A profitable instruction of the perfect ordering of Bees/First Treatise/Chapter 23
VVhen and howe, the Hiues ought to be gelded. Cap. xxiij.
PAlladius Rutilius in his firſt booke teacheth, that the hiues of Bees ought not to be gelded, before you will conſider and ſee whether they be rype, vnto the comming of the true Honny, whyche in a manner (as hee teacheth) commeth to vſe in the moneth of June, or as others affirme, in the ende of Auguſte, vnto the midle of September.
{{bl|Now there be certaine notes and tokens, by whych we trye and fynde out the ripeneſſe of them, whiche be theſe, firſte if the hiues be ful, then do the Honny Bees driue forth the ydle drone Bees out of the Hiues, and there is alſo hearde within a ſmall or ſhrill humming of the Bees for that the emptie cottages of the combs, as they were hollow buildings, do receiue a ſound & noiſe, procured then bigger, ſo that when there is hearde a big & hoarſe ſound of ye hūming of them, then is it not yet meet to geld ye combs}}. Varro writeth, ye it is thē time to gelde hiues, when as you ſee within, ye the Bees hāg cluſtring round, & ye the holes of the hony combes be couered ouer, as it were with thin caules, for then be they full of honny. Now the day of gelding the hiues ought to be done timely in the morning, when as the Bees are aſtonied throughe the colde aire, and not done in the heate of the day, when they be procured to fly forth of ye hiues, and being then very angry, to ſting thoſe perſons which come to the hiues. The maner of gelding ye hiues is on this wiſe, firſt ſtop the holes of the hiues, that the Bees paſſe not forth, with graſſe or ſome other hearbe, after that putte vnder fine linnen ragges, or ſtrawe, making a little ſmoake with the ſame, whiche ſmoake ſo flying vppe, cauſeth the Bees after to breake & leaue their cluſtering togither.
After theſe, with two inſtruments or tooles of yron, made for the only purpoſe, of a foote and a halfe long, or rather ſomewhat longer made, of whiche the one ought to be a long knife, and broade of either ſide the edge, with a hafte, and hauing a crooked file on the one end. The other at the beginning plaine, and very ſharpe, whereby with this the combes may the readier and quicklier be cutte downe, with that other inſtrument ſcraped cleane, and whatſouer filth falleth off, drawne awaye, and throwne aſide. But where the hiue of the hinder parte, or parte behinde, ſhall haue no voide place emptie, then make a ſmoake (as Varro commaundeth) with Galbanum and drie Oxe dung, which ought to be made in a earthē fuming pan, filled with quicke coles, or a pan of earth with a narrow mouth, and a handle like to it. So that the one part oughte to be ſharper or narrower vpwarde, by whiche the ſmoake may paſſe by the little holes, and the other parte where the coles are, broader, and with a large mouth of the one ſide of it, by which the perſon may blowe the coles: Nowe ſuche a pot when it is ſet within the hiue, and the ſmoake ſtirred vp to the Bees, whiche by and by not quieted with the ſauour, flie vnto the foreparts of the hiue, & ſometimes flie quite oute of the hiue, wherby any may looke into the Hiue without harme, in a maner, to the perſon. If there happen to be two ſwarmes in one hiue, then are there alſo two kindes or formes of honny combes. For euerye company of Bees in agreement togither, doth faſhion & frame the waxe, as liketh them beſt. But all the honny combes being hollowe wrought, and a little cleauing to the ſides of the hiue, do hang, whereby they may not touch the floure or bourde, for that otherwiſe it cauſeth the ſwarmes to flye quite away. Yet the forme of their waxe is ſuch, as the condition of their cottages is. For that ſome Bees doe make doth ſquare and rounde ſpaces, and ſome long, ſo that eche frameth, as it were certain formes in the combes, according to his kinde. So that the hony combs, are founde alwaies alike in faſhion, but theſe combes of what forme ſoeuer they be, are not to be taken all out of the hiues. For in the beginning of Harueſt, whiles the fieldes yet flouriſhe, take a fift parte of the combes, but after, when Winter is at hande, then leaue a thirde parte behinde.
Palladius willeth the hiues to be gelded in the moneth of October, and that a third part be left behind. Yet conſider, that if there be ſtore, to take the more: if but a meane, then the halfe part of that leaue for the winter time: if the cottages appeare but halfe full, then take nothing away. But Varro teacheth, that a third part of the combes maye be taken away, & ye other parte left for the winter, although the combes be ful of honny. If you fear (ſaith he) a ſharp winter to follow, thē take nothing at al: & of the ſame mind is the learned Vergil {{bl|in this. But the expert practiſers of our time in ſuch matters, do affirme, that ye honny ought to be taken awaye but once in the yeare, & this in the end of the moneth of Auguſt, vnto the middle of Septēber. But the waxe being corrupt, then, both before and at any time maye be taken forth of the hiues. Alſo as touching the honny which ye Bees giue, whether you maye take awaye either little or much, muſt be conſidered according to the ſmalneſſe or plentifulneſſe of ye hony being in the hiue. And according to ye ſmalneſſe or greatneſſe alſo of the ſwarm to be nouriſhed, ſo that aboue the fourth part of the combes may not be taken from any hiue. Yet this order may not be vſed alike in countries, bicuaſe a man muſt conſider the dealing with the hiues, according to ye multittude of floures, & plentifulneſſe of foode for the bees. If ye warie combes hanging down do run into a length, then with ye ſame yron toole which is made like to a knife, being oftētimes, dipped in water, that the ware cleaue not to it, nor that the combs remaining may be harmed, & the hiue holdē on the one ſide cut the combs away. After this, put both your armes into the hiue, gathering togither, and taking forth the combs. But if the combes hang ouerthwart in the hiue, then muſt you vſe your ſcraping yron, that the combes of the further ſide thruſte togither, may ſo be cut away. Alſo the old & corrupt combs are to be takē forth, the whole and full of hony to be eſpecially left. And if there be any yong Bees in them, thoſe keepe or preſerue to increaſe the ſwarm in that hiue. After that, carry al the ſtore of the hony combes into one place, whereas you mind to make the hony, & ſtop diligently the ſides and edges of the hiues roūd about, that none of the Bees may enter in, which for the hony and waxe taken away, do eagerly ſeeke after, and finding the ſame, do vtterly conſume the ſame if they may.}}
Therfore, of the former matters muſt a ſmoake be made, & that (at the entry) or mouth or the hiues, that the Bees aſſaying to fly in, may through the ſmoke be driuen to flye backe again. Now after the hiues be gelded, and that anye ſhall haue ouerthwart or croſſed combes at the entrance of the hiue, thoſe then ſhall be ſo conuerted, that the parts behind maye be emptied & left void for another time. So that when they ſhal be next gelded the old combs rather than the new are to be taken forth, & the waxe renewed, for that the older the waxie combes are, ſo muche the worſer they be.
{{bl|If it happeneth, that the hiue be ſo made, that the ſame may not be remoued out of ye place then ought you ſo geld firſt the hinder parte, and after the foreparte: and this eſpeciallye ought to be done afore fiue a clocke in the morning, and after nine of the clocke at night, or in the nexte morrowe. Nowe the Bees when they knowe this, all come to fill the emptie place, ſo that after they haue repaired and filled the ſame, and fulfilled all the reſte aboute it, then flye they to the forepart, and do worke in like order. By whiche we may euidently learne, that they haue filled the ſame empty place alſo, by their abiding ſtil there. Beſides theſe, as the great plentie of honny, doeth cauſe ſluggiſhneſſe in the Bees, euen ſo doeth the much abatement and exceeding taking awaye of their honny, bothe dull the quickeneſſe and diligence of them, and cauſe them alſo to bee ſluggiſhe.}}