I found this in an 1850 beekeeping manual, and I had to chuckle. I meet quite a few beekeepers who seem to believe they have inherited bee-sense from their family, much as I inherited baldness from my grandpa. Cutting in to a discussion in progress:  

[These] are the visionary fallacies of bee-keepers of old times-many centuries ago ; and which, with numerous others, as wild and ridiculous as the ignorance and superstition of the times could engender, still exist to a great extent, among the bee-keepers of every country. It were a Herculerian task to eradicate these superstitious traditions -- sooner would I attempt to civilize and educate the Hottentot of Africa, than to attempt to unlearn the unread bee-keepers of our country, of all their whims and traditionary notions, respecting the honey-bee. 

Their knowledge of this insect is rated by the length of time that bees have been kept in the family ; and that man who dates a family possession through several generations, would be a dangerous person to expostulate with on the impropriety of his management, for, it were ten chances to one, that we should receive a forcible illustration of the strength of his arguments, in the way of ejectment from his premises. 

Huish relates an instance of his being introduced to a genus of this species, who had kept bees a long time, and who supposed that he was the veritable "Prince of apiarians ;" and on some improvement being suggested by him, followed and backed by argument, he was politely shown the way to the street, in so significant a manner, that it would have been rashness to have delayed the parley. 

Nothing will excite the ire of these gentry so much as to question their knowledge of the true science of bee-management. In consequence of this fact, I have ever avoided any controversy with people of this description ; and on a recent tour through the State of New York, I made it a point to call on every bee-keeper in my route, that I could visit convenient)y, merely to gratify a curiosity that I felt, to see how they generally managed bees. 

I elicited their management by simple questions, and they generally took great pains to give me all the information in their power; for I never ventured to play the teacher, but humbly and civilly received instruction from them, such as they were able to impart, being a stereotype of the management that was in vogue centuries ago, to a great extent. 

I had the pleasure of meeting with many apiarians, who have not despised to read and learn. One gentleman opened the chamber of one of his hives, and to my surprise drew forth several volumes on the management of bees, which he was accustomed to study, under the balmy shade of the surrounding trees. I found, on the whole, a spirit of inquiry abroad on the subject, and many had been the willing victims in the purchase of a variety of patent hives-not one of which answers the purpose, as recommended!

AMERICAN BEE KEEPER'S MANUAL
BY T. B. MINER
NEW YORK: 1850

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