Post on 26-Mar-2015
Huber’s Amazing “New Observations”
Presentations online
Before you take copious notes, all these presentations are online here:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespresentations.htm
Who was Huber?
Francis Huber
1750-1831
Born in Switzerland
Started losing his sight
at 15
Proved virtually every
practical fact we know
about bees.
The two volumes
Volume I is mostly about raising queens, mating queens, drone laying queens, laying workers and the formation of swarms. It was first published in 1792 in French
Volume II is about the production of wax, the architecture of the bees, respiration etc, and was first published in 1814 in French
How does a blind man make observations? “I am much more certain,” said he one day to
me smiling, “of what I taste than you are, for you publish what your own eyes only have seen, while I take the mean among many witnesses.” --Memoir of Huber by Professor De Candolle
A true scientist
Took much of the speculation of his day and constructed experiments to prove or disprove them.
Made repeatable experiments so others could verify his discoveries
Invented devices and hives to allow the appropriate observations
Measured things carefully Carefully distinguished his actual
observations from his assumptions
His collaborators
Francis Burnens (his servant) Pierre Huber (his son) Maria Aimée Lullin Huber (his wife) Jean Senebier (a chemist) Charles Bonnet (a naturalist) Christine Jurine (a naturalist/artist/dissector) John Hunter (a naturalist)
His discoveries
Details of the mating of the queen Details of the forming of swarms Details of the making of emergency queens Details on drone laying queens Details on laying workers Details on the production of wax Details of the construction of comb Details of the respiration and ventilation of the
colony Details of the way bees guard their hives
Proofs
Proved that queens mate with drones (which was still in dispute)
Proved that the queen mates outside the hive Proved that there are drone laying queens Proved that there are laying workers Proved that bees breath (which was still in
dispute) Proved how they ventilate the hive Proved that wax is NOT made from pollen
Proofs (cont.)
Proved that nectar is the needed ingredient for wax
Proved that bees secrete wax scales from nectar
Proved that the scales are not true beeswax but are the primary ingredient
Proved that propolis comes from poplar buds Proved that comb is reinforced with propolis
and other secretions of the bees
Proofs (cont.)
Proved that bees need contact with the queen to know that she is there (was on the verge of proving pheromones and QMP transfer by trophalaxis)
Proved that bees can smell Proved that they need their antennae for
many things Proved that all workers are female Proved that combs have a “beespace”
between them
Inventions
Invented the movable comb hive. Invented many different observation hives to
observe many different things including the construction of comb
Huber’s leaf hive
Huber’s leaf hive
Huber’s leaf hive
Huber’s leaf hive
Leaf Hive Frame
Leaf hive
Leaf hive open
Cutaway side view of comb in frame
Male reproductive organ (1st ½)
Male reproductive organ (2nd ½)
Portion remaining inQueen
One cell standing on end
With cap removed
Showing bottom of one cell is part of the bottom of three cells
Abdomen
Wax Glands in segment
Wax glands removed
Leg
Structure of comb
Transition comb
Contact Info
Michael Bush
bees at bushfarms dot com
www.bushfarms.comBook: The Practical Beekeeper