Bee Books 1700 to 1900 A review of the bee keeping literature of the 18th and 19th centuries
Aristotle on Honey Bees
from
“History of Animals in ten books”
What did early
English beekeepers know about honey bees?
It is evident from what I have been able to find on the subject that
prior to Charles Butler’s famous treatise on bees general beekeeping knowledge
was based upon ancient lore handed down from generation to generation and with
the introduction of ancient text due to the development of the printing press
– two sources stand out and are often quoted by British authors of this early
time period. Available to the
English reader were English translations by Dryden and Warton of one of the most
classic poems of antiquity by Virgil called the Georgics and
Aristotle’s History of Animals
translated into latin by Schneider.
It is this later text of Aristotle that I have used which was translated
into English by Richard Cresswell of
St. John’s
College
,
Oxford
,
England
.
Aristotle was Greek and lived during the time of Alexander the Great.
He had been selected by Philip, King of Macedon, to educate his son
Alexander. Thus Aristotle maintained
a very close relationship with Alexander the Great and was in position to study
much of what existed in Alexander’s Greek empire.
We can be thankful today that Aristotle recorded much about natural
history in his writings.
Aristotle’s History of Animals is divided into ten books.
Generally they are about the animal kingdom and describe various animals,
parts of animals, generative systems, and other useful information observed and
studied. It is still worthwhile
reading not for exact modern science regarding animals but for the link to the
ancient world and the concept of life as Aristotle and his peers saw it.
In that world, Man was the perfect animal.
Man had reason, the ability to speak (communicate) and think. The fourth
book discusses animals without blood and in the Fifth book Chapter XVIII he
makes a number of remarkable observations about bees.
So what is in this book that the beekeeper of the middle ages used for
their authority on bees?
Aristotle states that all persons are not agreed as to the generation of
bees. Some say the young are
produced from flowers such as Honeysuckle, Reed, and olives.
Others claim the rulers produce the young bees.
His own observations :
On comparing honey bees and other insects:
The winged insects, in addition to other parts, have wings.
Some have two wings, as the flies; others fours, as the bees.
Insects do not direct their flight with their tail, and their wings have
neither shaft nor division.
They have neither spine nor bone. For
the body is its own protection by its hardness, and requires no other support.
Insects, whether they have wings or are apterus, can smell from a great
distance, as the bee and the cnips (ant?) scent honey, for they perceive it from
a long distance, as if they discovered it by the scent.
The power of uttering a sound is connected with other parts also; insects
have neither voice or speech, but make a sound with the air within them, not
with that which is external, for some of them breathe not, some of them buzz, as
the bee with its wings, and others are said to sing, as the grasshopper.
These insects, bees, and all other insects raise and depress their wings
in flight, for the sound is the friction of the air within them.
From Book IV Chapter 7
On Queens/King Bee:
Their
size is double that of the worker bees. By
some they are called the mother bee, as if they were the parents of the rest;
and they argue, that unless the ruler is present, drones only are produced and
no bees. Others affirm that they
have sexual intercourse, and that the drones are males, and the bees females.
From Book V
chapters 18 and 19
The
other bees originate in the cells of the comb, but the rulers are produced in
the lower part of the comb, six or seven of them separated, opposite to the rest
of the progeny. The bees have a
sting, which the drones have not: the kings and rulers have a sting which they
do not make use of, and some persons suppose that they have none.
From
Book V chapters 18 and 19
The king bees never leave the hives, either for food or any other
purpose, except with the whole swarm; and they say that, if a swarms wanders to
a distance, they will retrace their steps and return until they find the king by
his peculiar scent. They say also
that, when the king is unable to fly, he is carried by the swarm; and if he
perishes, the whole swarm dies with him.
From Book IX Chapter 27
There are two types of kings, the better sort of which is red, and the
other sort is black and variegated, and in size double that of a good bee.
The best kind is small, round, and variegated; the other is long, like
the wild bee.
From
Book IX Chapter 27
On Drones:
Some
persons say that the drones build cells for themselves, dividing both the hive
and the wax with the bees; but they make no honey, but both themselves and their
young are supported by that of the bees. The
drones generally remain in the hives; and if they fly out they rise in the air
with a great noise, wheeling about as if they were exercising; and when they
have done this they return to the hive and feast themselves on the honey.
From
Book Nine Chapter 27
As
long as the king bee is alive, they say that the drones are produced in a
separate place; but when he is dead they are produced by the bees in their own
cells, and such drones are more passionate; for this cause they are called
stingers, not that they have any sting, but that they would sting, if they had
the power to do so. The drone cells
are larger. Sometimes they are
placed by themselves, but are generally combined with those of bees, for which
reason they cut them off.
From
Book Nine Chapter 27
The drone is another sort: it is the largest of them all, has no sting,
and is stupid.
From
Book Nine Chapter 27
It
is good for the bees to have a few drones among them, for it makes them more
industrious.
From
book nine Chapter 28
On worker bees:
The small bees are more industrious than the large ones, so that their
wings become worn at the edges, and their colour black and burnt, but the bright
and shiny bees are idle, like women.
From Book nine Chapter 28
On other bees:
The bees that are produced from those that inhabit cultivated places are
different from the natives of mountainous countries, for those produced from
wood bees are more hairy, small, less, more diligent, and more violent.
The best bees elaborate a smooth comb, with a polished surface.
From Book nine Chapter 27
On rulers:
There are two kinds of rulers among bees, as I observed before.
In every hive there are several rulers, and not a single one, for the
hive perishes if there are not rulers enough; if there are too many rulers they
perish, for thus they become distracted.
From
Book V chapter 19
On workers flight:
When the wind is high, they carry a stone with them for a balance.
Book nine Chapter 28
All the bees emit their excrements either on the wing, as it has been said
before or into a single cell.
Book nine Chapter 28
On Progeny:
When it is damp, their progeny multiplies; for which reason, the olives
and the swarms of bees multiply at the same time.
They begin by making comb, in which they place the progeny, which is
deposited with their mouths, as those say who affirm that they collect it from
external sources. Afterwards they
gather the honey which is to be their food, during the summer and the autumn;
that which is gathered in the autumn is the best.
From Book five chapter 18
After the progeny is deposited in the cells, they incubate like birds.
In the wax cells the little worm is placed at the side; afterwards it
rises of itself to be fed. The
progeny both of the bees and drones from which the little worms are produced, is
white.
From Book five chapter 18
The progeny of the king-bees is not a worm, but comes forth a perfect
bee…
From Book five chapter 18
They only build cells for the drones when there is plenty of honey.
From Book nine Chapter 27
On Wax:
Wax is made from flowers.
From Book V chapter 19
The bees collect the wax by climbing actively on the flowers with their
fore feet. They cleanse these upon
the middle pair of legs, and their middle legs again on the curved part of their
hind legs, and thus loaded, they fly away. During
each flight the bee does not settle upon flowers of different kind, but as it
were from violet to violet, and touches no other species till it returns to the
hive.
From Book nine Chapter 27
On
honey comb:
Honey comb is pressed when the wild figs begin to appear; and they produce
the best grubs when they can produce honey.
From Book nine Chapter 27
They commence the formation of their combs from the top of the hives, and
carry them down until several reach the floor of the hive.
The cells, whether for the honey or the grubs, are constructed with two
mouths, for there are two cells built on each base, like a double cup, one on
the inside, the other on the outside.
From Book nine Chapter 27
On the Use of Wax:
The horns of a calf, if
anointed with wax, may be directed in any way that is desired, and they suffer
less in the feet if their horns are rubbed with wax, pitch or oil
From Book seven
chapter 9
On Pollen and Propolis:
They have another kind of food, which is called cerinthus (bee bread)
which is of inferior quality, and sweet like figs.
They carry this upon their legs as they do the wax.
From Book
nine Chapter 27
For when a clean hive is given them, they build their combs, bringing the
drops from flowers and trees, such as the willow, the elm, and other glutinous
trees. With this they smear the
floor of their hive, for fear of other creatures.
The honey dealers calls this substance commisis, and they build up the
entrance of their hive if it is too wide.
From Book
nine Chapter 27
They spread the substance called mitys at the entrance of their hives,
near the opening. This material is
black, as if it was the purification of the wax, and of a harsh smell.
It is considered a remedy for contusions and suppurations.
From Book
nine Chapter 27
On Honey:
Bees do not make honey, but simply collect that which falls ( “honey
falls from the air, principally about the rising of the stars and when the
rainbow rests upon the earth); for those who keep bees find the cells filled
with honey in the course of one or two days.
From Book seven chapter 9
Honey becomes thick by ripening for at first it is like water, and
continues liquid for some days, wherefore it never becomes thick if it is taken
away during that time. It requires
twenty days to make it consistent; this is very plain from the taste of it, for
it differs both in sweetness and solidity.
From Book seven chapter 9
There are two seasons for making honey, the spring and autumn.
That formed in the spring is sweeter, whiter, and, on the whole, better
than that formed in autumn. The best
honey is made from the new wax and young flowers.
From Book nine Chapter 28
On Honey Quality:
Red honey is inferior on account of the wax; for, like wine, it is injured
by the vessel which contains it; this honey therefore should be dried up.
From book nine chapter 28
The gold-coloured honey is also good.
The white honey is not formed of pure thyme, but is good for the eyes,
and for wounds. Weak honey always
floats on the surface, and ought to be separated.
The pure honey is beneath.
From book nine chapter 28
On length of Life:
The bee will live for six years, some have lived for seven, and if a
swarm lasts nine to ten years, it is considered to have done well.
From Book seven chapter 9
On stings:
When they have stung anything they perish, for they cannot withdraw
their sting from the wound without tearing their own entrails; but they are
frequently saved, if the person stung will take care to press the sting from the
wound; but when its sting is lost, the bee must perish.
They will kill even large animals with their stings, and a horse has been
known to perish, if attacked by bees. The
rulers are the least cruel and stinging.
From Book nine chapter 28
Young bees do not sting so severely as old bees.
From Book nine chapter 28
On what animals eat:
The bee is the only insect that never touches anything putrid.
It uses no food that has not a sweet taste.
They also take very sweet water, whenever they fall upon any that is
pure.
From Book eight chapter 8
On Swarming:
It is a sign that the swarm is strong when there is much noise and
movement, as they leave and return to the hive, for they are then busy with the
grubs.
From Book nine Chapter 28
Bees also appear to have pleasure in noises, so that they say that they
collect them into their hives by striking earthen vessels and making noises.
But it is very doubtful whether they hear or not, and if they hear,
whether they collect together from pleasure or from fear.
From Book nine Chapter 28
Olives and the swarms of bees multiply at the same time.
From Book five Chapter 19
Swarms are most abundant when the olives are fertile.
From Book five chapter 18
Insects generally thrive when the years is of the same kind as the season
in which they were born, such as the spring, moist and warm.
From Book seven Chapter 26
On winter and weather:
They (insects) are torpid in the winter.
Some conceal themselves for a good while, others only in the coldest
days, as the bees.
From Book Eight chapter 16
When the dealers in honey take the combs, they leave the bees some
food for the winter. If sufficient is left, the swarm is preserved; but if not,
they either die in the winter, or, if the weather continues fine, desert the
hive.
From Book nine chapter 28
The bees only cease from their work for forty days during the winter
solstice.
From Book nine chapter 28
Bees discern the approach of cold weather and of rain; this is plain, for
they will not leave the hive, but even if the day is fine are occupied in the
hive. By this the bee keepers know
that they expect severe weather.
From Book nine chapter 28
On disease:
Certain creatures are produced in beehives, which destroy the combs, and a
little spinning worm, which destroys the wax.
This creature produces a spider like animal like itself, which causes
sickness in the hive, and another creature like the moth, which flies round the
candle. It is not killed by the
bees, and is only driven out by smoking it.
They suffer most from diseases when the woods produce flowers infected
with rust, and in dry seasons. All
insects die when plunged in oil, and most rapidly if their head is oiled, and
they are placed in the sun.
From Book Eight chapter 26
There is another disease, which is like a wildness in the bees, and causes
a strong smell in the hives. The
bees should be fed on thyme, the white sort is better than the red.
They suffer the most when they work with materials affected with the
rust.
From Book nine Chapter 28
On pest:
The ictis is about the size of
a small Maltese dog; in the thickness of its hair, its appearance , its white
belly, and the cunning of its disposition, it resembles the weasel; it is easily
tamed; it attacks hives of bees, for it is very fond of honey.
Book nine
chapter VII
Wasp are very injurious to them, and so is the bird called
titmouse, and the swallow, and merops. The
frogs also in marshes destroy them when they come for water, for which reason
bee-fanciers destroy the frogs in those marshes where the bees come for water.
From book nine chapter 28
On Work:
The most laborious of all
insects, if compared with the rest, are the tribes of ants and bees.
From Book nine chapter 26
They all have their proper work to perform.
Some bring flowers, others water, and others polish and erect the cells.
Water is brought when they are rearing their young.
From Book nine chapter 26
When the day is fine they work without ceasing, and as soon as the young
bees are three days old, they set to work, if properly fed.
From Book nine chapter 26
On Taking Honey from Bees:
When they are fumigated and suffering from the effects of the smoke, they
devour the honey greedily, which they are not observed to do at other times.
Book nine chapter 27
On Robbing:
The thieves and the drones do not work, but only injure the other bees,
and when taken they are killed by the useful bees.
Many of their rulers are also frequently killed, and especially the bad
ones, in order that the swarm may be dispersed by the numbers.
They are more disposed to kill them when the swarm is not fruitful, and
no casts are formed. At such times
they destroy the royal cells, if any have been prepared, for they are the
leaders of the swarm. They destroy
also those of the drones, if honey is scarce, or the swarm is short of honey.
They fight boldly for their honey with those that would take it from
them, and drive out any drones that may be in the hive, and are seen sitting
upon the hives.
From Book nine chapter 26
If they (the hive being robbed) prevail, it seems to be a sign of a very
strong swarm; but if the others conquer, when left alone, they are idle, and do
nothing that comes to good, but perish in the course of the autumn.
From Book nine chapter 27
Conclusion:
Aristotle observed bees and
wrote about bees but he was no beekeeper. It is
certain that he knew beekeepers and honey sellers, observed the work of bees and
read about them. Often he repeats,
“Others say, other persons affirm, and not all people agreed”.
This indicates that much of his material was gathered from others and he
is reporting the various points of view then held.
This translation
also differs somewhat from written statements in other research reports on
Aristotle. Eva Crane’s fine book, The
World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting refers to Book IX (9) as
having been written by a Pseudo-Aristotle.
I am not a scholar
and certainly early Greek Literature is out of my ability to study in the
original and I have no way of knowing how the translation I have differs from
other translations. But with that
issue mute for the most part – I found the History
of Animals to be an interesting book. Aristotle
wrote much in these ten books about other animals – domestic as well as wild.
I was somewhat disappointed in not finding anything about the hives used
or the hives being described. Should
you be interested, Eva Crane’s book covers the subject quite well and
indicates the hives were most likely horizontal pottery hives.
They must have been so common that Aristotle did not bother to describe
the home of the bees but rather concentrated on the bees themselves.
He does touch on swarming but does not discuss the beekeeping practice of
putting them into hives or how to prevent swarming.
Thus, I assume that swarming was an expected event.
It was common belief that the hive was lead by a King Bee.
This concept was held for more than 1700 years before
Butler
set us straight.
Although I found it interesting in the text of this material that some
thought the leader to be a female and the drones male but this was not the
prevailing belief. It is
rather hard for us to accept that individuals thought that the young bees were
gathered from flowers. Yet, some
English writers of the 1600’s still held the belief that bees collected the
stuff that made young bees (Moses Rusden).