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 1750-1831Born in SwitzerlandStarted losing his sightat 15Proved virtually everypractical fact we knowabout 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 Bushbees at bushfarms dot comwww.bushfarms.comBook: The Practical Beekeeper