AN ADVERTISEMENT, Concerning the Right Way and Manner of practising the new Art of Improving of BEES in the Form of BEE-HOUSE, BOX, and COLONY, etc.  
WHereas Mr. John Gedde hath invented a new way of ordering and Improving of Bees by a Form of Bee-house and Boxes digested into Colonies, (described in a book entitled A New discovery of an excellent Method of Bee-houses and Colonies, etc. lately printed) which doth infallibly prevent both the Swarming of Bees (or their separating and flying away in Companies from their native Hives) and likewise their destruction by stifling and drowning or violent driving at the time of taking their honey, or by Cold, cattle, Vermine and other Casualties; as also the Charge and trouble of attendance, loss of time, and the other Inconveniencies of the old Forms; which Method is Approved by the King's Majesty, practised by several persons of Quality and many others of all ranks, and divers years experieneed by himself to be far more Commodious and profitable than any former way whatsoever.  
And whereas His Majesty being willing that all his good Subjects should have the benefit thereof, hath granted his Letters Patent to the said Mr. John Gedde, in order to the discovering and diffusing the said Art throughout his Dominions, strictly forbidding all persons under the Penalties appointed by Law, the use of the said Invention during the space of Fourteen years, without the special Licence of him the said Mr. John Gedde under Hand and Seal first had and obtained.  
These therefore are to inform all such as are desirous to enjoy the benefit of the aforesaid Art for Improvement of Bees, in the right way and manner of practising the same.  
YOur Bee-house being built of Timber, Brick or Stone, and situate in a convenient place, is next to be furnished with Colonies of Boxes made of proper materials, and those Boxes with Bees, according as is directed in the aforesaid Book.  
In Addition whereunto take these Following Instructions.  
First, It's necessary that such as are not furnished with Bees already do provide themselves stocks of good old Hives of strong Bees, always betwixt Michaelmas and Candlemas, that being the most proper season for transporting of Bees.  
Secondly, Your Bees being once settled in the place where you intent them, must be transplanted from the old form of Straw. Skeps into their new Colonies of Boxes at or before the beginning of March as the season shall favour, that so they may both begin their labour with the early Spring, and their Owners may at the end of six or seven months of the same year both reap the profit and make proof of the Contrivance. Therefore whereas in the printed book (page 16) the beginning of Summer is recommended as the fittest season for transplanting Bees, you are to take notice that that relates only to the time of Swarming: Where you are desired farther to observe, that Swarms of Bees may be hived in your Boxes after the same manner that you use to hive them in your Straw Skeps, they being fitted and clapped upon them; yea Shaking them off from the bough of a Tree into your Boxes, may prove a very successful way of planting them, provided they be good early Swarms.  
The manner of transplaming your Bees out of the Straw Skeps into the Boxes, is as followeth, viz. Take one of your Boxes dressed after the same manner as you use to dress your old Skeps when a Swarm is to be put into them: Then having opened the square-hole in the top of your Box, and your Colonies placed at an equal distance from each other in the house; take your strongest and best furnished Straw hive and place it upon the top of the aforesaid Box with its front to the front of the Box, and Plaster it round, so as to stop all passages from the Bees Coming out any other way than through the little-holes in the lower part of the front of the Box. Let all windows of the Boxes and all doors of the House be shut and kept close, except at such times as you have occasion to look through them to observe what progress the Bees make in their work, or for pleasure and delight; only the small ledge at the bottom must always be kept open save in Winter.  
When you perceive your first Box to be full of Work and Bees, take another Box prepared as the former, and listing up the first Box with the Straw Skep still on the top of it, place the second under it, which when you observe to be filled as the former, you must in like manner supply a third, except it be very late in the year; which continual supply of Boxes as often as occasion requires, and constant Cricle and succession of work therein, is an infallible Expedient (which many have attempted but none ever heretofore attained) for preventing the Swarming of Bees, which are known never to Swarm save for want of room and fitting accommodation for themselves and their work. But if any be so desirous that their Bees swarm out of the Boxes in order to the planting of new Colonies, this you may easily effect by forbearing to supply them with an additional Box when needful; so you may be at once furnished both with a stock for a new plantation, and with a convincing proof that want of room is the only reason why Bees swarm. Where it is not once to be questioned but that the Bees will descend and continue their work out of the Straw Skep, down into the Box upon which it's placed, and out of that into the next under it, and so on in pursuit of their labour; it being natural for Bees ever to begin their work at the top and upper end of the place where they dwell, and from thence to work downward.  
The manner of taking your Honey according to this new way is briefly thus— viz. Regard must be had to the season, and to the richness of the store, and strength of the Bees, that is, If there be two Boxes full of Wax and Honey before August, you may remove the Straw Skep when you please, wherein will be no Bees but Wax and Honey, and there will be no more use for any Straw Skeps, etc. And at Michaelmas, which is the usual time for taking of Honey, if the third Box be placed before and the Bees in it, and any work with them, you may take off the upper Box which will be also full of Wax and Honey, and after a right Judgement made of the state of your Bees, you may take half or whole of the Honey and Wax therein according to discretion; this for the first year, and so yearly as the seasons prove good or bad.  
The way of removing the Boxes when full of Honey, is this— viz. To open the little door in the side of that Box which is still uppermost and with the shutter at once to cut the work, (perfectly dividing betwixt the Bees and upperwork,) and close the square hole of the same, thereby securing the Bees and their Work in the lower Boxes; so that by this dextrous and Commodious way of removing the Honey the destruction of the Bees by stifting, drowning, violent driving or otherwise (the usual but unkind requital of their Industry) and one great reason of the scarcity of Honey and Wax and the adulteration of both) is prevented; and sufficient Winter store reserved for the Bees according to the same, Judgement being made thereof by inspection through the Glass Windows.  
All which Considered, it may be very easily Computed what great Gain, Profit and Advantage may redound to the public, from this new Form and Method of Apifactory, beyond any other whatsoever, through excellency of the Honey and Wax, being freed from smoke and water, its great increase and quantity, and expedition in point of time, two entire Months at least and that in the Chief season of the year, being gained by this new way which was wholly lost by the other through the great confusion and unsetlement of Bees before in and after Swarming.  
All that are desirous to reap the benefit of this new way of improvement of Bees; Are to take notice, That these Eight Counties of England, Cheshire, Herefordshire, Glostershire, Wiltshire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire Devonshire and Cornwall, withal the Cities and Towns Corporate within the said Counties, and together with the whole Dominion of Wales; Are let in Lease unto Richard March, Perriwig-maker of Exeter, and that the said Richard March and those Impovered by him, has the only liberty to grant and disperse the said Licences within those Counties above mentioned, under the said Richard March's Hand and Seal as if the said John Gedde did grant the same himself.  
March. 1675.