1. Huber’s Amazing “New Observations”

2. Presentations online
Before you take copious notes, all these presentations are online here:
My book is all on my website.
Ebooks are available from my website.

3. Bee Camp http://www.bushfarms.com/beescamp.htm Apprentice:

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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)

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Inventions Invented the movable comb hive.
Invented many different observation hives to observe many different things including the construction of comb

14. Huber’s leaf hive

15. Huber’s leaf hive

16. Huber’s leaf hive

17. Huber’s leaf hive

18. Leaf Hive Frame

19. Leaf hive

20. Leaf hive open

21. Cutaway side view of comb in frame

22. Male reproductive organ (1st ½)

23. Male reproductive organ (2nd ½)

24. Portion remaining in Queen

25. One cell standing on end

26. With cap removed

27. Showing bottom of one cell is part of the bottom of three cells

28. Abdomen

29. Wax Glands in segment

30. Wax glands removed

31. Leg

32. Structure of comb

33. Transition comb

34. Contact Michael Bush bees at bushfarms dot com www.bushfarms.com
Book: The Practical Beekeeper