Bee Books 1700 to 1900 A review of the bee keeping literature of the 18th and 19th centuries

1700’s Beekeeping

 A Look at  Early English Bee books   (Late 1600's)

It is apparent that any discussion about English bee books should start with Charles Butler’s Feminine Monarchie.  Butler ’s book can still be read and appreciated for his observations and management of bees.  A recent search of allbooks.com returned one 1634 issue being offered for $1750.00.   Fortunately, this book has been reprinted and is available at a reasonable price.  Butler is quoted frequently by other authors because he determined that the ruler of the hive was in fact a Queen and not a King bee.   This was a departure from the ancient thought that the ruler had to be a King bee as was shown in my article on Aristotle.  Later English writers such as Thorley still struggled with the concept "that the bee kingdom be ruled by a female" page 90 of his "Female Monarchy" published in 1744.

Early1700 beekeepers had a number of books to study.  These included: A New Discovery of An Excellent Method of Bee=houses & Colonies  by John Gedde; The True Amazons: Or, The Monarchy of Bees Being A New Discovery and Improvement of Those Wonderful Creatures. By Joseph Warder; Female Monarchyby John Thorley ; and Collateral Bee-Boxes: Or, a New, Easy, and Advantageous Method of Managing Bees by Stephen White.

A study of these books reveals much about the social structure of early English life and how this affected beekeeping as the world knew it at that time.  As a background to what these books have to say about the nature of bees, we must understand a little history.  In 1634 when Butler’s 3^rd edition was printed, Lord Baltimore was getting a land grant for what is now Maryland and 100 years would pass during which time England faced a number of crisis in government and wars before we even get close to the American Revolution.  We read of Gentlemen and commoners as if there is great division between those of wealth, land and power and the poor uneducated classes.  Surely the people who lived and kept bees during this period of time in history had much to worry about in addition to the various points of view about the nature of bees. 

Obviously many colonies of bees were kept in England and the majority of these were kept by commoners and most likely the woman of the house in straw hives.  Honey was gathered by the time honored method of sulfur and brimstone.  Keeping bees during that time presented the owners of the hives many of the same problems beekeepers face today.  Bees still die during winter, grow weak and need feeding, face pest such as mice and wax moths and the ignorance of their owners.  Swarming was encouraged as a way of increasing hives and with the exception of very few beekeepers, little was known about the nature and habit of the bees themselves.  Most beekeeping knowledge was based upon the ancient lore passed on by such authors as Virgil, Pliny the Elder, and Aritstotle. 

Then with the enlightment certain individuals began to question wisdom of the ancients.  This was brought about with the introduction of the printing press more than anything because ideas could be spread and information examined with a critical eye and the black death which caused all to question everything concerning the cause of this feared evil of their day.  The advances in science also brought what was unseen into focus with the introduction of the microscope.  Now the great mysteries of nature could be examined and studied and answers to the many why's would be examined and put into focus. 

Therefore, lets jump right into this subject by first looking at a book written by John Gedde called, A New Discovery of an Excellent Method of Bee-Houses & Colonies written in 1675.   Gedde’s book is short and to the point.  It is not filled with diatribe about religion or government as are the later books we will take a look at.  He states some fundamental truths about bees.  I am going to repeat some of these that ring true to this day. 

• It is natural for all bees to begin at the top, and to work downwards.
• That Bees swarm for want of room

This is a book about his new invention approved by the Royal Society at Gresham – College.   His boxes for bees were constructed so that one box could be placed below another thus raising the top box as additional boxes were added. The box was constructed in the shape of an octagon with the sides nine inches in breadth and not exceeding twelve inches in height.  Its breatdth to be one third more than the heighth and contain a bushel (volume).  This is the design that bee boxes would follow for the next 100 years.   In the side of his bee boxes he placed a pane of glass “not only for pleasure, to behold the work and labour of the Bees; but also to know their strength, idleness, fullness, or want of room, that so you may in large or remove them as you please.”

This box also contained an inner structure called a “frame”.  This is described as: “Within each box there is a square frame made of four posts jointed together by 12 small sticks and 6 other crossing these, and one standing perpendicular in the middle of the frame.  This frame was placed within each box and fastened with screws and when removed from the hive with honey by unscrewing it, “you may take out all the work with/out breaking the box frame or work, and then you may with pleasure behold the excellent fabrick, which these industrious Insects have ingeniously fram’d.”

The hives were to be placed in a bee-house.  This house was to be made from wood, bricks, or stone and covered over.  The house provided protection for the hives and bees from the weather as well as vermin.  He advises the reader to locate this bee house “ with the greatest conveniency for the warmness, quiet, and conveniency of flying abroad, and returning home of you bees.”

• The bee keeper is advised to place bees where there is planting and hedging for bees get their most profitable food.
• The beekeeper is advised to place bees to guard against the north-wind or cold storms
• The beekeeper is advised to place bees in the most valley-ground “so that the ascent may be when they go abroad, and the descent when they return home laden with work.”
• The beekeeper is advised to locate the bee house on a point or two from the South-east to the North-west “because the bees come not forth in the morning before the sun is risen.”
• The beekeeper is advised to not to “overylay the ground with too many colonies".
• The beekeeper is advised to plant for the food and nourishment of bees.
• Finally, he advises the hives be placed near meadow, where cattle feed “it will conduce for their thriving.”  He also adds the need for water and recommends placing water near the bees.

He provides instructions for hiving swarms in his boxes and placing boxes under the colony when they become crowded; taking honey during summer-take off; feeding bees should the bee master through indiscretion or mistake leave too small a quantity of honey for the bees for winter.   He discusses the disadvantages of the old way and the advantages of the new way.  The chief advantage being the prevention of swarming and the reduced time required to watch the bees during the swarming season as well as the preserving the bees from one season to the next.