Stewarton Hive
Encyclopedia
The Stewarton hive is a type of historical bee hive
. Extra boxes below allowed expansion of the brood, and thus strongly inhibited swarming and any tendency for the queen to enter the honey boxes, while expansion with extra honey boxes above the brood area gave ample space for the bees to create surplus honey stores that were easily harvested by the beekeeper. The introduction of this hive is credited to Robert Kerr, of Stewarton
, Ayrshire, in 1819.
During the last quarter of the twentieth century, workers at Rothamsted Experimental Station
built and operated a Stewarton, demonstrating some of the old claims for the design. Others continue to operate the hive today.
Beekeeper'. More recently, Dr. Eva Crane
has summarised information, although, as with many aspects of bee keeping history, detail appears to have been overlooked, and a few 'modern myths' have been allowed to develop. Dr. Crane correctly asserts that the Stewarton "kept the queen out of the honey boxes" thus allowing the beekeeper to secure a crop of honey
free from contamination from brood. However, the Stewarton hive was apparently the first to allow unlimited expansion simply by adding extra boxes.
, of Eastington, Stroud
, Gloucestershire
, can be identified as the originator of a 'transparent' hive. It followed a design mentioned in Pliny, and was described in 1655 by Samuel Hartlib
, in The Reformed Common-Wealth of Bees.
This hive was almost certainly the inspiration for the octagonal hives recorded by Christopher Wren
and John Evelyn
. The available evidence challenges as myth the idea that Wren was himself a 'bee master'; it is more likely that he simply cooperated with his mentor, John Wilkins
, and drew the hive that several were interested in. John Evelyn records in his Diary
his experience with these hives, but left an illustration of a hive that has features that clearly link with the Stewarton. David Smith worked on Evelyn's unpublished manuscript material for his Elysium Britannicum and published this in 1965. Crane says this was written "about 1655" but Evelyn's illustration of an octagonal hive appears to be much later.
Hattie Ellis describes John Evelyn's hive as "stripped down", as it was in one of Christopher Wren's first architectural drawings, (it was) a stack of wooden boxes with small holes between them so the bees could leave their honey in one box and crawl down to the next". Ellis uses Evelyn's illustration of this hive but overlooks that, whereas Wren's drawing does show "small holes", there is no corresponding hole in Evelyn's drawing: the central area is occupied by a fixed board with moveable boards on either side. These function in exactly the same way as the top bars and sliders in the Stewarton Hive. Thus, Evelyn appears to have invented a queen excluder system about 150 years before anyone else. Furthermore, close examination of Evelyn's drawing seesm to show quite clearly that Evelyn began to draw a hexagonal hive, but changed his mind and completed it as an octagon. Thus Ellis is probably wrong when she claims that the octagonal hive "was the cabinet-maker's approximation of the honey bee's round nest". If this was so in Evelyn's hive, then he would have drawn an octagon at the outset. The octagon was necessary to allow the insertion of the queen excluding board. This was no cabinet-maker's fancy, but a deliberate technological device.
Eva Crane relegates John Evelyn's hive to her chapter on the history of observation hives. Obviously, any 'transparent' hive with glass windows or sides allows observation of the bees without opening the hive, but the Stewarton hive uses windows at the front and back as part of the system for managing the hives. Put simply, with the sliders inserted in the central portion of the box at the top of the brood nest, thus inhibiting the queen from laying above,the withdrawal of the sliders to the sides allows workers to begin drawing comb and storing honey at the sides of the honey box above. As the nectar flow proceeds, and more honey is stored this comb is built from both sides towards the centre. The beekeeper can establish whether the bees require more space by opening the windows. If light can be seen, comb building in that box is not finished and no super is required. If the view through the windows is obscured by comb and bees, then that box is nearly full and a new box can be added above.
Beehive (beekeeping)
A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus Apis live and raise their young. Natural beehives are naturally occurring structures occupied by honeybee colonies, while domesticated honeybees live in man-made beehives, often in an apiary. These man-made...
. Extra boxes below allowed expansion of the brood, and thus strongly inhibited swarming and any tendency for the queen to enter the honey boxes, while expansion with extra honey boxes above the brood area gave ample space for the bees to create surplus honey stores that were easily harvested by the beekeeper. The introduction of this hive is credited to Robert Kerr, of Stewarton
Stewarton
Stewarton is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In comparison to the neighbouring towns of Kilmaurs, Fenwick, Dunlop and Lugton, it is a relatively large town, with a population of over 6,500. It is 300 feet above sea level.Groome, Francis H. . Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Pub. Caxton. London....
, Ayrshire, in 1819.
During the last quarter of the twentieth century, workers at Rothamsted Experimental Station
Rothamsted Experimental Station
The Rothamsted Experimental Station, one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, is located at Harpenden in Hertfordshire, England. It is now known as Rothamsted Research...
built and operated a Stewarton, demonstrating some of the old claims for the design. Others continue to operate the hive today.
History
Little is known about the detail of the earliest Stewartons, but during the second half of the 19th century several enthusiasts recorded the detail of the design and their experience of using the hive. Most notable of these was John Mc Culloch McPhedran, who wrote regularly in the British Bee Journal as 'The RenfrewshireRenfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
Beekeeper'. More recently, Dr. Eva Crane
Eva Crane
Eva Crane was a researcher and author on the subjects of bees and beekeeping. Trained as a quantum mathematician, she changed her field of interest to bees, and spent decades researching bees, traveling to more than 60 countries, often under primitive conditions. The New York Times reported that...
has summarised information, although, as with many aspects of bee keeping history, detail appears to have been overlooked, and a few 'modern myths' have been allowed to develop. Dr. Crane correctly asserts that the Stewarton "kept the queen out of the honey boxes" thus allowing the beekeeper to secure a crop of honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
free from contamination from brood. However, the Stewarton hive was apparently the first to allow unlimited expansion simply by adding extra boxes.
Octagonal and observation hives
The Stewarton hive was not the first octagonal bee hive. The Reverend William MewWilliam Mew
William Mew was an English clergyman, a member of the Westminster Assembly. He is known also for a drama, Pseudomagia, and for the contribution to beekeeping of the design for a transparent hive.-Life:...
, of Eastington, Stroud
Eastington, Stroud
Eastington is a village and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It lies 4 miles west of Stroud and 9 miles south of Gloucester at the entrance to the Stroud Valley....
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, can be identified as the originator of a 'transparent' hive. It followed a design mentioned in Pliny, and was described in 1655 by Samuel Hartlib
Samuel Hartlib
Samuel Hartlib was a German-British polymath. An active promoter and expert writer in many fields, he was interested in science, medicine, agriculture, politics, and education. He settled in England, where he married and died...
, in The Reformed Common-Wealth of Bees.
This hive was almost certainly the inspiration for the octagonal hives recorded by Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
and John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
. The available evidence challenges as myth the idea that Wren was himself a 'bee master'; it is more likely that he simply cooperated with his mentor, John Wilkins
John Wilkins
John Wilkins FRS was an English clergyman, natural philosopher and author, as well as a founder of the Invisible College and one of the founders of the Royal Society, and Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death....
, and drew the hive that several were interested in. John Evelyn records in his Diary
John Evelyn's Diary
The Diary of John Evelyn, a gentlemanly Royalist and virtuoso of the seventeenth century, was first published in 1818 under the title Memoirs Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, in an edition by William Bray. Bray was assisted by William Upcott, who had access to the Evelyn family...
his experience with these hives, but left an illustration of a hive that has features that clearly link with the Stewarton. David Smith worked on Evelyn's unpublished manuscript material for his Elysium Britannicum and published this in 1965. Crane says this was written "about 1655" but Evelyn's illustration of an octagonal hive appears to be much later.
Hattie Ellis describes John Evelyn's hive as "stripped down", as it was in one of Christopher Wren's first architectural drawings, (it was) a stack of wooden boxes with small holes between them so the bees could leave their honey in one box and crawl down to the next". Ellis uses Evelyn's illustration of this hive but overlooks that, whereas Wren's drawing does show "small holes", there is no corresponding hole in Evelyn's drawing: the central area is occupied by a fixed board with moveable boards on either side. These function in exactly the same way as the top bars and sliders in the Stewarton Hive. Thus, Evelyn appears to have invented a queen excluder system about 150 years before anyone else. Furthermore, close examination of Evelyn's drawing seesm to show quite clearly that Evelyn began to draw a hexagonal hive, but changed his mind and completed it as an octagon. Thus Ellis is probably wrong when she claims that the octagonal hive "was the cabinet-maker's approximation of the honey bee's round nest". If this was so in Evelyn's hive, then he would have drawn an octagon at the outset. The octagon was necessary to allow the insertion of the queen excluding board. This was no cabinet-maker's fancy, but a deliberate technological device.
Eva Crane relegates John Evelyn's hive to her chapter on the history of observation hives. Obviously, any 'transparent' hive with glass windows or sides allows observation of the bees without opening the hive, but the Stewarton hive uses windows at the front and back as part of the system for managing the hives. Put simply, with the sliders inserted in the central portion of the box at the top of the brood nest, thus inhibiting the queen from laying above,the withdrawal of the sliders to the sides allows workers to begin drawing comb and storing honey at the sides of the honey box above. As the nectar flow proceeds, and more honey is stored this comb is built from both sides towards the centre. The beekeeper can establish whether the bees require more space by opening the windows. If light can be seen, comb building in that box is not finished and no super is required. If the view through the windows is obscured by comb and bees, then that box is nearly full and a new box can be added above.