Charles Butler (beekeeper)

Charles Butler ( * 1560, † March 29, 1647 ) was an English logician, a grammarian and influential beekeeper. From his many observations on bees, which he described in his major work on apiculture and to whom he owes his nickname Father of English Beekeeping come.

Life

Butler was born in Buckinghamshire. He received an academic scholarship and was admitted as a student at Oxford, where he graduated as a Master of Arts in 1587. After two stations as rector and schoolmaster he took in 1600 a position as vicar of Wootton St Lawrence. There, Butler devoted reinforced beekeeping.

Butler watched the bees produced the wax their honeycomb itself. Until that time, it was assumed that the bees would collect this. He also observed that the worker bees sometimes laid eggs in strains without Queen. From him comes the observation that damaged bees secrete a secretion which led to other bees stinging. It was therefore the first description of the effect of an alarm pheromone. He found out that the drone is male and the widespread observation of the Spaniard Luis Mendes de Torres, that the queen bee is female. His observations he published in his book The Feminine monarchy in 1609. The book has been revised several times by him and contained chapters on the swarm catcher, bee enemies and the benefits of pollination by bees. The book remained a standard work of beekeeping for almost 250 years.