Warder (Joseph) The True amazons: or, the monarchy of bees. Being a new discovery and improvement of those wonderful creatures, fifth edition, Printed for John Pemberton, at the Buck and Sun, over-aga

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Warder (Joseph) The True amazons: or, the monarchy of bees. Being a new discovery and improvement of those wonderful creatures, fifth edition, engraved portrait frontispiece, woodcut head-pieces and decorative initials, 14pp. section 'To the booksellers' misbound after preliminaries, some water-staining at ends, occasional spotting, lightly browned, contemporary blind-stamped calf, sympathetically rebacked, spine in compartments and with black leather label, corners little worn, some staining and marking, [British Bee Books 74; ESTC T108628], 8vo, Printed for John Pemberton, at the Buck and Sun, over-against St. Dunstan's-Church, in Fleet-Street; and William Taylor, at the Ship, in Pater-Noster-Row, 1722. *** 'the author describes the use of a hand lens to confirm by simple dissection the sex of the then mysterious drones as male bees. He explained why the drones were, contrary to popular opinion, important to the summer economy of the colony. In discussing the practical management of colonies he also advocated the provision of a nearby source of drinking water. Working at a time when straw skeps were the normal accommodation for honeybee colonies Warder explained the advantages of octagonal wooden hives with glass windows. These he had made up on a template to give standard units that could be built up and subdivided as required. He thus laid the foundations of modern apicultural practice' (ODNB).

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