto his vse, in which he may receiue forthwith the rude youth of the swarmes put forth, which if they be not diligently preserued, they flye quite awaye at the full heate of Sunne. But how these hiues ought aptly to be prepared, shall hereafter bée taught in the sixtéenth Chapiter.

If the Dorre Bées, or Bées without sting, be ouer manye in the Hiue, and that you woulde gladly ridde them forth, then do on this manner: first take and plucke off the wings of one of those Dorre Bées, which lay or put within the Hiue, and incontinent the Honny Bées espying the same, will fal vppon the other Dorre Bées, and both kill and driue them quite away.

¶ By what subtil meanes, the swarmes come forth, may be preserued from flying quite awaye. Cap.xiiij.

Palladivs in his second Booke writeth, that the swarms of the honny Bées fly awaye especiallye in the moneth of Iune. But with vs the same oftner happeneth in the moneth of May, as hathe bin noted by sundrye, diuerse times, especially if the yong Bées be sounde and hartie within the Hyues. Therefore the kéeper muste diligently looke to the Hyues, and at no time be absent, especially when the young Bées increase and abound in the Hyues, for if they be not then carefully looked vnto, and stayed by the diligence of the kéeper, they al fly quite away. For such is the nature and propertie of the Bées, that as soone as the swarms of the yong Bées, are bred with the Kings, and that they be strong & able to flye away, then as disdayning the swarms of the olde Bées, they séeke the more gouernment. For that they be suche liuing things, that delight to rule alone, not séeking ayde and counsell of the elder Bées: and therefore do the newe kings flye forth, with the young swarmes following them, which for a day or two before their flying away, remaine heaping togither before the mouths of the Hyues, & right vnder the Hiues, so that by their comming forth, and heaping in suche order, they properly shewe the desire of a newe place, and be as yet contented to remaine thereabout, if so be the kéeper prouide for them a place and an apt Hiue. But if they haue no kéeper to looke diligently to them, then as it were by an iniurie repulsed, they after séeke a newe place. That this may not happen, let then the warye and diligent kéeper, looke circumspectlye to the Hyues in the Spring time, aboute the eight houre of the daye, (when as the swarmes are not yet flowen away,) that he maye the diligenter marke and sée the flying oute and comming in of the yong Bées.

Now the readinesse of the Bées in flying away, is known two waies, as the first is, when for certaine daies before, in a maner at the setting of the Sun, they plentifully or abundantly gather on a heape righte before the mouthe of the Hyue, like vnto greate clusters of Grapes, and doe hang togither on heapes one vpon another.

The other note is, that when they be minded within thrée daies after to flye awaye, they make as meruellous noise and sturring too and fro within the hiues at euening, as Souldiours at the Alarme within a Castell, whiche you maye easilye knowe, (this readinesse of them) if that you lay your eare to ech hiue. And when some of the Bées are flowen awaye, then doe those waite for the others, vntill the whole swarme be come togither. That the Bées fly not awaye, Plinie teacheth in the .xj. Booke of his Naturall Historie, that the hiues ought to be annointed about with the iuyce of the herb named Balme. Also other affyrme, that the swarme to settle and stay againe through the onely throwing of fine duste on them, if so be the same be throwen on light, and that ouer the bées. Some beside affirme, that the Bées will not flye awaye, if that the dung of the first calfe of any Cowe, be smeared about the mouths of the hiues. Plinie writeth, that by the only binding of the fresh white Vine (running in hedges) rounde about the bodies of the Hyues, it stayeth the swarme from flying away.