'Tanging' the bees

Den Naarstigen byen-houder, onderregtende hoe men met nut en profijt de Byen regeeren en onderhouden sal: als mede hoedanigh men honingh en wasch, op een korte en bequame manier sal vergaderen, bereyden en suyveren. Amsterdam, [1669?].

In this late 17th-century engraving from a book printed in Amsterdam, a swarm can be seen coming out of one of the straw hives or ‘skeps’ in the middle of the picture. A beekeeper stands to the right and hits what looks like a metal pan or drum in a procedure known as ‘tanging’. Tanging would alert the neighbourhood that bees are swarming and its rhythmic sound would help coax the bees into the overturned hive in the foreground. This empty hive would also have been lined with honey in order to entice the bees to take up residence within it.

Tanging was also a way for a beekeeper to alert other beekeepers that a claim was being made on a found swarm. Acquiring new bees by laying claim to a swarm was important, as it was routine at this time for beekeepers to asphyxiate their bees with fumes from burning sulphur in order to access the honeycomb safely.

The 'piping' and 'quacking' of queen bees

Charles Butler. The feminine monarchie or a treatise concerning bees, and the due ordering of them. Oxford, 1609.

Charles Butler was a highly original scholar whose books included a treatise on bees entitled The feminine monarchie, shown here in both the 1609 and 1634 editions. In this work Butler attempted to transcribe into musical notation the ‘piping’ and ‘quacking’ sounds produced by rival queens within a hive. Quacking is the responsive sound of rival queens who have not yet emerged from their cells, and piping is the regal identification of a virgin queen soon after she has emerged from the cell in which she developed.

The 1609 edition shows a four line staff with the letter G on the second line from the bottom indicating that this is a treble clef. There are no bar lines but the two semibreve rests at the beginning of the staves indicate that we are in a triple metre, and indeed the text states that the bees 'sing' in triple time. The notation indicates that the two most common results of the simultaneous piping and quacking of the rival queens are the musical intervals of either a perfect fifth or a major third.


Charles Butler. The feminin' monarch', or the histori of bee's [reformed spelling]. Oxford, 1634.

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Beekeeping collection at the National Library of Scotland

The Scottish Beekeepers' Association has deposited the Moir Rare Book Collection of 233 volumes relating to all aspects of beekeeping. It is one of the very finest collections of rare beekeeping books in the world, including items published as far back as 1525.

The foundation of the collection was due to the efforts of John William Moir (1851-1940). Inspired by the example of Scots missionary David Livingstone, Moir and his brother emigrated from Scotland in 1877 to southeast Africa, where they were initially involved in the creation of alternative transport routes to help obviate the need for slave transport. It was later, after settling in the Shire Highlands of present-day Malawi, that John Moir began beekeeping, due to the fact that his crops required pollination.

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The story Behind the Scottish Thistle

The prickly purple thistle was adopted as the Emblem of Scotland during the rein of Alexander III (1249 -1286). Legend has it that an Army of King Haakon of Norway, intent on conquering the Scots landed at the Coast of Largs at night to surprise the sleeping Scottish Clansmen. In order to move more stealthily under the cover of darkness the Norsemen removed their footwear.

As they drew near to the Scots it wasn't the only thing hiding under the cover of darkness. For one of Haakon's men unfortunately stood on one of these spiny little defenders and shrieked out in pain, alerting the Clansmen of the advancing Norsemen. Needless to say the Scots who won the day.

The first use of the Thistle as a royal symbol of Scotland was on silver coins issued by James III in 1470

Toen honing nog goud was

“Toen honing nog goud was, zoet zeldzaam en verlangen overvloedig, bezocht ik de oudste beschaving. Een volk dat enkel vuurwapens kende met twee lopen, één op de vijand, één op zichzelf gericht. Een volk dat overal bloemen bracht en offers. Een volk dat honderd eeuwen voor de Inca’s al de taal van de dans doorgrondde, de vliegkunst machtig was en het meest bedwelmende parfum bezat.

Ik was erg onder de indruk van de organisatie en gewoontes van deze cultuur en noteerde wat ik kon, maar toen ik de koningin ontmoette verstomde mijn denken. Ze was prachtig en torende uit boven haar werksters. Haar aanwezigheid bracht iedereen in een roes en haar parfum maakte alle andere vrouwen onvruchtbaar. Ze deed iedereen knielen. Zonder koning had ze haar hele volk verwekt en vandaag verliet ze met de helft van haar onderdanen het paleis om een nieuwe stad te stichten.

Haar dochters, vijf maagdelijke prinsessen, zouden - zo werd mij gezegd – de volgende dag het luchtruim kiezen en tijdens hun vlucht met meerdere mannen de liefde bedrijven. Ze zouden elk een kolonie stichten, een paleis bouwen met was en baden in vloeibaar goud.”