The kéeper of bées ought to foresée and take héede, that the Bées perysh not through ouer great heate, or ouer mighty cold. If at any time by a sodaine showre in the séeking for foode, Bées happen to be beaten downe, or nipped wyth a sodaine colde (which seldome so commeth to passe that the Honny bées are so deceyued,) that harmed with the droppes, they lye grouelyng and flatte on the earth, as dead in a manner, then gather the Bées togyther, putting them into some vessel for the nonce, which after set in a warm chamber or Parloure, & couer warm ymbers, being somewhat more than hote, on the Bées, whiche gently shake with the ashes, but in suche sorte that you touche them not wyth your hande. And setting the Bées in the sunne, and neare to their hiues, they will after recouer, and flie again into their cotages.
¶ Of the battel that Bees sometime haue among themselues. Cap.xx.
Vergill writeth, that the Bées sometimes minding to fighte, do hastily brust out of the Hiues, and as it were in ciuill battels among themselues, do fight lyke strangers one against the other, & smite eagerly in their fight one at an other. If so be one hyue hath especially two kings bred vp in the same, whych very well may be knowne, when as the bées clustered and heaped togither, doe represente or represse as it were the forme of two beardes hangyng downe. Now theyr readinesse to fight is knowen, when in the ayre is heard a greate sounde and noyse among the Bées lyke to the manner of Trumpets, whiles they fiercely and cruelly fighte togither among themselues, & in this battell they glitter with the wings, sharpen the stings with their beakes, beare forth their breastes, and about the king they gather and swarme. So that they shoute wyth great noyse, flying and dashing togither, and that in heapes and rounde companies mixed or ioyned togither, and greate is the noyse made among them. And to be shorte, in this strong and eager battell, many of them fal headlong downe, and that thicker then haile stones to the ground.
The kings themselues in the meane time flying in the middel frontes, doe fight with a fierce courage within themselues, and they also are séene to flie hither and thither among thicke heapes and swarmes of the Bées, (like as valiaunte Capytaines are wont to do in the time of a battell) with their glistering wings and beakes, beating downe of the swarmes, here & there and on eche side of them, of both partes. So that of themselues not giuyng ouer this eager battell, untill the one part be forced to turne the backe to the other, and flye away with expedition. Therfore that this doubtful battel in the meane time may be ceased and quieted betwene them, the wise practisers wyll that the kéeper of Bées, do staye and appease this broyle of them, by the casting of fine earth ouer the Bées, whiles they be thus fighting, which (as the wise affirme) of experience doth forthewith pacifie the great stomackes and courages of both partes. But if this auayleth not, then with honny and water sodden togither, or raysons in like order, or with any other swéete licour sprinckled on them, is their furie appeased, whiche doth as it were with the pleasaunt swéetenesse, quiet the irefulnesse of the warriours, and wyth the same in this controuersie they are maruelously appeased. If neyther of these remedies do yet preuaile, then let the keper marke diligentlye those Bées whyche fyghte in the fronte, and bee moste eager Capytaines, that hee maye kill them with expedition, for by that meanes, and with the other remedies aboue taughte, maye the battels and fight of the wariours be throughly ceased.
Now after the Bées are thus quieted, and the swarme setled rounde on some gréene bowe nexte hande, then marke whether the whole swarme hangeth downe like a cluster of grapes, whiche so séeing, declareth there to bee eyther one king or two, by good agréement reconciled, whiche let alone on such wise, vntil they flye backe vnto their proper home. But if the swarme shal be deuided into two or many round clusters, then iudge that there be yet manye Captaynes lefte, and that their yre is not ceased: and in those partes, where you especially sée the bées to cluster moste thicke and rounde togyther, there diligently séeke out the Captaynes. Yet annoynt your hand before with the iuyce of the hearbe Baulme, that touching or handling the Bées, they flye not hither and thither, after which put in your fingers gently, and seuering the Bées asunder, seke diligently among them, vntil you finde out the author and procurer of the battell, whiche you oughte likewise to kill. Vergill writeth, that the kings sometimes fly forth for a vaine delight, to sport them flying in the aire, which you may easily stay and let, if that you pluck of the kings wings, that he cannot afterward flye.
¶ How Bees, may be recouered and founde againe. Cap.xxj.
If it so happeneth that bées are flowen away, & that you be in doubte whether they be lodged neare hande, or farre off, Palladius doth instructe and teache many goodly wayes to finde them againe. First he teacheth to take red leade, or red Oker infused in water, or any other colour, stayning, and to carry the same wyth you in a little shallow dishe. Vnto suche a spring or running water as the honny bées haunte, especially in the moneth of Aprill. And there sitting downe, awayte the comming of the Bées to drinke, which after they be come, and there drinkyng, stayne in the meane whiles such bées, with your rush coloured redde at the ende, as you may well retche with the same, sitting yet stil, and watching the comming againe of those Bées marked to drinke, whiche if they shortlye returne, then is it an euidente note and token, that their lodging and cottages be neare hande, but if those Bées are long before they returne and come againe to the place, then maye you suppose and iudge them to be farre off, and the distaunce you may gesse, according to their long tarrying and soone comming againe. That you maye easily finde the place where the Bées lodge, whether the same bee farre or neare hand, Palladius teacheth the same wittily in this manner.
Firste he willeth to take one whole ioynt of a bigge cane or Elder sticke stopped at the one end, and the other end left open, to annoynt within, with a little honny, whiche laye neare to that spring or running water, that the Bées daylye haunte vnto.
When Bées resort to the same, and that certayne be entred within the quil through the sauor thereof, then stop the hole with your thumb, letting one of the Bées afterward to flye forth, whiche dylygently marke, and follow that way it flyeth, for it wyll shewe you part of the way to their home. And after you can sée the same no further, then quicklye set forth another bée, whose flight in like manner marke, and followe after, for that it maye also shewe parte of the way vnto their home. And so let flie the bées by one and one, vntil they bring you vnto the place of the swarme. Nowe if the same place be déepe in the earthe, then with a smoake made eyther of drye flaxe or Brimstone, driue the Bées out, and when the swarme is come forthe, then ring on a bason or shrill panne, for being by and by feared with the shryll sounde of the same, the swarme eyther lighteth on a yong trée, or on the opener bowe of a bigge trée, which so founde out, couer ouer with a hiue prepared for the nonce. But if the swarm be placed in the hollowe of a trée, and hauing bowes, or in the stocke of the same trée, then with a verye sharpe sawe (if the meanes of the same will giue leaue) cutte it asunder. And in such sort, that the parte emptie aboue the bées be first cut, and the parte beneath it which it séemeth the Bées to be lodged, to be like cut asunder, and the stocke thus cut asunder, at both the endes, couer with a faire shéete, leaste any large cliftes appeare after the cutting, whiche also annoynt with honnye, for the better staying in of the bées, and after carrye the same home, which place by your other hiues making smal holes in the same, for theyr flying in and out (as afore was taught) in the ordering of the other hiues. But it behoueth the diligent sercher, to chose the morning times for the finding out of Bées, wherby you may haue the space & libertie of the day before you, to finde out the resort of Bées. For by loking late after them, it falleth out so, that although the Bées are neare hande, yet bycause they haue then done their busie and careful laboure, they flye no longer abrode to séeke foode, nor yet resorte to drinke.
Throughe whiche it so commeth to passe, that the searcher after Bées knoweth not then howe neare, or far off, the swarm is from the spring or running water. Some take the iuyce of the hearb Baulme in the Spring time, and annoint the same round about the hiue, whereby the sauour of the iuyce maye cleaue and abide on the vessell, whiche afterwarde being fayre within, sprinckle aboute with a little honny, setting the same hiue downe neare to the woodde or groue of trées fast by that spring or water running by it, and after the same be filled with a swarme, carry it gently home. Yet doeth not this like, but in such places where the swarmes of Bées do abounde, for that oftentimes it so hapneth, that vnlesse the hiues be dailye watched, that the goers by do take them away. But to lose sundrie hiues, gretly hindreth not, so that you may in the mean whiles enioy one or two of them full.