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diff --git a/old/66970-0.txt b/old/66970-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0b8229c..0000000 --- a/old/66970-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3755 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Bees, Shown to the Children, by -Ellison Hawks - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Bees, Shown to the Children - -Author: Ellison Hawks - -Release Date: December 19, 2021 [eBook #66970] - -Language: English - -Produced by: D A Alexander, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was - produced from images made available by the HathiTrust - Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEES, SHOWN TO THE -CHILDREN *** - - - - - - THE “SHOWN TO THE - CHILDREN” SERIES - - -1. BEASTS - - With 48 Coloured Plates by PERCY J. BILLINGHURST. Letterpress by LENA - DALKEITH. - -2. FLOWERS - - With 48 Coloured Plates showing 150 flowers, by JANET HARVEY KELMAN. - Letterpress by C. E. SMITH. - -3. BIRDS - - With 48 Coloured Plates by M. K. C. SCOTT. Letterpress by J. A. - HENDERSON. - -4. THE SEA-SHORE - - With 48 Coloured Plates by JANET HARVEY KELMAN. Letterpress by Rev. - THEODORE WOOD. - -5. THE FARM - - With 48 Coloured Plates by F. M. B. and A. H. BLAIKIE. Letterpress by - FOSTER MEADOW. - -6. TREES - - With 32 Coloured Plates by JANET HARVEY KELMAN. Letterpress by C. E. - SMITH. - -7. NESTS AND EGGS - - With 48 Coloured Plates by A. H. BLAIKIE. Letterpress by J. A. - HENDERSON. - -8. BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS - - With 48 Coloured Plates by JANET HARVEY KELMAN. Letterpress by Rev. - THEODORE WOOD. - -9. STARS - - By ELLISON HAWKS. - -10. GARDENS - - With 32 Coloured Plates by J. H. KELMAN. Letterpress by J. A. - HENDERSON. - -11. BEES - - By ELLISON HAWKS. Illustrated in Colour and Black and White. - - - - - THE “SHOWN TO THE CHILDREN” SERIES - EDITED BY LOUEY CHISHOLM - - - BEES - - -[Illustration: Pollen gathers on Buttercups] - - - - - BEES - SHOWN TO THE CHILDREN - - BY - ELLISON HAWKS - - Member of the British Bee Keepers’ Association, etc., etc. - Author of “Stars” - - [Illustration] - - ILLUSTRATED - - LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK - NEW YORK: THE PLATT & PECK CO. - - - - - TO - MY TWO LITTLE FRIENDS - ANNIE AND KATIE - THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED - - - - -ABOUT THIS BOOK - - -Dear Annie and Katie,--When I was a little boy I often wished that my -soldiers would come to life. I used to think how grand it would be if -only I could have a city of little people on the dining-room table. Of -course my dreams never came true, even though one day I had a brilliant -idea, and wrapped a whole regiment of soldiers in flannel and put them -in the oven, hoping that in this way I should find them really alive -next morning! - -But nowadays I have a wonderful city of tiny workers, that can be put -on a table. In it there are soldiers, food gatherers, bread-makers, -undertakers, and a host of others. It is ruled over by a queen, and -each day the gates of the city are crowded with the workers, who pass -in and out in hundreds. - -Have you guessed that my wonderful city is really a bee-hive? Although -I cannot command my little friends to do this thing or that, to come -here or go there, yet I am quite content to leave them to their own -ways, and just to watch them in their daily life, and to study their -customs and laws. - -In this little book I intend to tell you something about my bees. I -hope that you will be interested to read what I have written, and then -perhaps, later on, when you grow up, you may keep bees, and you will be -able to study their wonderful ways for yourselves. - -I am sure you will join me in giving our best thanks to my friends who -have so kindly helped me in the preparation of some of the pictures: to -Mr. W. Barker, Mr. D. Ingham, Mr. H. Mackie, Mr. G. W. Stephenson; and -to Mr. J. Lambert for permission to use Plates Nos. XIV., XV., XXVII., -XXIX. and XXX. - -My thanks are due also to Mr. W. H. McCormick for his kindness in -reading over the proofs. - - Yours truly, - - ELLISON HAWKS. - - 10 GRANGE TERRACE, - LEEDS, 1912. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. ABOUT THE BEE 1 - - II. THE QUEEN BEE 3 - - III. THE DRONE 5 - - IV. THE WORKER BEE 7 - - V. THE MICROSCOPE 8 - - VI. THE HEAD 10 - - VII. THE WONDERFUL ANTENNÆ 12 - - VIII. THE EYES 16 - - IX. THE TONGUE AND MOUTH PARTS 20 - - X. THE JAWS 23 - - XI. THE THORAX 25 - - XII. THE LEGS 27 - - XIII. THE FIRST PAIR OF LEGS 29 - - XIV. THE SECOND AND THIRD PAIR OF LEGS 31 - - XV. THE WINGS 33 - - XVI. THE ABDOMEN 36 - - XVII. THE BREATHING APPARATUS 39 - - XVIII. THE STING 41 - - XIX. THE ANCIENTS AND BEES 44 - - XX. THE HIVE 49 - - XXI. A VISIT TO A HIVE 52 - - XXII. THE CITY GATE 54 - - XXIII. THE GUARD BEES 58 - - XXIV. WORKERS IN THE CITY 60 - - XXV. THE COMB BUILDERS 63 - - XXVI. THE LIFE OF THE BEE 68 - - XXVII. THE STORY OF THE QUEEN 72 - - XXVIII. THE POLLEN GATHERERS 74 - - XXIX. THE VARNISH MAKERS 77 - - XXX. THE NECTAR GATHERERS 79 - - XXXI. THE WINTER SLEEP 82 - - XXXII. THE SWARM 84 - - XXXIII. TAKING THE SWARM 87 - - XXXIV. THE OLD HIVE AFTER A SWARM 89 - - XXXV. THE MASSACRE OF THE DRONES 91 - - XXXVI. HONEY 93 - - XXXVII. MODERN BEE-KEEPING 96 - - XXXVIII. THE BEES’ ENEMIES 99 - - XXXIX. POWERS OF COMMUNICATION 101 - - XL. BEE FLOWERS 104 - - XLI. POLLEN 107 - - XLII. BEES AND FLOWERS 110 - - XLIII. HOW FLOWERS PROTECT THEIR NECTAR 113 - - XLIV. HOW FLOWERS ARE FERTILISED 115 - - XLV. CONCLUSION 118 - - - - -[Illustration: PLATE I - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Drone Queen Worker - - The Three Kinds of Bees] - - - - -BEES - - - - -CHAPTER I - -ABOUT THE BEE - - -No matter how small an insect may be, it is sure to teach us something -interesting if we study its habits, and try to find out how the various -parts of its body are used. Perhaps of all the thousands of different -insects upon the earth, the most wonderful of all are Bees. When we -speak of bees we generally think of those which live in the white hives -we sometimes see in gardens; these are the bees kept by a man to make -honey for him. You will perhaps be surprised, therefore, to learn that -there are over 2000 different kinds of bees known at the present time, -and that over 200 of these species are found in Great Britain. These -include the different kinds of hive bees and also the wild bees, for -there are races of bees just as there are races of mankind. In this -little book I hope to tell you about the hive bee, or, as it is called -by its Latin name, _Apis mellifica_ (“the honey bee”). In the first few -chapters we shall learn something about the body of the bee, and its -different limbs and organs. Later on we shall consider the construction -of the hive, and the habits of the bees which dwell therein. - -The word insect comes from the Latin, and means “divided into parts.” -If you look at the body of a bee, or of any other insect, you will -find that it is divided into three parts. These three divisions are -respectively known as the Head, the Thorax, and the Abdomen. The head -carries the _antennæ_ or feelers, as they may be called; the thorax, -or chest, has the wings and legs joined to it; whilst the abdomen, or -hindermost part of the body, contains the stomach and internal organs. - -There are three kinds of bees in a hive--the Queen, the Drone, and the -Worker, and a picture of these is seen in Plate I. Only one queen bee -is found in each hive, though there may be several hundred drones and -perhaps 50,000 or 60,000 workers. The number of the workers and drones -varies according to the size of the hive and the time of the year. - -The races of bees are many, but the best known is the British bee, -sometimes called the Black Bee. Why it should be called “black” no one -seems to know, for, as a matter of fact, it is of a beautiful rich -brown colour. Then there is the Ligurian bee, which is of a lighter -shade, and has three golden bands around its abdomen, by which you -will easily recognise it. The Carniolian bees are natives of Carniolia -in Austria, and they also have rings, but of a lighter yellow colour, -while the bee itself is not such a dark brown as the Ligurian. -Carniolian bees are supposed to be very sweet-tempered, and are -therefore sometimes called “the lady’s bees.” Whether they really are -better-tempered than other races is a question, for the temper of the -little insects depends a great deal upon circumstances. For instance, -if spiders have been trying to get into the hive, the bees are often -very cross, and it is dangerous to go anywhere near them. But should -there be no trouble of this kind to worry them, the hive may be opened -and the bees handled without fear. - -[Illustration: PLATE II - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Queen] - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE QUEEN BEE - - -Let us now look at Plate II., where an illustration of a queen bee is -to be seen. It will be noticed that her abdomen is much longer than -that of the worker or of the drone. Her head and thorax are about the -same size as those of the others, but her legs are slightly longer and -differently shaped. - -This then is the queen of the hive, and she has, as we have seen, many -thousands of subjects. We might imagine that, such being the case, she -would lead a life of pleasure and enjoyment; but this is not so. In -fact she is wrongly named the queen, for she does not rule over the -other bees in the way we are accustomed to think of a king or queen -doing. She would be better called the mother of the hive, for she is -the parent of all the other bees. She never leaves the bee-city, except -perhaps on one or two state occasions, so that she spends the greater -part of her life in the darkness of the hive. She is waited upon and -fed by her royal attendants, who also clean her and guide her over the -combs. Perhaps, some time or other, if you have the opportunity of -doing so, you may see the queen of some friend’s hive. You will see -her on the comb, no doubt, and you will notice a circle of six or more -bees around her. These are her attendants, who face her and do not -turn their backs to her if it can be avoided. In Plate III. is shown -the queen surrounded by her attendants. They are within the circle -which has been drawn on the photograph, and the arrow points to the -queen. Great care is taken of the queen, for on her depends the future -of the race, and so she is closely guarded as well as being tended and -fed. Every one of the little workers would willingly lay down her life -for the sake of the queen, were this necessary. - -[Illustration: PLATE III - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - The Queen Bee surrounded by her Attendants] - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE DRONE - - -Now a few words about the drone, or male bee, and a picture of him is -shown in Plate IV. He is not so big as the queen, though he possesses a -more burly appearance. Unlike the queen or the worker bees, the drone -has no sting, and so you may let him crawl over your hand without fear -of being hurt, even though he should become angry. - -The life of the drone is a life of luxury and ease, for he does not -work in the hive, neither does he gather any nectar or pollen. He is -fed by the workers, and he also takes good care to help himself from -the storehouses, whenever he thinks he would like a little more food. -He generally finds some snug corner in the hive, away from the bustle -of the city, and there sleeps till perhaps mid-day. Then at this hour, -after a good meal, he sallies forth, pushes his way through the crowd -of workers, and with a loud, droning noise flies away to some far-off -flower, perchance, and there basks in the sun. Before the afternoon -wanes, he returns to the bee-city, has another meal, and then sleeps -until next day. A very lazy life is this, you will say, and I agree -with you. But this life, like all good things, comes to an end, and -little though the drones know it, before the winter comes they will be -killed by executioners duly appointed by the other bees, and so their -life of luxury will be cut short. - -In appearance the drones are very beautiful, and if we watch the door -of a hive, some summer day, we may see them come out to take their -daily outing. Their eyes are like enormous black pearls on each side of -their head, while the silky antennæ look like beautiful plumes. Their -thoraxes are covered with many golden hairs, which make them look as -though they were clothed in the finest yellow velvet. - -As they leave the hive, they create quite a stir amongst the other -bees. They care not for the sentries, and rushing out, overturn the -foragers who are coming in from the fields. No notice is taken of their -rudeness, but the workers go on with their various duties, no doubt -thinking that ere long the day of execution will come, and that then -they will be avenged. - -[Illustration: PLATE V - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Worker] - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE WORKER BEE - - -On Plate V. is shown an illustration of the worker bee, which is the -smallest inhabitant of the hive, but, nevertheless, does the greatest -amount of work. We have already seen that there are many thousands of -workers in a hive, and that each one has certain duties assigned to -her. All are busy, and they work as though the future of the whole hive -depended on their labours--as indeed it does. Each worker seems to -be trying to outdo the others, in the endeavour to see how much work -she can crowd into her little life. Laziness is unknown, and should a -bee become so badly injured from any cause as not to be able to work, -she is put to death, for the government of the bee-city has plenty of -mouths to fill, without any useless ones. To us this may seem cruel, -but we must admit that it is economical. - -The duties of the workers are numerous. There are the water carriers, -to supply the hive with water; the nurse bees, to look after the young -ones; the foragers, who gather nectar and pollen. Then there are the -builders, architects, undertakers, scavengers, chemists, and soldiers. -Lastly there are the house bees and the ventilating bees. - -Each bee is allocated to one or another of these trades, and each one -seems to know exactly how to do the work, and always seems to be doing -it! There is no quarrelling as to who shall gather pollen, or who shall -guard the city, for all is arranged by some mysterious law. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE MICROSCOPE - - -By the aid of a wonderful instrument called the Microscope we are able -to learn a good deal about the construction of the different parts of -the bee’s body. - -A microscope, as perhaps you already know, is a sort of strong -magnifying glass, being something like a telescope, but on a smaller -scale altogether. You may see an illustration of a microscope in (_a_) -Plate VI. The tube of the microscope is generally about six or eight -inches in length, made of metal and holding two sets of lenses. The -one through which we look is at the top of the tube, and is called the -eyepiece. The lens at the bottom is called the objective, for it is the -lens that is nearest to the object that is to be examined. If you have -a microscope of your own, or know any one who has one, you will be able -to see for yourselves many of the things about which I am going to tell -you. For the sake of convenience the parts of insects to be examined -in the microscope are generally mounted on little slips of glass, and -if you place a dead bee on a piece of glass, you will find that it is -more easily handled in this manner. Some of you, however, may not have -this opportunity, and so I have photographed several different parts -of the bee, by the aid of the microscope, so that you will be able to -understand what you will read about them. - -[Illustration: PLATE VI - -(_a_) - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - A Microscope - -(_b_) - - From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Head of Bee] - -Just as the telescope has taught its users a great deal about the -stars, which otherwise could not have been known, so too has the -microscope shown us wonders such as we never before thought existed. - -Before we consider the habits of the bees, it will be well for us -to examine, and to understand, the various limbs and parts of their -bodies, in order that we may the more easily trace out the manner in -which the little workers accomplish their tasks. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE HEAD - - -Just as the head of an animal is the most important part of its body, -so too is it in the case of an insect. - -A bee’s head, as seen with the aid of a microscope, looks very -peculiar, but nevertheless it is exceedingly interesting. A photograph -of it is shown (_b_) on Plate VI. The head is something like a split -pea in shape, with the rounded part turned to the front; it is joined -to the thorax by a thin neck. - -The bee has five eyes, two compound and three simple. The compound -eyes are placed one on each side of the head, like the eyes of the -house-fly, and the simple eyes are to be found on the top of the head. -In Plate VII. the position of the eyes is shown, but only one of the -simple eyes is to be seen. In addition to the eyes, the head carries -the antennæ, which are two in number, and the whole of the head is -covered with a multitude of tiny hairs of a light golden colour. - -The bee has, of course, a brain in the proper sense of the word; it -is, however, very minute, though all the more wonderful for being so. -The nervous system consists of a number of “nerve centres,” which -are situated in the body. The chief nerve centre, or _ganglion_ as -it is called, is in the head, and from this point multitudes of -nerves run to all parts of the body. The word ganglion comes from -the Greek, and means a knot, and it is really a knot of nerves. The -nerves resemble underground telegraph wires, which perhaps you have -seen; and like them, they run in bundles, which in turn are enclosed -in a pipe or sheath. Each telegraph wire sends a message to some part -of the country, and the nerves of the bee, in like manner, transmit -messages to different parts of its body. Other ganglia are situated -in the thorax and in the abdomen, but the largest one is, as I have -said, in the head. You will easily understand from this, that the -ganglia are almost like little brains, distributed in the body of the -bee. Now here is a most remarkable fact, but perfectly simple when you -understand what I have just told you. Sometimes a bee may have a fight -with another bee, and perhaps she will be unfortunate enough to have -her head cut off. You might imagine that this would be at once fatal to -the bee, but it is not so. She is still able to walk about the hive in -quite an important fashion! Of course she cannot see, nor can she feel -her way about with her antennæ, and she is therefore of no use. Soon -she will die, but the fact remains that a bee can live for a time even -when its head is cut off. In the same way, if a bee is feeding on honey -and her abdomen is cut off at the waist, she will still go on sucking -up the honey, in blissful ignorance of the fact that her body has been -cut in half! Then if the abdomen is picked up and placed in the palm of -the hand, it will probably start twisting round, in the attempt to bury -its sting in the flesh! - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE WONDERFUL ANTENNÆ - - -Wonderful as all the parts of the bee are, there are none so wonderful -as the _antennæ_. This word comes from the Latin, and means horns or -feelers, and the antennæ serve many purposes. In the hive, although all -is dark, the bees are able to find their way about by means of them; -they build the combs by their aid, and with them they communicate one -with another. The antennæ are used, too, for the purpose of smelling, -and curious to relate, the ears of the bee are situated in them. We -generally expect to find the ears of living creatures in their heads, -but in the insect world ears are found in many queer places. For -instance, who would look for the ears of the cricket in one of its -legs? yet this is where they are situated. This is not the only insect -which has its ears in its legs, for those of the grasshopper are found -in a similar position. Then there is a kind of shrimp, called the -_Mysis_, and this creature actually has its hearing apparatus in its -tail! And so, when we remember these peculiarities, the fact that the -bee’s ears are situated in its antennæ is not so strange as it at first -seemed. In (_b_) Plate VI. you will see the position the antennæ occupy -on the worker bee’s head, whilst (_a_) Plate VII. will show you the -feeler in detail. The antennæ of the worker bee each consist of a -single long joint, and eleven small joints. The long joint is called -the “scape,” meaning a shaft or stem, whilst the small ones are called -the _flagellum_, a Latin word meaning “a little whip.” In (_a_) Plate -VII. they have been numbered 1 to 11, as you will see. The antennæ of -the drone, while resembling those of the worker, have one more small -joint in the flagellum, thus making the total number twelve. - -[Illustration: PLATE VII - -(_a_) - - Photo-micro. by] [E. Hawks - - Antenna of Bee - -(_b_) - - Photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Tongue of Bee] - -The construction and movements of the antennæ closely resemble those -of our own arms, the flagellum corresponding to the forearm, whilst -the scape is like the upper part of the arm, between the elbow and the -shoulder. Further than this, the antennæ are fixed to the head in much -the same way as our arms are joined to our shoulders. This joint is -called a cup-and-ball joint, and it enables the antennæ to be moved in -practically every direction. In addition, each of the eleven joints -of the flagellum is able to be moved separately; so you will see that -a bee can very easily and quickly place its antennæ in almost any -position. - -On again looking at the plate, you will observe that the scape is -covered by numerous hairs, which are both long and fine. The first -three joints of the flagellum are also covered with hairs, which, -however, are not like those of the scape, for they are much shorter -and thicker. They look more like bristles, and all point in a downward -direction. The remaining eight joints are covered with multitudes of -still smaller hairs, and these again differ in their construction. To -give you some idea of the complicated nature of the antennæ, I may -tell you that the drone possesses over 2000 of these hairs on each -one, whilst the worker has about 14,000. Each hair is connected with a -nerve which is so delicate that the faintest touch of anything would -be easily felt. The nerves are contained in the central part of the -antennæ, which is hollow, and from there they lead to the ganglia. The -bee can tell instantly the shape, height, and nature of any object by -simply passing the antennæ over it. You know that if a person comes -noiselessly behind you, say whilst you are reading, and lightly touches -one of your hairs, you can feel the touch instantly. That is because -each hair, like those of the bee, is connected with a nerve. You will -easily understand, however, that the hairs and nerves of the bee are -infinitely more sensitive than ours. It is necessary that the tiny -workers should be provided with some means of doing things in the dark, -for all the work of the hive has to be done under these conditions. The -antennæ serve this purpose perfectly. - -In a very powerful microscope it is found that the places between the -hairs, in most of the antennæ joints at any rate, are covered with tiny -oval-shaped holes and depressions. The nature and use of these holes -are most difficult for us to understand, and it is not yet properly -known for what they are really intended. In the first place, they are -so very tiny that we can hardly imagine their size. They measure only -about 1/10,000th part of an inch across, and each is surrounded by a -minute ring of a bright orange colour. It is supposed, and I think it -is quite probable, that by the aid of these holes the bee hears. There -is not the slightest doubt that bees can hear, though at one time -people had quite decided that they were perfectly deaf! - -In addition to these little hearing holes, there are others called the -“smell hollows”; they too are exceedingly numerous and minute. Each of -the last eight joints of the worker bee’s antennæ is stated to have -fifteen rows, and twenty smell hollows in each row! That is to say, -there are over 2400 in each antenna. The queen has not quite so many, -having, as a matter of fact, about 1600 on each; but the drone is -possessed of the most of all, and his number reaches the astonishing -figure of 37,000 hollows on each antenna. Every one of those hollows -is a little nose, so that the bee’s power of smell must be very keen. -What with the different kinds of hairs, so numerous and yet each with -a separate nerve, the hearing holes, and lastly the smell hollows, you -will, I feel sure, agree that the antennæ are most complicated, and you -will understand why I call this chapter “The Wonderful Antennæ.” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE EYES - - -The same tiny head, which carries the marvelous antennæ, is provided -with two large “compound” eyes, as they are called. If you are able to -examine these eyes with a magnifying glass, you will at once see that -they are lovely objects. The eye itself is of a deep purplish-black -colour, and has an appearance which is rather difficult to describe. -It seems almost as though it is covered with the finest satin, for it -glistens in the sunlight. - -The microscope shows that this appearance is due to the eye being -composed of multitudes of six-sided cells, resembling, in fact, nothing -so much as a piece of honeycomb. These cells are called _facets_, -which means “little faces,” and each one measures about 1/1000th part -of an inch in diameter. Over the surface of the eye are distributed -numerous long, straight hairs; the chief purpose of these hairs is to -protect the delicate facets, just as the eyelashes of our own eyes -protect them. Bees have no eyelids, as we have, and so they have to -rely upon these hairs to protect their eyes from dust and other such -foreign bodies. The construction of the eye itself is wonderful to a -degree, but it is also very difficult to understand, because it is so -complicated and minute. - -Each eye consists of a great number of facets, which are really smaller -eyes, and this is the reason the eye is called compound. The eye of the -worker contains over 6000 of them, and each one points in a slightly -different direction. Large as this number may appear, it is less than -half that possessed by the drone, whose facets actually number 13,000 -in each eye. As a matter of interest, I may tell you that the queen -bee has the least number of all, having but 5000. Each facet acts as a -tiny lens. A lens, as you perhaps know, is something so shaped as to -throw an image of the object to which it is directed. A camera has a -lens of glass, and by the aid of this lens a picture can be taken of -any object to which the camera is pointed. In that case the image of -the object is thrown upon what is called a photographic plate. Our own -eyes act as lenses, and throw an image of whatever we look at, not upon -a photographic plate, but upon a sensitive surface called the _retina_. -This word comes from the Latin, and means a “small net,” and it is a -very good name, for the retina catches the picture from the pupil of -the eye, and passes it on to the brain. - -Although we might imagine that these compound eyes were sufficient for -any purpose, yet we find that the bee has three more eyes; these are -called the “simple” eyes. They are situated on the top of the head, and -you may see one of them in (_b_) Plate VI. The other two are over the -top of the head, for the three eyes are arranged in this manner ∵ so -as to form a triangle. You will remember that the drone is furnished -with a far greater number of facets than the worker. Consequently the -compound eyes of the drone are much larger, and they not only take -up the whole of the space at the sides of the head, but also extend -right over the top, covering the position occupied by the simple eyes -in the worker. Owing to this fact, the drone’s simple eyes are placed -lower down, on the front of his head, their position corresponding -pretty closely to the place our own eyes occupy. The simple eyes are so -called because they do not seem to be nearly so complicated in their -construction as the compound eyes, but the microscope shows that they -also have an elaborate structure. If we were to cut open the front of a -bee’s head, we should find that the simple eyes are set like this:-- - -[Illustration] - -You will notice that the two top ones (marked L. E. left eye and R. E. -right eye) point in an outward direction, and it is by their aid that -the bee can see sideways. The lower eye (F. E. front eye) is directed -forwards, and with it things in front can be seen. The simple eyes are -surrounded with tufts of hair (marked e. b. eyebrows), which are so -placed that they do not interfere with the range of vision. - -I must just tell you something of the uses of the five eyes. At one -time it was supposed that _each_ facet of the compound eyes made a -separate image of the object to which it was directed. But this is very -improbable, for what possible use could there be in the insect seeing, -instead of the one flower at which it was looking, several thousands -of flowers each exactly like the other? It is much more likely that -every facet forms a picture of only that part of the object which is -exactly in front of it, all the pictures combining to form a single -image. No doubt the compound eyes are used for seeing things at a -distance, and the simple eyes for objects near at hand. - -It has been proved that bees can distinguish between colours, and even -that they prefer certain colours to others; one of their favourite -colours is pale blue. An experiment, which is both interesting and -instructive, has often been performed, and it shows us that not only -is the bee able to tell one colour from another, but also that it -possesses a memory. Pieces of blue, yellow, and red paper are obtained, -and upon each is placed a slip of glass. A little honey is placed upon -the slip of glass which is over the blue paper, and all three are put -near a hive. A bee is caught and placed on the honey. After sucking -some of it she flies to the hive to store her treasure and quickly -returns for more. She is allowed to make several journeys between the -honey and the hive, so as to impress upon her memory that the honey is -to be found on the blue paper. Then while she is away at the hive, the -slip of glass is placed upon the yellow paper. She returns, as before, -to the blue paper, and seems puzzled at not finding the honey there, -but after a careful search, she discovers the honey on the yellow -paper. The fact that the bee came back to the blue paper proves that -she has a memory and that she is able to distinguish one colour from -another. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE TONGUE AND MOUTH PARTS - - -The tongue of an insect is called the _proboscis_, a Greek word meaning -a front feeder, or trunk, and indeed the bee’s tongue is not unlike the -trunk of an elephant. Let us glance at Plate VIII., where a picture -of the mouth parts of the bee is shown. The tongue itself is in the -centre, and it appears long and hairy, tapering to a fine point. On -each side of the tongue are the _Labial palpi_, which are part of the -case in which the tongue is kept, when not in use. Beyond these are the -_Maxillæ_, or inner jaws, which form the other part of the case. - -Each labial palpus consists of four joints, the upper two (Nos. 1 and -2 on the picture) being much larger and broader than the lower ones, -which are quite tiny in comparison. They have several hairs growing -upon them, and these hairs are used for feeling. The importance of -hairs to the bee is very great, and we find them all over the body. -They are of different shapes and sizes, and we shall read more about -them as we come to consider each kind in turn. When the labial palpi -are closed, they protect the back part of the tongue, the front part -being protected by the maxillæ. These four parts, when closed, make -a kind of tube, in which the tongue rests. Although this protecting -case cannot be drawn up into the mouth, the bee is able to draw up the -tongue at will. - -[Illustration: PLATE VIII - - From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Tongue and Mouth Parts of Bee] - -(_b_) Plate VII. shows a good view of the tongue itself, as seen with -a high magnifying power. It is composed of a number of ring-like -structures, and is covered with hairs which are regularly placed and -point in a downward direction. The tongue of the worker bee, it is -interesting to note, is nearly twice as long as that of the queen or -of the drone. This is because neither of the latter gather nectar, and -so they do not need such long tongues as the worker. Her tongue being -longer, she is the more easily able to reach the nectar, which, in -some flowers, is only to be found at the bottom of a long corolla. The -tongue of the worker has from 90 to 100 rows of hairs, but those of the -queen and the drone have only from 60 to 65 rows each. - -The tongue is extremely elastic, and is capable of being moved in any -direction at will. Some of the hairs with which the tongue is clothed -are of use for feeling, but most of them are for a different purpose -altogether. When a bee pushes her head into the corolla of a flower, -her tongue sweeps from side to side. If there is any nectar there, it -sticks to the hairs of the tongue in tiny droplets, and in this way it -is collected. Later on we shall find how it is dealt with after it has -been gathered. - -On (_b_) Plate VII., at the very tip of the tongue, there is to be seen -a small object like a spoon. This is indeed its name, and it is used -for collecting the most minute quantities of nectar. It is covered -with a number of tiny hairs, some of which are split into several -branches. - -From this description you will see that a bee’s tongue is very fully -equipped for gathering small, as well as large, quantities of nectar. -Even the tiniest drop is carefully treasured, for the bees know that -“every little helps.” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE JAWS - - -We have seen that the bee possesses maxillæ, or inner jaws, and we are -now to consider the outer jaws. On (_a_) Plate IX. is a photograph -showing these jaws, which have been separated from the mouth in order -to show them better. They are very hard, and have extremely sharp -edges, like a joiner’s chisel. If you have ever watched a caterpillar -feeding, you will know that its jaws work sideways. It places itself -upon the edge of a leaf, and moves its jaws from left to right, one on -each side of the leaf. This action therefore resembles the opening and -shutting of a pair of scissors, placed flat upon the table, and the -jaws of all insects work in a similar manner. - -The jaws of the bee are very powerful, and this is necessary, for it is -by their aid that the wax, which forms the comb, is cut up or thinned -out. Sometimes the bee may come to a flower which is too long for its -tongue to reach the bottom. It does not waste time trying, but simply -bites through the flower, inserts its tongue through the hole, and in -this way obtains the nectar. - -A short time ago I imprisoned a wild bee in a cardboard box. Soon -afterwards I heard a great noise coming from the inside of the box, and -found that the little captive was hard at work, endeavouring to bite a -way through the cardboard. The noise made by its tiny jaws, as it tore -away shred after shred of cardboard, was like a mouse gnawing a plank. -I fed the bee with honey, and the next day found the floor of the box -covered with pieces of cardboard, whilst quite an appreciable amount -had been bitten away. In four days the bee had cut a way through the -side, making a hole large enough for herself to pass through. Seeing -that she had worked so hard, for the box was really a very substantial -one, I rewarded the little worker by setting her free. - -[Illustration: PLATE IX - -(_a_) - - Photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - The Jaws - -(_b_) - - Photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Claws, showing Hooks and Feeling Hairs] - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE THORAX - - -Having now fully considered the head of the bee, we will turn our -attention to the _thorax_; this name comes from a Latin word meaning -the chest. It is the second, or middle division, of the bee’s body, and -to it the head is joined by a thin neck. The _thorax_ is the centre of -movement, for it is to this part that the wing and legs are joined. -Accordingly we find that it contains several large muscles, for the bee -is a very powerful flier. - -If we examine a bee we notice that the head seems almost black, the -abdomen smooth and shiny, and that the thorax has a beautiful downy -appearance. This is due to its being thickly covered with fine hairs -which, when examined with the microscope, are seen to have many tiny -spikes branching from them which are used for collecting the pollen -grains. When a bee enters a flower the hairs are sure to come into -contact with the pollen, and by means of the spikes the grains are -entangled and held secure. The hairs of the queen and the drone are not -so numerous as those of the worker, because these bees do not gather -pollen. - -If we wish to see exactly the construction of the thorax we shall -have to remove these downy hairs, for they are so thick that it is -impossible to see beneath them. How are we to remove them, without -injuring the parts which lie below? An ingenious way of doing this is -to fasten a piece of cotton around the body of the dead bee, and to -hang it downwards in the hive, between the combs. In the course of a -few days we shall find that every hair has vanished and that the body -is beautifully polished. This has been done by the thousands of worker -bees, walking over the combs of the hive. They are so busy that they -have no time to stop and inquire how their sister died; and so they -brush past, intent only on the fulfilment of some particular duty. In -their haste they knock against the body of the bee, which is buffeted -this way and that, as the busy streams of bees cross and recross the -combs. After a few days of this treatment all the hairs will have -been removed from it, and we shall then be able to see the actual -construction of the thorax, and also the manner in which wings and legs -are attached. - -The thorax, we find, is divided into three distinct parts. The division -nearest the head is called the pro-thorax or forward division; the -second is the meso-thorax or middle division; and the third the -meta-thorax or after division. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE LEGS - - -The legs of the bee are not only used for walking but they have also to -take the place of hands and arms. They are divided into three pairs, -one attached to each division of the thorax. Each leg has nine joints, -which have separate names. The last joint, which is really the foot, -has two claws and a kind of soft pad. The claws, a picture of which is -shown in (_b_) Plate IX., are useful for walking over rough surfaces, -and also serve as little hooks. When the bees are wax-making they hook -their feet together, just as we take hold of hands, and they are thus -able to hang in long festoons from the roof of the hive. - -The pad is called the “pulvillus,” and is close to the claws. We all -know how easily a fly can walk upside down on the ceiling, or run up -a window pane. It is able to do this by means of pads which it also -possesses. These pads are covered with a kind of gummy liquid, and -by their aid a fly or a bee can walk up, or perhaps it would be more -correct to say stick to, a window pane or other smooth surface. The -fly, however, can beat the bee when walking on such surfaces, because -it has two pads on each foot, whereas the bee has only one. On the -other hand, the claws of the fly have no hooks, therefore flies cannot -cling to each other as bees do. - -It is very interesting to understand how the pads are brought into use -by the bee. You must remember that they are placed just above the claw -itself; when the bee is walking over an uneven surface the claw catches -on the roughnesses, and then the pad remains in its ordinary position. -When the bee comes to a slippery surface, however, the claw is not able -to obtain a grip, and so it slips down under the foot, its place being -taken by the pad. This presses against the smooth surface and adheres -to it by means of the sticky moisture with which it is covered. Here is -a sketch showing the pad just coming into action. - -[Illustration] - -The pads hold very tightly on to a smooth surface when they are pulled -_downwards_, as it were, by the weight of the bee. But they are very -easily loosened if the sides are lifted up, and in this manner they may -be peeled off the smooth surface, just as we take a stamp off a letter. -So beautiful is this arrangement, and so perfect in its action, that it -is stated a bee can put down and lift up each foot at least 1200 times -a minute! - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE FIRST PAIR OF LEGS - - -The first pair of legs, or those nearest the head, are the shortest -of all. The most interesting feature about these legs is a little -semi-circular notch, and I have made this sketch of it. - -[Illustration] - -Under the microscope we see that around the semi-circular opening is -a row of about eighty teeth. These are not biting teeth, but are more -like the teeth of a comb, and indeed this notch is a comb which is -used for cleaning the antennæ. You may sometimes see a bee bring up -its front leg to its head, and then move the leg outwards. By this -movement the antenna is drawn into, and through the comb, the teeth of -which soon remove any dirt or pollen which may be sticking to it. Just -above the antenna comb, there is a kind of little hinge or lid. This is -called the “velum,” and its name comes from a Latin word meaning “to -cover,” for the lid covers the antenna when it is drawn into the comb, -and holds it there whilst it is being pulled through. When we know that -each antenna is only 1/125th of an inch in diameter, we can understand -what a wonderful little tool the comb is. - -When we mention a comb, we generally think of a brush too, so it is -interesting to find that the front leg of a bee has two brushes, which -are shown in the sketch. The first of these is used for cleaning the -comb after the antenna has been passed through it. The other keeps the -hairs of the eye free from pollen. - -[Illustration: PLATE X - -(_a_) - - From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Hind Leg of Bee (showing Wax Pincers) - -(_b_) - - From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Wax Pincers on Hind Leg] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE SECOND AND THIRD PAIR OF LEGS - - -The second pair of legs is slightly longer than the front ones. Each is -furnished with a kind of stiff spike with which the wings are cleaned. - -The third pair of legs are perhaps the most interesting of all. They -are the longest, and the hairs for pollen gathering are far more -numerous upon them than on the other legs. If we look at (_a_) Plate X. -we see that there is an opening in the leg around which is set a row -of spikes. This is shown more plainly in (_b_) Plate X. As the joints -work on a kind of hinge, these spikes act like pincers; they are known -as the wax-pincers and will be mentioned later. Another interesting -feature is the _corbicula_, or pollen basket, which is the receptacle -in which the pollen is carried from the flowers to the hive. You will -see from the picture of the worker bee, in Plate V., that the large -joints of the hind legs are much broader than the others. They are -also hollowed out, and around each edge are numbers of spike-like -hairs, which curl inwards over the hollow. These make a sort of basket, -and I am sorry that I am not able to show you a photograph of this -interesting feature, but it is a most difficult subject of which to -obtain a picture. However, I have made this little drawing, which -perhaps will help to give you some idea of its nature. - -[Illustration: POLLEN BASKET] - -I should tell you that the pollen basket is situated on the outside -of the leg, that is, the side which is away from the bee’s body. On -the inside are several combs, which are made up of rows of spike-like -hairs. When the thorax has become covered with pollen the bee uses -these hairs to comb it out; this it does by crossing its legs below the -body. It is interesting to notice that neither the queen nor the drone -has pollen baskets. - -[Illustration: PLATE XI - -(_a_) - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Wing - -(_b_) - - From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Fine Needle compared with Sting] - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE WINGS - - -Bees belong to a class of insects known as _Hymenoptera_, which means -with membranous wings; the wings of the bee are found to be composed -of beautifully fine membranes. They are four in number, and, like the -legs, are joined to the thorax. The front ones are called the anterior -wings, and the back ones, which you will notice are smaller, are called -the posterior wings, because they are behind the others. The membranes -are strengthened by a kind of framework, just as a kite is strengthened -by a framework of light sticks. The ribs of the framework are called -“nervures,” and, as you will see from (_a_) Plate XI., there are -divisions of transparent membrane in between; these are called cells. -The nervures are hollow, and like our veins, they contain blood. - -We have seen that the bee possesses two pairs of wings, and we may -wonder why this should be so, when we know that one large pair is much -more powerful for flying purposes than two small pairs. You have no -doubt noticed that when a bee is at rest on a flower the wings are -neatly folded over the back. Now if the bee had only one pair of large -wings it would not be able to fold them so compactly--the wings would, -in fact, stand out on each side of the body. We shall presently see -that the bees, in the course of their duties, have to clean out the -cells of the comb, and in order that they may do this it is necessary -for them to be able to crawl right into the cell itself. The cells in -which the young worker bees are raised are only 1/5th inch in diameter, -and if the wings projected when in the folded position, the bee would -not be able to enter the cell. The wings therefore have been divided, -so that when folded they may lie one over the other on the bee’s back, -and we find that the wings, when folded, take up only 1/6th inch of -room. This leaves just sufficient space for their owner to enter a -cell. You will notice that a blue-bottle fly has only one pair of large -wings, for it does not need to fold them closely over its back, as it -has no cells to clean. - -Remembering what I have told you about the greater flying power of one -pair of large wings, you might imagine that the division into two pairs -which we have seen to be necessary would handicap the bee in flying. -The difficulty is overcome by a most ingenious device, by which the -bee, when flying, is able to fasten together the wings on each side, so -as to form one pair of broad wings. - -Let us now turn to (_a_) Plate XII., which shows part of the wings on -one side of a bee’s body. Along the top edge of the lower wing there -is a row of tiny hooks, and the lower edge of the upper wing is curled -over, thus forming a kind of ridge. When the bee takes to flight the -front wing is stretched out from over the back, and during this action -it passes over the upper surface of the back wing. When the ridge -reaches the hooks it catches upon them and is held fast. In this manner -the two wings are locked together. (_b_) Plate XII. shows the wings -hooked together ready for flying. When the bee comes to rest she folds -her wings, and in doing this they are automatically separated, for the -ridge slips away from the hooks that hold it. - -[Illustration: PLATE XII - -(_a_) - - From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Wing unhooked, showing Hooklets and Ridge - -(_b_) - - From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Wing hooked, as in Flying] - -The number of hooks varies, and there are sometimes more on one side of -the body than on the other. As a general rule it is found that a worker -bee has from eighteen to twenty-three of them, the one shown in (_a_) -Plate XII. having nineteen, as you will be able to count. The queen -does very little flying, and so her wings are not large, in proportion -to her size. Therefore she has not usually so many hooks, and sometimes -they are found to number as few as thirteen. The drone has large and -powerful wings, and his hooks vary between twenty-one and twenty-six in -number. - -Bees are able to move their wings very quickly, and you will agree with -me in this when I tell you that it has been shown that the vibrations -number at least 190 per second! The flight of the bee is greatly -assisted by a number of air-sacs called _tracheæ_, contained in the -thorax. These fill with air and make the body more buoyant, just as a -lifeboat is made more buoyant by its air-chambers. When a bee has been -at rest for a little time it cannot begin to fly straight away, for the -air-sacs are empty. It therefore runs along the ground to get a start, -as an aeroplane does, and by vibrating its wings fills the tracheæ. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE ABDOMEN - - -The hinder part of the bee’s body is called the abdomen, and it is -here that the stomach is situated. The abdomen is larger than either -the head or the thorax, and is joined to this latter by a thin waist. -Insects do not possess skeletons, at least not internal skeletons of -bones, such as we have. Their skeletons are outside the body, and -take the form of a hard outer layer which protects the soft inner -organs. This layer, or outer skin, is made of a horny substance, called -_chitine_ (pronounced “ki-tin”), which comes from a Greek word meaning -a tunic or outer dress. - -Chitine is indeed a wonderful substance, and is found in all forms -and shapes, having a variety of appearances. The hard black bodies of -beetles are composed of it, and, wonderful to relate, of this substance -the downy wings of the butterfly are made. You will remember that -in the chapter on the eye of the bee we saw that the facets have a -beautiful appearance; they too are made of chitine, as are the tendons, -legs, hairs, membranes, and many other parts of the body. - -The abdomen of the queen and of the worker is divided into six rings -or belts, but the drone, having a somewhat larger body, has seven. -Each ring is divided again into two parts which are known as the -_scelerites_, which are joined one to another by delicate membranes of -very fine skin. You may have noticed that the leg of a crab is jointed, -and that the hard outer case of shell gives place to a fine, but tough -membrane at the joints. By means of this arrangement the crab can move -its leg with ease. The joints of the abdomen of the bee are arranged -in a similar manner, although in this case the membranes are of course -much finer and more delicate than those of the crab. - -The organs inside the outer case of chitine are of most wonderful and -delicate construction. You may be surprised and interested to learn -that a bee has two stomachs, and these are perhaps the most important -parts of the abdomen. It is not because the bee is a greedy insect that -it is provided with two stomachs, but each serves a separate and useful -purpose. One is called the honey-sac, and the other is the stomach -proper. As a bee sips the nectar from a flower, it is passed down a -tube through the thorax into the honey-sac, which acts as a kind of -store-chamber. Here it is kept until the bee flies back to the hive, or -until the little worker may need it for its own food. Leading from the -honey-sac to the stomach is a very fine tube, and at the honey-sac end -of it there is a kind of stopper, called the “stomach mouth.” Just as -we can open or close our mouths at will, so can the bee open or close -the stomach mouth, and so either allow honey to flow into its true -stomach or keep it stored in the honey-sac. The latter is very tiny, -and when quite full contains little more than a third of an ordinary -drop of honey. The tube which leads from the one to the other is lined -with fine hairs, all pointing in a downward direction, away from the -honey-sac. When the bee sips the nectar it often happens that some -of the pollen grains from the flower are taken in also. Now the bee -desires to gather only the pure nectar, and so it passes the nectar -from the honey-sac to the stomach by means of the tube. It then makes -the honey return from the stomach to the honey-sac, but this time the -hairs in the tube act as a strainer, and prevent the pollen grains from -returning with the nectar. By this clever little apparatus you will -see that the bee is able to strain the nectar when flying from one -flower to another, or when travelling back to the hive. Besides the two -stomachs, the abdomen contains certain glands to which we shall refer -when we come to speak of honey. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE BREATHING APPARATUS - - -Insects do not breathe by means of lungs as we do but through tiny -air-holes, called “spiracles.” This name comes from the Latin -_spiraculum_, meaning an air-hole, which in turn is derived from -_spirare_, to breathe. - -Crawling insects do not need nearly so much air as flying insects, and -so their breathing apparatus is not so large. In the bee the breathing -tubes spread over almost the whole body, two of the largest extending -along each side of the abdomen. The rings of the abdomen slightly -overlap one another, and if you watch a bee carefully you will notice -that they are constantly slipping in and out, like the joints of a -folding telescope which is being opened and closed. This is really the -action of breathing, and the bee draws in and then drives out air. If -you have ever rescued a fly which has fallen into the milk, you will -remember that it at once commences to clean itself vigorously with its -legs. It does not do this to make itself tidy, but to clean out the -milk which clogs its air-tubes and is thus choking it. - -It is interesting to notice that the mouth of each air-tube has a -number of tiny hairs; these serve to keep out dust, which would -interfere with the breathing. The air-tubes branch off one from -another like the roots of a tree, and in order to give you some idea -of how very small they are, I may tell you that it has been found that -a bundle of a quarter of a million of them would hardly be any bigger -than an ordinary human hair! - -[Illustration: PLATE XIII - -(_a_) - - Photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Sting of Bee - -(_b_) - - Photo-micro. by] [E. H. - - Sting, showing Barbs] - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE STING - - -We have now only the sting left to consider. I need not tell you what -it feels like to be stung, as no doubt a good many of you have had that -interesting operation performed upon you by some bee or wasp which you -have annoyed! - -How very frightened every one is of the sting of a bee, and those -people who have never been stung are perhaps the most frightened of -all. After all, the sting is not so painful, and it is very interesting -to watch the angry little worker drive its sharp weapon into our hand; -besides which it is actually good for us to be stung, and the reason of -this I shall presently tell you. The sting is situated at the very tip -of the abdomen. It would take up too much space to fully describe all -the details of its construction, and therefore I shall simply tell you -about the chief parts, and also how it works. - -Let us look at the picture of a sting given on (_a_) Plate XIII., where -is seen a sharp-pointed object surrounded by fleshy matter. This is -the sting proper, and it is very smooth and hard, as well as being -finely pointed. In order to give you some idea of this, I have mounted -alongside a sting, one of the finest needles obtainable for comparison, -and you will see the picture in (_b_) Plate XI. The needle is at the -top, and looks like a great crowbar compared with the beautifully fine -and tapering sting. - -This sting is really a sheath, or kind of case, in which are enclosed -two needle-like darts. Its purpose is to protect the darts and also to -make the actual wound. Outside the end of the sheath are two rows of -three, or sometimes more barbs, which point backwards. Many of you, no -doubt, have seen in our museums the spears and arrows used by savages, -which have ugly barbs at their points. When the warrior runs the spear -into an enemy, it does not slip out as it would do were the shaft just -a plain one. The barbs on the outside of the sheath are used for this -purpose, that is, to prevent the sheath from slipping out of the hole -it has pierced, until the operation of stinging is completed. - -The darts enclosed in the sheath are capable of being moved up and -down in it, by a powerful and complicated set of muscles. They act -like drills, and when the sheath has made the first hole and, as it -were, opened the way for them, the darts commence to travel up and down -at a great rate. Every time they come down they go further into the -flesh, and so make the hole deeper. They, too, have barbs which are -more pronounced than those on the outside of the sheath, and so take a -firmer hold on the flesh. You will clearly see these barbs on one of -the darts in (_b_) Plate XIII. - -The darts themselves are hollow, and near each barb there is a tiny -hole, which leads into the central hollow, down which the poison is -poured. The hole made by the sharp little darts is not deep enough to -cause the pain we feel when stung; this is due to the poison which is -sent into the wound. This poison consists chiefly of formic acid, and -is stored in the poison-bag which is shown on (_a_) Plate XIII. The -poison is forced through the holes by two little pumps situated at the -base of the sheath, and which are worked by the same muscles which move -the darts. - -You will see from this that stinging is quite an elaborate process. -First the sharp point of the sheath enters the flesh and is held there -by its barbs. Then the darts work up and down, making the wound deeper -and deeper, while the tiny pumps are forcing in the poison. So quickly -does all this take place that the sheath is driven in up to the hilt -and the wound filled with poison, long before we have time to knock the -angry little insect away. - -When a bee stings our arm or leg we naturally try to brush or shake it -off. We have seen that the sheath of the sting has barbs, and when we -shake our arm the sting is so fast in the flesh that the jerk causes it -to be pulled out by the roots from the bee’s body. When this occurs it -generally happens that a large part of the bee’s bowel is pulled out -also, and this causes the death of the bee in an hour or so. If we let -the bee alone, however, we shall find that after the darts have been -driven in as far as ever they will go, and after the full amount of -poison has been pumped in, she will commence to turn slowly round and -round, and in this manner will extract the sting, as a corkscrew is -taken out of a cork. - -The sting of a worker is quite straight, but that of the queen is -curved like a scimitar. The workers sometimes sting bees from other -hives, but the queen will never sting any bee but a rival queen. The -sting of one bee is immediately fatal to another. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE ANCIENTS AND BEES - - -Before we go on to consider the habits of the bees, I think you will be -interested to hear something about their early history, and how they -used to be kept in bygone ages. Thus we shall be able to trace the -progress of bee-keeping from its earliest sources to the present day, -and to realise the wonderful improvements of modern methods upon those -of the ancients. - -It is not possible for us to tell with any certainty when bee-keeping -actually commenced, but it has a very ancient origin. No doubt for ages -past it has been the custom of men to obtain honey from the store of -wild bees. For instance, we read in the Bible that John the Baptist -lived for some time in the wilderness on locusts and wild honey. The -earliest records in existence show us that the Egyptians kept bees in -some kind of hive, and that they carefully studied their habits. If -you visit the Egyptian rooms at the British Museum, you may perhaps -see the sarcophagus which contains the mummified remains of a great -king, called Mykernos. This coffin dates back to 3633 years B.C., and -Mykernos was at that time the King of Lower Egypt. On the outside of -the coffin is a peculiar drawing, or hieroglyphic as it is called. It -is something like this:-- - -[Illustration] - -This funny little figure represents a bee, for at that time it was -thought that the bees were ruled over by a king-bee, which the -Egyptians knew to be larger than all the others. Because the bees -always appeared to be so happy under their king, the Egyptians thought -it would be a good symbol to place on the coffin of their ruler. This -is the very earliest known record relating to bees, but we know now, of -course, that the large bee, which seemed to the Egyptians to rule the -others, is not a king but a queen. - -Those of you who learn Latin may some day have to translate some books -called the _Georgics_. They were written by a clever man called Virgil, -and although schoolboys do not always like them, yet they are most -interesting, especially the Fourth Book, which tells us a great deal -about bees. Virgil lived in a town called Parthenope, which we now know -as Naples. He was a great bee-keeper, and was never tired of watching -his bees at their work, and moreover he left very accurate accounts of -his observations. Hives in those days were dome-shaped, and made from -pieces of bark stitched together, or sometimes of osiers or plaited -willows. We can imagine the learned Virgil walking in his garden, -surrounded by sweet-smelling flowers and herbs, and by his quaint -bee-hives. Below, down the mountain side, lay “sweet Parthenope,” as -he called it, with its orange and lemon groves. Beyond the town lay -the most beautiful bay in the world, the Bay of Naples, whose water, -as blue as turquoise, shimmered in the summer sun. Over all stood the -crater of mighty Vesuvius, from the cone of which a thin wisp of smoke -hung lazily in the atmosphere. In this way Virgil spent many happy -days, and in the book I have mentioned we may read of his doings, and -of his bees. Most of his ideas about bees were false, but some of the -rules which he laid down for bee-keeping hold good even at the present -time. - -Up to the time of Virgil, and even later, the duties of the workers in -the hive were not properly understood. It was not known even that the -largest bee was really the mother of them all, and that the workers -looked after and tended the eggs, which later on would develop into -young bees. In the days of Virgil it was supposed that bees were born -in flowers, or that if an ox was killed and left to decay, a swarm of -bees would be formed in its body and could then be put into a hive. -In the Fourth Georgic very careful instructions are given by Virgil -as to how to prepare an ox for this purpose. Many years ago this was -translated into our language by a bee-keeper, and the wording is so -quaint that I think you will be interested to read the following -extract from the curious directions. We are told that we must find -“a two-year-old bull calf, whose crooked horns be just beginning to -bud. The beaste, his nose-holes and breathing are stopped, in spite -of his much kicking! After he hath been thumped to death, he is left -in the place, and under his sides are put bits of boughs and thyme -and fresh-plucked rosemarie. In time the warm humor beginneth to -ferment inside the soft bones of the carcase, and wonderful to tell -there appear creatures, footless at first, but which soon getting unto -themselves wings, mingle together and buzz about, joying more and more -in their airy life. At last they burst forth, thick as raindroppes from -a summer cloude....” - -The supposition that bees were obtained from a dead ox lasted right -down to the seventeenth century, and there is no doubt that the -Egyptians believed in this too, for in some of their records we find -that they buried the body of an ox, leaving the horn-tips just above -the soil. After it had been left so for about a week, the tips of the -horns were sawn off, and a swarm of bees issued, like smoke from a -chimney. What a foolish idea this was, just as though the body of an -ox could, in any manner imaginable, change into a swarm of bees! It -probably originated in the fact that the decaying body of an ox or -other animal quickly becomes surrounded by swarms of flies, wasps, and -other insects. - -Up to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the people had no other -substance than honey with which to sweeten their food, for the mode -of extracting the sweet juice contained in the sugar-cane was not -known till later. Sugar-cane was actually discovered somewhere about -the first century A.D. and a learned writer, Strabo by name, has told -how the chief admiral of the fleet of Alexander the Great found what -he called “a wonderful honey-bearing reed,” whilst on a voyage of -discovery to India. It was not until the fifteenth century, however, -that the Spaniards set up a sugar plantation in Madeira, and extracted -the juice from the cane: even then it was only the rich people who -could afford the new luxury, and others had still to use honey. From -these remarks, then, we can easily understand how necessary bees were -to the people, and how much depended on a good honey year. - -Besides using honey for sweetening purposes, the Anglo-Saxons made from -it a drink called Mead. You have no doubt read of this in your history -books, but perhaps you did not know that it was made principally from -honey. Sometimes the juice of mulberries was added to it, to give the -drink a flavour, and it was then called Morat. People who could afford -to do so flavoured it with spices, or sometimes even added wine, and -in this form it was used in the royal palace. In some country places -old-fashioned people still make and drink mead, but it is very rarely -heard of nowadays. - -Bees also provided the ancients with wax, from which a sort of candle -was made, for in those times there was no electricity or even gas, and -so the people were very glad to be able to use the wax for lighting -purposes. Nowadays, beeswax, mixed with a little turpentine, is used -for polishing furniture and oilcloth. - -[Illustration: PLATE XIV - - The New and the Old] - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -THE HIVE - - -A hive may with all truth be called a bee-city, for in it there live -thousands upon thousands of little workers. In this chapter I hope to -tell you about the actual construction of this wonderful city, so that -you may understand more easily the chapters that will follow. - -Hives used to be made of straw, and were called “skeps.” Some of these -skeps may still be seen in country places, but they are rapidly being -superseded by the more convenient wooden hive. The two kinds are shown -in Plate XIV. The wooden hive is a kind of box made in a special way, -and it is usually painted white, for this not only looks clean but -also keeps out the heat of the summer sun. You will notice that, like -one of our own houses, it is divided into three storeys. Close to the -floor of the hive, at the bottom of the lowest storey, is the door, and -this is made by cutting a slit in the wooden wall. Two little slips of -wood slide in front of it, so that it can be made narrower, or even -completely closed at the wish of the bee-keeper. If the bees themselves -wish to close up the entrance for any reason, they are able to do so -by blocking it up with wax. The top chamber of all is the roof, which -is empty, and serves to protect the hive from the rain. It must, of -course, be lifted off by the bee-keeper each time he wishes to look -into the hive. The second chamber is a sort of extra storehouse, and it -is used by the bees to store honey when the third chamber is full. This -third chamber is the most important of all, for it is here that the -bees live. It consists of rows upon rows of combs, some of which are -storeplaces for honey, but the greater part form the nurseries where -the young bees are brought up. - -All the cells are built of wax, no matter whether they be honey cells -or cradles, and they are constructed in wooden frames which the -bee-keeper places in the hive for the purpose. In Plate XV. we see the -roof and the second chamber removed, exposing the inside of the bottom -chamber. The bee-man in the picture is lifting out one of these frames -of combs in order to examine it. The frames are simply four pieces of -wood, and are used so that the bees may not fasten their combs to the -walls of the hive, for if this were done it would not be possible for -us to remove them from the hive. The number of frames a hive contains -depends on the size and prosperity of the bee-city, and also on the -particular time of the year. If the city is a large one, and the -inhabitants numerous, there may be twelve or fourteen frames, each -containing thousands of separate cells. On the other hand, if the bees -are few, or suffering from any disease, the frames may be reduced to -half this number. Of course, the more numerous the frames, the greater -is the amount of work to be done, and the more workers will be required -to attend to the young bees, and to the duties of the hive. When -all the frames are in position, they look something like the picture in -Plate XVI. - -[Illustration: PLATE XV - - Lifting out a Frame of Comb] - - -[Illustration: PLATE XVI - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Showing the Frames in Position] - -When we are examining a frame, we generally cover the others over with -a cloth, for the bees do not like the light to penetrate their city. -The frame having been replaced and the second chamber put on, we cover -all over with thick pieces of felt to keep the hive warm, and on top -is placed the roof. The hive stands on four legs, a few inches above -the level of the ground, and the door is generally sheltered by a kind -of porch. In front of the door there is a board which projects a few -inches, and this is called the alighting-board. On it the bees settle -when returning from the fields, and from it they commence their flight -when leaving the hive. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -A VISIT TO A HIVE - - -Let us now imagine that we are to pay a visit to a hive. If we are -afraid of stings we may put on thick leather gloves and tie our sleeves -around the wrists, to prevent any curious bee from investigating our -arms. Then over our hats we may place a veil, to keep the bees from our -face, for a sting in the eye would be a serious matter. The bee-man in -Plate XVII. is wearing a veil, as you will see, and the brim of his -straw hat is useful to keep it at a little distance from his face, so -that the bees are not able to sting through it. Before we approach the -hive I must tell you one thing; if a bee flies around you and comes -rather closer to your face than you care about, do not on any account -hit it away. Bees, like some human beings, are very curious by nature, -and they like to investigate anything strange that comes under their -notice. Never mind if one of them comes crawling over your hand, or -even if it steps inside your ear! It will not hurt you if you keep -still, but should you knock it away with your hand, it will become -angry, and probably you will be stung there and then. - -[Illustration: PLATE XVII - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Examining a Comb] - -Bees are very brave little creatures, and are frightened of nothing -in the world except smoke and the smell of carbolic acid. When we -wish to open the hive and to examine the combs, we must first puff in a -little smoke at the door. Ordinary tobacco smoke would do quite well, -but we more often use a rolled-up piece of brown paper, or some old -rag, which are allowed to smoulder. They are placed inside a tin, which -is fixed to a pair of bellows, and by working the bellows with our hand -we are able to puff out any quantity of smoke from the nozzle with -which the tin is fitted. This is done to frighten the bees, and not to -stupefy them, as most people think. As soon as the smoke reaches them -they rush to the storehouses in order to take in provisions, for they -think some terrible calamity is about to occur. They know that they -would starve if they were forced to leave the hive without a supply -of food, and so by filling their honey-sacs they provide themselves -with food to last at least a day or two. Though the bees are greatly -frightened by the smoke, they have no intention of deserting the city -that they have built with so much labour, unless it is absolutely -necessary; so after taking in supplies they wait to see what is going -to happen. While all this is going on we may look into the hive and -examine the combs, and after doing so the roof is replaced, the smell -of smoke leaves the hive, and the bees settle down again. The honey in -their honey-sacs is put back into the storehouses, and work goes on as -usual throughout the bee-city. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE CITY GATE - - -The door of the hive, or the city gate as it may be called, always -presents a busy spectacle, and Plate XVIII. is a photograph of one. -Bees are constantly alighting on the board, coming so quickly that they -appear to spring from nowhere. Other bees come out of the gates, and -fly away quite as rapidly. Some even are in such a hurry that they do -not wait to crawl on to the board, before taking to flight, but fly -straight out of the door and away into the blue. Then, again, others -do not seem to be in such a hurry, for they come out of the gates, and -stand on the board brushing down their wings, seeming almost as though -they were blinking in the bright light of the morning sun. These are -the young bees, who are on their first expedition to gather honey; -probably they have never been outside the dark hive before, and so they -are unaccustomed to the strong light. They must take careful survey of -the position and surroundings of the hive, so that they will be able -to find it again when returning laden with honey. The bees which dart -straight off from the hive door are the older workers, who have made -many a journey to and fro, and so know very accurately the position of -the hive. - -[Illustration: PLATE XVIII - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - The City Gate] - -All these are the foragers, or honey gatherers, and it is their -business to visit hundreds of flowers over the country side, and to -extract from them, by the aid of their wonderful tongues, the tiny -drops of nectar. When their honey-sac is full, they return to the hive -with all speed, and rushing inside, hand over the fruits of their -labours to the house bees. You will be surprised to hear that a bee has -to visit over 100 flowers before her honey-sac is filled, and we must -not forget that this tiny sac when full holds only one-third of a drop. -Now you will understand what a great number of bees are required, and -how hard they have to work, in order to make 1 lb. of honey. Yet some -hives give more than 200 lbs. of honey in a season! Just think of the -vast amount of labour and the incessant toil required for this result. -But the bees are always busy, and the proverb, “Go to the ant, thou -sluggard,” might be quite well changed to “bee,” for I question whether -the ant really works harder than the bee. From the time that the first -ray of the morning sun strikes the dewy fields, until the sunset merges -into misty twilight, all is bustle and hurry in the bee-city. So hard -do the foragers work that instead of living three or four years like -the queen, they often live only two or three weeks in the summer. In -this short time their wings become quite worn away, and their poor -little bodies are covered with wounds. - -If we look carefully at the door of a hive on a warm summer’s day, we -shall no doubt see some of these poor worn-out creatures. They can no -longer take part in the great work of the hive, and so for a short time -they come out into the sunshine and dodder about the alighting-board. -Their mission in life being over, no doubt they will summon up all -their remaining strength to fly away to some quiet spot where they will -die, unheeded and unknown. Their last thought is to die somewhere away -from the hive, so that their bodies may not interfere with the work of -the city, and will not need others to carry them to a burial-place. -How sad it is to think of these noble little workers, thousands upon -thousands of which out of each hive willingly give up their lives for -the great work of their race. - -Besides the ever-busy foragers, there are other bees coming and going -who do not appear to be in such a hurry. Each has two bright-coloured -spots on her hind legs. These bees are the pollen gatherers, who -collect the “bee-flour”; we might rightly call them the millers of the -hive, and a picture of them is shown in Plate XIX. - -Some of the bees at the city gates are employed in quite a different -manner; they do not fly afar in search of honey or pollen, but stand -still, with heads pointing to the hive door. They are using their -wings so vigorously that we cannot see them, just as the propeller of -an aeroplane is invisible, because it is turning so quickly. These -are the ventilating bees, whose duty it is to keep the hive cool on -hot days. The quick fanning of their wings draws out the heated air -from the hive, and if we were able to peep inside the door we should -see other bees also engaged in the same occupation. These, too, stand -with their heads towards the hive door, but instead of fanning out the -hot air, as the outside bees do, they draw a stream of pure, cool air -into the hive. By this simple and wonderful arrangement the bees are -able to regulate the temperature to a nicety, for if it grows too -warm, they have only to set more fanners to work, to expel the hot air. -The temperature of the hive is a very important matter, for should -it become too high the young ones would be suffocated, whilst if it -dropped too low they would be starved to death. - -[Illustration: PLATE XIX - - Pollen gathers at Hive Door] - -The fanning is very hard work, and so, if we watch, we see that as -a bee grows tired her place is taken by a fresh worker, and so the -ventilating is constantly kept up. - -During the hot nights of summer, in the busiest time, the hive is -thronged with workers who have come home from the fields to shelter -from the dew and cold of the night. The city then becomes very crowded -and hot, and a large army of bees must be kept at work ventilating. -If, on such a night, we were to steal down to the hive with a lighted -candle and place it a few inches from the door, the draught caused by -the fanners would be quite strong enough to blow out the flame! - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -THE GUARD BEES - - -If we watch for a short time at the city gates, we shall very likely -see two bees apparently fighting desperately. If we look closely we -may see that one of the bees has hold of the other by the wing, and is -dragging it away from the door. To and fro the fight rages, and the -bee which is held struggles fiercely, but without avail, for the other -has her in a firm grip. The captive bee is really a robber, which has -been caught whilst trying to slip into the hive to steal honey. It may -be that the robber is from another hive, or perhaps is a wild bee, -for there are communities of bees which are really like pirates. They -have their homes in some hollow tree, and live either by robbing other -cities, or by waylaying workers on their return from the fields, and -taking from them the honey which they have so laboriously gathered. The -bees, therefore, have found it very necessary that there should be a -guard at the gates of their cities, and there are always some soldier -bees on sentry-go. - -To us, no doubt, one bee looks very much like another, and it is a -mystery how the guards are able to recognise a strange bee. It is -probable that the sense of smell has a great deal to do with this, -for it is thought that all the bees of one hive smell alike, but -differently from those of another hive, and that by this means the -guards may detect a robber. A strange bee is never allowed to cross the -threshold unless it is perhaps in the busy season, when the bees are -“working overtime” as we might say, straining every nerve and muscle -to gather in as much honey as they can before the summer goes and the -flowers die. Then if a stranger comes to the hive, with her honey-sac -full of the precious fluid, she may be allowed to pass in. Wasps often -try to gain an entrance, as also do many other insects of one sort or -another. If we watch the door for quite a short time in summer, it is -pretty certain that we shall see several struggles. Sometimes it takes -two or even three bees to expel the intruder. - -On one occasion I witnessed a fight which lasted well over half-an-hour -between a robber bee and a guard bee. They rolled over and over on the -board, this way and that, each trying to get the better of the other. -At last they fell on to the ground below, but even then they did not -stop the fight, and the struggle continued on the grass. Eventually -the guard bee won the day, and by what appeared to be a final effort, -she managed to pierce the abdomen of the robber bee with her sting. -Instantly the robber bee was killed, and the brave little soldier bee -returned to the hive in triumph. - -It is not easy for one bee to sting another, for the abdomen and thorax -are so hard that it can only be done through one of the rings of the -abdomen, where the skin is thin. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -WORKERS IN THE CITY - - -Besides the fanners, the foragers, and the guards, there are other -classes of bees at work in the hive. There are, for instance, the -scavengers and cleaners-up, whose duty it is to keep the city and the -combs spotlessly clean. Little twigs, dead leaves, and bits of gravel -are all removed by these bees. Sometimes a mouse or a snail enters -the hive, and then indeed there is great excitement. Imagine a great -elephant-like creature, thirty or forty feet high, with a tail thirty -feet long, to come walking into one of our cities, and you will have -some idea what it seems like to the bees when a mouse is foolish enough -to poke its head into the hive! But the bees are not frightened; the -guards are promptly called out, and the poor mouse is soon put to death -by hundreds of stings. Having made sure that the intruder is quite -dead, the bees leave his body to the scavengers, who are confronted -with the problem of disposing of it. If it were left it would cause -disease and pestilence throughout the city, and it is too big and heavy -for them to move. It is true that they might bite it into tiny pieces -and thus carry it outside the hive, but this would take too much of -the bees’ valuable time. A better plan is thought of, and the body is -soon covered over with a thin coating of wax. It is thus embalmed in -a beautiful white tomb, which is made perfectly air-tight. If the tomb -is near to the door, and interferes with the passing in and out of the -workers, tunnels are cut through it. Sometimes when we look inside a -hive, we may see two or three of these little mounds of wax, and we may -be sure that each one is the grave of some intruder who had no right to -be there. - -Then there are the undertakers, who have a grim duty to perform. They -carry away the bodies of workers who may have died within the hive, -and in winter they have a busy time. It has been said, with what truth -we do not know, that each hive has a burial-ground where the bodies of -its workers are placed. It may be behind some bush in a corner of the -garden, or perhaps down by the willows which fringe the banks of the -stream. Whether this is so or not, it is certain that the undertakers -carry the bodies of the dead bees away from the hive, so that they -shall not pollute the pure air of the city and so cause disease. Now -and then as we watch we may see one of these undertakers carrying what -looks like the ghost of a bee! It is a bee in form, but its wings are -folded, and its body is not a beautiful brown, but pearly white. This -is a young bee, which has died before its birth, in the cell which -has been both its cradle and its tomb. In winter, when it is too cold -for the undertakers to journey far with their gruesome burdens, they -will drop them just over the alighting-board, and so we sometimes see -the ground near a hive strewn with dead bees, for many die during the -colder months. - -The water carriers are the bees who fly backwards and forwards between -some neighbouring stream and the hive, supplying it with the water -necessary to the workers. A hive should be placed near a stream or -river, so that the bees may have as much water as they want, and they -are helped in this if the stream be a shallow one in which there are -little pebbles and rocks so that they can easily sip up the water. -Another class of workers are the chemists, whose duty it is to place -a tiny drop of acid, from their poison-bag, into each cell of honey, -before it is finally sealed over. The acid supplied is chiefly what is -called formic acid, and this is a very good preservative; it serves to -keep the honey fresh and sweet until it is wanted. - -You will remember that we said that it was actually good for us to be -stung. This is because the formic acid which is pumped into the wound -by the bee mixes with our blood, and prevents rheumatism. You will -hardly ever find that a bee-keeper is troubled with this complaint. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -THE COMB BUILDERS - - -In order to trace the history of a hive, and to learn about the round -of work which goes on day by day, we will suppose that a swarm of bees -has been placed in an empty hive. We shall then be able to follow them -as they commence with the first necessary work of building the combs. -Our later chapters will lead us through the whole cycle of hive life. - -We have already seen how the frames are placed within the hive, but we -have yet to learn how the combs are built in them. Before the builders -can set to work, however, it is necessary that the wax, of which the -combs are constructed, should be made. - -When a swarm of bees first enters the empty hive, numbers of them climb -to the roof, and fasten themselves, by means of their tiny claws, to -points of vantage. Other bees then join them, each hooking its claws -in the claws of another, and in this manner chains of living bees hang -from the roof in festoons. As time goes on these chains become more -numerous, until the hanging bees look like a large cluster, for the -chains cross and intertwine. All the bees do not form themselves into -chains, for guards are posted at the hive door, while others examine -every corner of their new home. The scavengers have to clean the floor -and carry away twigs or gravel, so that everything shall be perfectly -tidy for the builders to start work. - -Now commences that wonderful and mysterious process of wax forming, -which is carried on in perfect silence by the cluster of hanging bees. -You will remember that the abdomen of the worker is composed of six -rings; underneath these are the eight wax-pockets. There are two in -each ring except in the first and last. It is perhaps interesting to -note that the queen and the drone have no wax-pockets because they do -not take part in the making of wax. For a similar reason their legs -are not furnished with wax-pincers, like those of the worker. As the -bees hang from the roof of the hive, in solemn and impressive silence, -tiny scales are to be seen protruding from the wax-pockets. They look -almost like a letter which has been pushed half-way into the slot of -a pillar-box. A wax-pocket produces one wax scale, and so the workers -each make eight tiny pieces of wax. In order that wax may be made in -this manner it is necessary for the bees to consume a large quantity of -honey, 10 or 15 lbs. of which produces only 1 lb. of wax. - -We have already seen that the hind leg of the worker is provided with -a set of wax-pincers (see Plate X.), and when the tiny scale of wax -has been formed, these pincers take hold of it and remove it from the -pocket. By means of the front legs it is then passed to the mouth, and -here the strong little jaws come in useful. In its present state the -wax is hard and rough, and it must be made smooth and pliable. It is -mixed with juices supplied by glands in the bee’s mouth, and worked by -the jaws until it is so soft that it can be moulded into any desired -shape. Often, when wax is being made, the floor of the hive becomes -covered with wax plates which have fallen from the cluster above. When -the wax has been kneaded to the correct degree of softness, the worker -will leave the cluster of hanging bees, and crawl to the highest part -of the roof of the hive. This is the foundation-stone of the combs, -for they are not built upwards from the ground as our houses are, but -downwards from the roof. - -[Illustration: PLATE XX - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Queen Cells on Comb] - -When the first plate of wax is in position, the little worker will take -the other plates one by one from her wax-pockets, and knead them as -she did the first. Each in turn will be placed on the foundation, and -then the bee will again join the cluster. Immediately she disappears, -however, her place will be taken by another, who goes through exactly -the same process. She in turn will be followed by another, and so on, -until a small piece of beautiful white wax hangs from the roof. At this -stage it is time for the architects to plan out the position and shape -of the first cells, which are to be sculptured out of the wax. If we -watch, we may see one of these bees appear, and it is evident that she -knows exactly what to do, and just what shape the first cell is to be. -She moulds the unformed wax by means of her jaws, and very soon the -outline of the cell is seen. It is hollowed out, and the wax removed in -this process is carefully placed so as to form the walls. Meanwhile, -another architect has been doing a similar thing on the opposite side -of the piece of wax, for the cells are built back to back, as by this -arrangement there is a saving of material. The wax-makers continue to -add more and more wax, the sculptors go on with their work, and soon -the form of the comb becomes apparent. - -I suppose every one knows that bee cells are hexagonal, or six-sided. -If they were made circular, you can easily understand that there would -be a great deal of space and material wasted, for the spaces between -the cells would need to be filled up. Then, again, if they were made -diamond-shaped, there would still be places to fill in. It is true they -might be made four-sided, but apart from the fact that such cells would -not be strong enough, it is not possible for them to be made thus, for -the angles would be too great for the bees to get their jaws into the -corners. It has been found that six-sided cells are the strongest and -the most economical, but how the bees found this out, too, is a mystery. - -[Illustration: CRADLE CELLS.] - -There are three kinds of bee cells: firstly the cradle cells, in which -the young bees are reared. They are 1/2 inch deep and 1/5th inch in -diameter. There will therefore be about twenty-eight in a square inch -of comb, but as the drone is slightly larger than the worker, his -cradle must be bigger. We find accordingly that the drone cells are -1/4th inch in diameter, or about eighteen to the square inch. - -Then there are the royal cells, which are altogether different. In them -the young queens are reared, and in appearance they are something like -acorn cups. In Plate XX. you see a picture of a frame of comb, taken -from the hive with the bees still on it. The bee-man is pointing to -two of these queen cells, and you will see that they hang downwards, in -a place where the ordinary comb has been cut away to make room for them. - -Lastly there are the honey cells, which are of the same size as the -cradle cells, but instead of being built horizontal they are made -sloping upwards. By constructing them in this way honey stored in them -is prevented from running out over the combs. - -[Illustration: HONEY CELLS.] - -The back of the cells, or the dividing wall between the two sets, is -not flat, as we might imagine. If you look at the sketches you will see -that the cells are fitted into one another so cleverly that the bottom -of one cell forms half of the bottoms of two cells of the other side of -the comb. All the cells of one sort, say for instance the honey cells, -are made exactly the same size, and do not differ by the fraction of -an inch. How the bees are able to measure the width when building them -is a mystery. Perhaps the antennæ have some important part to play in -this matter, but if so it has yet to be discovered. Another thing which -is as curious as it is mysterious is how the sculptors on each side of -the comb are able to fit in the cells so neatly that each one is in its -right place with regard to the cells on the other side of the dividing -wall. It is certain that the workers cannot see through the wall of -wax, and yet the two lots of cells correspond exactly. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -THE LIFE OF THE BEE - - -All the time the cells are being built the queen wanders about the -hive in a distracted fashion, because there are no cells ready for -her to fill. Now that some are ready, however, her movements change. -Surrounded by her councillors, or ladies-in-waiting, as we might call -them, she clambers over the comb and selects a cell in which to lay the -first egg. She very carefully examines the cell by placing her head -in it and feeling the sides with her antennæ. Being satisfied that it -is in a fit state to become the cradle of a young bee, she withdraws -her head and then the egg is laid. All this time the ladies-in-waiting -stand round, and in the season for egg-laying you may quickly pick out -the queen by the circle of bees about her (see Plate III.). They guide -her over the comb, feed and clean her; sometimes, too, we may see them -stroking her very tenderly with their antennæ. After the first egg -is deposited in the cell, the queen moves to the next, and so on all -through the summer. During this time she lays day and night, and does -not appear to sleep. - -The eggs are little pearly-looking objects something like tiny rice -grains, and each one is fastened to its cell by a drop of gummy liquid. - -In the meantime the bees are at work building combs with all haste, -for the queen is close on their heels, demanding more and more cells. -She does not rest until the whole of the ten or twelve frames have been -completely filled with cells and eggs. By this time the first eggs -which were laid will have hatched out into young bees, who will leave -their cradles to take part in the duties of the hive. These first cells -will then be cleaned out by the scavengers, and the queen will lay more -eggs in them. In this way the queen goes on all the summer, and as a -matter of fact, if the hive be a prosperous one, she may lay as many as -3000 eggs each day! After the eggs have been laid the queen does not -appear to take the slightest interest in what may become of them. On -the other hand, the worker bees do, for they know that on these tiny -little eggs depends the future of the hive. - -In three or four days an egg will hatch into a tiny white grub, which -the nurse bees immediately commence to feed. It is not fed upon honey, -though, for that would be like feeding a baby on roast beef! The nurse -bees have certain glands in their bodies by which they are able to turn -honey into a kind of bee-milk, and this is called “chyle food.” For -three days the little grub is carefully fed upon this preparation, and -then it is given “modified chyle food,” as it is called, which is also -bee-milk, but richer than before. During these few days the grub casts -its skin and grows very quickly, until on the fifth day it turns into a -chrysalis, just as a caterpillar does before becoming a butterfly. The -bee-grub spins a soft silken cocoon, and the sculptor bees come along -and seal over the mouth of the cell with a cover, which admits air so -that the grub may breathe. - -The grub then commences what is called its _metamorphosis_--a Greek -word meaning “a change of form”--and a wonderful change it is. In -sixteen days from the time that the cell was closed up, the fat little -grub turns into a perfect worker, just like a caterpillar changes into -a butterfly. The young bee is now ready to emerge from her cell, and -the porous capping is the only barrier. The little prisoner, however, -finds that she has a sharp pair of jaws and so begins to bite the -capping. Slowly it is all snipped away, and we see a tiny hole appear, -which grows larger and larger. In a few moments out comes one of the -antennæ, and waves about as though to explore the world beyond the -cell. It seems to give a good report to the little bee, for the biting -of the cap is redoubled, and before long, assisted perhaps by some of -the nurse bees, the youngster slowly emerges. She is, however, very -pale and weak as yet, and so the nurse bees commence to clean and feed -her. She soon gains sufficient strength to take an interest in what is -going on around, and we may imagine that she is somewhat surprised to -find how busy is the city into which she has stepped--every one rushing -here, there, and all over, none seeming to take any notice of the young -bee, and everybody apparently having something to do, and to be in a -great hurry to do it! - -A fortunate insect is the little bee, none the less; for she has no -need to attend school or to have any lessons. She knows all that she -need know as soon as she is born. In a few hours’ time, for instance, -she will be feeding grubs, just as she was fed by other bees some days -before. She will know all about the city, the duties which she has -to perform, and the respect which she must pay to the queen, her -mother. After perhaps a fortnight or so of nurses’ work she will join -the ranks of the foragers, and seek the nectar of the sweet-scented -flowers. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXI - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Queen Cells] - -This, then, is the history of the birth of a worker bee, of which a -prosperous hive may contain anything from 30,000 to 60,000. The history -of the birth of a drone is practically the same, except that in his -case it takes twenty-five days for the egg to change into the complete -insect. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -THE STORY OF THE QUEEN - - -Among most nations it is customary for the kingship to be handed down -from father to son, but no such rule exists in the bee-city. Although -we call one of the bees the Queen, she is not really a queen in the -ordinary sense of the word. She does not rule the hive, nor can she -command the bees to do this thing or that, and a far better name for -her would be the Mother bee. - -Up to the seventeenth century it was thought that a hive was ruled -over by a king-bee, and it was not known that this large bee was the -mother of all the other bees, and yet this is so, as we have already -seen. Whether or not a queen shall be born depends on the wish of the -workers, and it is surprising to find that a queen is developed from -an ordinary egg, which, if it were not subjected to certain different -processes, would turn into a worker bee. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXII - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - An Empty Queen Cell] - -When the bees desire that a queen shall be born, the builders and -sculptors are first consulted. They set to work to make three or four -queen cells, or, as we might call them, royal cradles; in one of them -the future queen will be reared. We have already seen that queen cells -are different from the ordinary cells, and that for their accommodation -a part of the comb is cut away. This gives better ventilation, and -the royal cells hang downwards from the comb as seen in Plate XXI. The -nurse bees now place in the first an egg from one of the worker cells, -but this egg must not be more than three days old, otherwise a queen -would not be produced, no matter what efforts the bees might make. -Eggs are placed in the other cells at intervals of three days. On the -fourth day the first egg hatches into a grub, just as it did in the -case of the worker bee, whose career it resembles up to this stage. But -now the nurse bees, instead of feeding it upon chyle food, commence -to supply it with “royal jelly” as it is called. This is a very rich -form of food, and is only given to those grubs which it is intended -shall become queens. The nurse bees continue to pay special attention -to the little grub, and give it as much of the royal jelly as it can -take. This goes on until the ninth day, when the grub spins a cocoon -and the cell is closed up. On the sixteenth day from the time the egg -was laid the young princess will be ready to leave her cell; she will -then commence to gnaw the floor in order that she may get out. In Plate -XXII. there is shown an empty queen cell, the floor of which has been -cut away in this manner. - -Thus we see that the making of the queen rests entirely with the -workers themselves, and depends simply on an egg being placed in -a certain kind of cell, and having special food and plenty of -ventilation. After the queen has been hatched, the royal cell is cut -away, and its place filled with honey cells. The wax of the cell is not -wasted, but used in the construction of new comb. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -THE POLLEN GATHERERS - - -Let us now follow one of the pollen-gathering bees on her quest of -bee-flour, which is so necessary for feeding the inhabitants of the -hive. Having first taken a careful survey of the position of the hive -and its surroundings, our little worker flies off at top speed to the -hillside or the orchards where, it may be, the fruit trees are in full -bloom. On her way, perhaps, she will decide what kind of pollen is to -be gathered, for different kinds of pollen are kept quite separate, -just as our own flours are separated. It remains a mystery why bees -should keep the different pollens apart, as it seems to us that it -would not matter much if they were mixed, but no doubt the bees know -better than we do. Although buttercups may be scarce, and though the -hedges are laden with hawthorn blossom, yet if the gathering bee has -started to collect buttercup pollen, she will pass by the hawthorn and -search diligently for buttercups in the adjoining meadows. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXIII - - Storing the pollen in cells] - -Arriving at the flower, the little worker alights and moves about it, -so that very soon her hairy body becomes covered with pollen, as shown -in the _frontispiece_. Although she was a brown bee when she alighted -on the flower, now she is all golden yellow, and looks like a dusty -miller. It is here that the brushes and combs with which the legs are -furnished come in useful, and after two or three flowers have been -visited, we may see her brushing down her body, and combing the pollen -grains out of the hairs in which they are entangled. The collected -pollen is then moistened with a tiny drop of honey, and kneaded into -little round pellets, which are placed in the pollen baskets. This -being done, the bee flies on and on, visiting other flowers, until -her baskets are quite full. Sometimes the bee gathers more than can -be carried in her baskets, so she returns to the hive with her body -smothered in gaily-coloured pollen. - -Though her wings are strong, yet the load of pollen is heavy, and all -her strength is needed to reach the hive in safety. It may be that she -is almost exhausted before she can alight on the board at the city -gates. So she will settle on a leaf or some flower, like a ship coming -to anchor, in the harbour of the garden, and here for a few seconds she -will rest, to gain fresh strength for the final flight. Some of the -bees seem to act as inspectors, or general helpers as it were, always -on the lookout to do somebody a good turn or to lend a helping hand -wherever it may be required. And now, as the pollen gatherer makes a -final flight to the board, these bees come forward and help her to drag -her load safely within the city. Once inside the door, the worker makes -straight for the cells which might be called the flour bins, for here -the pollen is stored. A picture of them is to be seen in Plate XXIII., -and you will notice that the different kinds of pollen are still kept -separate. Arrived here, the gatherer levers the pellets out of the -baskets by means of the spurs on each of her middle legs. These act as -little crowbars, and the pollen is then placed in the cells. If it is -not intended for immediate use, some of the house bees will cover it -over with a layer of honey, for it would not keep if left exposed to -the air. We should imagine that the pollen gatherer would now take a -rest, or at any rate some refreshment. This, however, is not the case, -for no sooner has she got rid of her load than she darts towards the -door, and before we have time to follow her she is off to the fields -again for another load. From morning to night she continues to travel -backwards and forwards between the flowers and the hive. Is it any -wonder, then, that at the end of a few weeks’ time the brave little -worker will have completely worn away her wings, and will lie down and -die? - -When watching the alighting-board, you will remember that we remarked -on the pollen gatherers entering the hive, each with the little -baskets filled with bright-coloured pollen; from the colour of the -pollen we may tell from what flowers the bees have brought it. The -deep golden-brown comes from the gorse bloom, away on the hill; the -snow-white from the hawthorn, and the vivid yellow from the buttercup, -or perhaps the dandelion. The pale green is from the gooseberry bushes, -whilst the pollen of the charlock is golden and clover pollen is -russet-brown. Sometimes, when the poppies are growing among the corn, -the little gatherers will return with loads of jet-black pollen, while -the orchards give many delicate hues, the most beautiful of which is -the light yellow from the apple blossom. On rare occasions, we may see -a worker come laden with pollen of deep crimson, but the source of this -wonderfully coloured stuff is a mystery, for we do not know from what -flower it is obtained. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -THE VARNISH MAKERS - - -Some people think that bees gather only honey and pollen, but there is -another substance which they collect, and this is called “propolis.” -The poplar and pine trees have, as perhaps you know, a resinous kind of -matter covering their new shoots, whilst the horse-chestnut protects -its leaf buds with a similar sticky substance. This the bees gather, -and they draw it off the trees in thin strings, just as sometimes you -see children playing with a piece of sticky toffee, by pulling it into -two pieces. The bees then roll these strings into balls, and pack them -in their pollen baskets, and return to the hive. The other bees help to -unload as soon as the gatherers arrive, for the sticky substance soon -hardens, and must therefore be got out of the pollen baskets as quickly -as possible, and for the same reason it must be used at once. The bees -then knead it with their jaws and mix with it some liquid from their -mouths, until it is quite soft and pliable. - -With this preparation, which is really like varnish, the bees coat the -whole of the inside walls if the hive is a new one. Should there be -any cracks in the walls or floor, they are carefully filled up to keep -out the cold and damp. Then again the propolis, in a stronger form, is -used for fastening the combs to the frames, and for any other objects -which the little engineers may think need firmly fixing. When we open -a hive we find that the felts, which cover the combs and keep them -warm, are firmly fastened down to the frames, and sometimes we have to -use considerable force to get them off. The frames holding the combs -are fastened into position, too, with propolis, and a mixture of this -substance and wax is used to cover over the bodies of any intruders -who have entered the hive and have been stung to death. The combs -containing sealed cells of honey are subjected to a coating of very -thin propolis to keep them sweet and clean. Plate XXIV. is a photograph -of a frame of comb just removed from the hive. Towards the top you will -see bees busy capping the honey cells, and others are varnishing them -over with propolis. The cells inside the white lines are pollen cells, -and you may see pollen-pellets in them. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXIV - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - A Frame of Comb, showing Bees at Work storing Honey and Pollen] - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -THE NECTAR GATHERERS - - -In this chapter I propose to relate to you the day’s work of a nectar -gatherer, or forager. These are perhaps the most important workers -in the hive. If you look it up in your dictionary you will find that -nectar is described as being “any pleasant liquid.” I want you to -understand that the bees do not actually gather what we call honey. -What the bees gather, and what the flowers secrete, is nectar, which is -a thin watery liquid, containing among other things a large proportion -of cane sugar. - -Arrived at the meadow the forager alights on the first suitable flower -she comes to, and dips her tongue down to the nectaries. Even the -tiniest droplet of nectar can be collected by means of the spoon at -the tip of the proboscis. She visits flower after flower until her -honey-sac is filled, and then she sets out on the return journey to -the hive. Whilst she flies a change takes place within the honey-sac. -First of all the nectar is strained, to separate the pollen, and in the -manner we have already seen. Then some juices are added to it which are -supplied by glands in the bee’s body. The cane sugar is changed into -another form, called grape sugar. - -Cane sugar is not good for either us or animals to eat, but on the -other hand grape sugar is beneficial. You will know that we cannot -derive any nourishment from our food until it has been acted upon by -the saliva of the mouth and by certain juices in the stomach. The food -is then said to be digested. Practically the same change is carried -out in the bee’s body, the nectar being converted into honey. In her -case, however, the change is not made only upon the food she consumes -herself, but also on that contained in the honey-sac. Many people think -that the honey they eat is just in the same state as it is in the -nectaries of the flowers from which it has been gathered, but now you -will know that this is not so. The reason that honey is good for us is -that it has already been partly digested by the bees, and therefore our -stomach is saved a certain amount of work. - -Our bee has now arrived at the hive, and as she passes the guard bees -she is recognised as being one of themselves, and her entry to the -hive is not delayed. The guards may salute her as she passes, with a -wave of their antennæ, and she hurries off to the storehouses. Here -the warehouse bees are kept busy storing away the honey brought in by -the foragers, and to one of these bees our little friend hands over -her load. At least she does not “hand” it over, but passes it from her -tongue to that of the other bee, who in turn swallows it. This bee then -climbs to the cell she is filling, and placing her tongue therein, -empties the honey into it. No sooner has the forager been relieved -of her load than she makes her way to the hive door, pushing and -struggling, butting with her head here, or crawling over her sisters -there, until she at last forces her way through the crowd and flies off -to gather further supplies. A bee that is one day gathering nectar -will probably collect pollen the next day, and _vice versa_. By this -arrangement the organs which change the nectar into honey are given a -rest. - -We cannot tell how bees are able to find their way home to the hive so -cleverly. They may fly two, three, four, or even more miles away to -the flowers, but they are always able to return. If a forager bee is -imprisoned in a box, and carried a couple of miles away and released, -she will reach the hive long before we could; in this respect you will -see that bees are something like homing pigeons. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -THE WINTER SLEEP - - -During the summer the bees work only with the idea of storing away -sufficient honey to last them during the dark days of winter, when -there are no flowers. In the tropics, where perpetual summer reigns, -the bees live as it were from hand to mouth, and do not store nearly -so much honey as those bees which live in climes where the summer is -followed by a long winter. - -When autumn comes, and the flowers vanish, the bees gather round the -queen on the combs of the hive; we see some of them in Plate XXV. The -builders block up the doorway with wax until only a narrow passage is -left, just large enough to allow them to travel in and out. This is -done to keep out the cold of winter, for then it is necessary for the -temperature inside the hive to be as high as possible. - -In this cluster the bees pass the winter in a kind of sleep. They eat -the honey which they have stored, and wait for the arrival of spring. -The outermost bees of the cluster are of course the coldest, and so -that each may take a turn at being on the outside, they constantly -change places. They only leave the hive on a few occasions during this -time, and then it is to take a short flight for exercise. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXV - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Bees clustering in Winter] - -When the bright sunshine comes, and the crocuses tell of the coming of -spring, the bees begin to bestir themselves. Sometimes when it has been -snowing, and the snow is lying on the ground, the bees are deceived -by the glare into thinking that spring has come; they fly out to look -for flowers, but many of them are killed by the cold. When spring is -actually at hand, however, the pollen gatherers are despatched to the -crocuses and other early flowers. They come back laden with pollen, and -as soon as the queen bee sees this she commences to lay. These eggs -will develop into the bees which will carry on the work of the hive -during the summer. The bees which have slept through the winter only -live long enough to look after these eggs, and to bring the young bees -safely into the world. - -It is interesting to note that the amount of nectar and pollen gathered -will, to a certain extent, regulate the number of eggs that the queen -will lay. If food is scarce she will not lay many, for if she did -a great number would have no food and all would die of starvation. -If, on the other hand, honey and pollen are abundant, hundreds or -even thousands of eggs will be laid in a single day. The number is -increased, too, as spring merges into summer, and for a fortnight or -three weeks in May or June, the hive is at its busiest. During this -period the fields are white with clover, and the flowers are at their -best. This time is known as the honey flow, and if the hive be a -prosperous one, the honey does literally flow into the combs. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -THE SWARM - - -It is not known exactly why bees swarm, and it has been said that -it is because the hive becomes overpopulated. When the hive becomes -crowded early in the summer, the bees build queen cells, and in them -royal princesses are reared, as we have already seen. When the time -approaches for them to leave the cells, the old queen begins to get -very excited, for she seems to know that a rival is about to be born. -She would like to rush to the cells and put the young princesses to -death, and indeed she would do this, were not the cells guarded by the -other bees, who anticipate trouble with the old queen. So, though she -may make the attempt, after being repulsed time after time she will -give up, and adopt another procedure. She seems to realise that her -rule in the hive is at an end, and so she determines to leave it on -the first fine day, with as many of the other bees as will accompany -her, and to fly to pastures new. All is then commotion with the bees -that will go with her, and they seem to eagerly await the signal to -be off. No one knows how it is decided which bees shall go, or which -shall remain, for old or young, builders or foragers, may go or stay. -All who are going, however, take in supplies of honey, and when the -appointed time has arrived the swarm issues from the door of the hive -in a thick black stream. The old queen will be among them, and they -generally fly to some tree close at hand. A suitable spot is chosen, on -one of the branches perhaps, and the leading bees settle there. These -are quickly joined by the others, so that in a few seconds the cluster -is as large as an orange. It grows larger and larger, until after a few -minutes from the time the bees left the hive in a mad throng, they will -all be quietly hanging in a pear-shaped mass like those in Plate XXVI. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXVI - - From a photograph by] [W. Dixon - - A Swarm] - -A swarm is a wonderful sight, for the bees are almost perfectly still, -and hang in a glistening mass, clinging to one another by their tiny -hooked claws. Sometimes the leading bees of a swarm choose queer places -in which to cluster: one lot, for instance, swarmed on to the beard of -a gardener, whilst another found a resting-place on the neck of a horse -which was standing under some trees! - -As soon as the bees have swarmed on the branch, or wherever they may -have settled, scouts are sent out to look for a suitable place for the -new home. They return with news of some spot which they think would -serve the purpose. This scout thinks that the hollow tree she has -found would be best, but another says that a little cave in the rocks -would be better. Meanwhile more scouts are despatched, and when all -the different proposals have been considered, and all possible places -discussed, it is finally settled where the future home shall be. Headed -by the scouts, who now act as guides, the swarm then takes to flight -once more, and will not stop until it reaches the chosen spot. Wherever -or whatever it may be matters not, for the bees will have to commence -at the very beginning of the cycle of home life, and as soon as they -are all inside the new home the wax-makers will climb to the highest -points, hang in chains, and begin to make the wax for the combs, -exactly as we saw in a previous chapter. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXVII - - The Bees in their New Home] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -TAKING THE SWARM - - -Bee-keepers watch for the issuing of the swarm, and when it occurs -they get ready to take it, so as to fill another hive with bees. -Having found where the bees are hanging, an empty hive is brought to -the spot and placed under the branch. The bees are then shaken into -it, or they may be even gathered in handfuls, or with a spoon, and -placed in the new hive (see Plate XXVII.). At the time of swarming -bees are practically harmless, for they have taken so much honey that -they do not feel disposed to sting. The old straw skeps are often used -for taking a swarm, for they may be more conveniently handled than -the larger and heavier wooden hives. The hive which is to be their -permanent home is placed close at hand too, with a clean white cloth -on a board leading to the door in front of it. After the bees have -been shaken into the skep they are emptied on to the cloth, and at -once commence to walk into their new home (Plate XXVIII.). There are -thousands upon thousands of bees in a swarm, and pictures of them going -into new hives are shown on Plates XXIX. and XXX. In order to show -how harmless the bees are at swarming time, the bee-man in the first -picture has taken a handful of them, as we may see. - -There is an old rhyme which says: - - “A swarm in May, worth a load of hay, - A swarm in June, worth a silver spoon,” - -and the bee-keeper is pleased should his bees swarm in May, for then -he will be able to put them in a new hive, and they will gather a good -supply of honey before the summer is over. Should the swarm take place -a month or two later, however, the bees do not settle down in time to -gather sufficient honey for the winter, and they cause the bee-keeper -trouble, for he has to feed them with syrup. - -After a swarm, the bees seem to forget all about their old life and -companions, for the hive containing the swarm may be placed quite close -to the old hive without either set of bees taking the slightest notice -of the other. - -If a bee-keeper is not at hand to take the swarm, the bees will -probably make their home in some hollow tree. They will commence to -build combs, and young bees will be reared and honey stored just as in -a hive. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXVIII - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Thousands of Bees walking into their New Home] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -THE OLD HIVE AFTER A SWARM - - -After the old queen has left with the swarm, the bees have to decide -what to do about a new queen, and the eldest princess is, as we have -already seen, clamouring to be set free from her cell. Although she -gnaws away at the floor of her cell the bees keep her a prisoner, by -piling more wax on the outside of the cell. She is kept thus until -the old queen has got away with the swarm, otherwise there would be a -terrible fight between the rival queens. - -However, the bees now decide to set the young princess at liberty, and -two courses are open to them. If the hive has got what is called the -“swarming fever,” the princess will lead a second swarm, for she knows -that in a few days another princess will be born. This second swarm is -called “the cast,” and unlike the first, flies away at once, no matter -what the weather may be, for there is no time to be lost. The cast does -not settle near the hive as the first swarm does, but flies quite away, -and is generally lost to the bee-keeper. - -If, as is generally the case, the hive has not got swarming fever, -the bees adopt the princess as their queen. As soon as this course is -decided upon, the bees allow her to visit the cells containing her -rivals, and with savage anger she inserts her sting in each cell and -puts them to death. - -During the next few days she wanders about the hive in a restless -fashion, constantly going to the door. After a while she leaves the -hive and flies high up into the air. She is not allowed to go alone, -however, but is followed by numbers of drones. In about an hour’s time -she returns, and the bees know that she is now mated and will remain -quietly in the hive. The hive then resumes its ordinary life, and the -young queen commences to enter upon her new duties. The queen cells are -no longer required, and so they are cut down; the builders set to work -to erect nursery cells in their place, for every available inch of room -will be required by the young queen for laying eggs. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXIX - - Bees going into a Skep] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -THE MASSACRE OF THE DRONES - - -We have already seen that the drones do no work in the hive, nor -do they gather nectar or pollen. They live a life of ease, feeding -upon the honey gathered by the workers, and it has been said that -each drone eats as much food as can be provided by four workers. You -may understand from this that the drones would quickly eat up the -provisions which have been gathered for the winter. The workers know -this too, and when the summer begins to go and the flowers to fade, the -drones will meet their fate. They are always under the power of the -workers, for besides eating honey, they are given chyle food, and were -the workers not to give them this, at the end of three days the drones -would die, even though there was plenty of honey around them. - -It is not by starvation that the drones die, however, for they are -massacred by the bees. Some time about August, perhaps, when the bees -find that the honey is not coming in as fast as it used to, the step -will be taken, for they have now to think about the winter months which -are close at hand. If there are any drone cells in the hive with eggs -or grubs in them, the workers tear them open, the young drones are -dragged out, and their bodies thrown out of the door of the hive. -Although the other drones may see these proceedings they take no heed -of them, but continue to live their lazy life, and to eat their fill -of honey. But in a few days the signal for the massacre is given, and -the workers commence to put them to death. Throughout the hive may -be seen the workers chasing the drones over the combs which, but a -few days before, supplied them with honey. The drones have no sting, -nor any means of defence, so that they are absolutely at the mercy of -their pursuers. The bee-city is alive with the terrible cries of the -victims, and as the workers catch the drones they commence to bite off -their wings. Sometimes, too, they will even gnaw off the legs or the -antennæ or cut through the drone’s slender waist, their one idea being -to disable him. Some of the drones perhaps are able to escape from the -hive, and may seek refuge in flight, but after a few hours they are -back again. They cannot live without food, and as they have never done -any work, they do not know how to gather it. When they return, the -guard at the gate, which is always doubled at this time, savagely fall -upon and kill them. Some do not return to the hive, but these speedily -perish of cold when the night air comes on. The bees never sting the -drones in the struggle, for the sting, being barbed, would soon be -pulled out by the roots were it once inserted in the drone’s body. The -bodies of those that have been killed are carried out of the hive by -the undertakers, and a busy time they have, as you may imagine. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXX - - Half-an-hour after Plate XXIX] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - -HONEY - - -In the old days the people did not know where honey came from. Pliny, -the great Roman writer, says that it came from the air, and that the -stars helped to make it. He tells us, too, that it was much better at -the time of the rising of the bright star Sirius, and goes on to say -what a pity it is that it is mixed with “the juices of the flowers,” -for, little suspecting that they are really the nectar itself, he -actually thought they spoilt its essence! Others supposed that honey -gathered whilst Jupiter and Venus were in the sky with Sirius was able -to effect miracles, such as curing diseases and actually restoring the -dead to life! How curious and interesting are these old beliefs, and -yet how silly they seem to us. We know that honey is really “juices -of the flowers,” which have undergone a wonderful change in the bees’ -stomachs; and that, although it is very pleasant to the taste, it is -not able to restore the dead to life, or to work any other miracles of -a like nature! - -There are many different qualities of honey, each depending on the -flowers from which the nectar is gathered. There is, for instance, the -beautiful almond-flavoured honey from the apple blossom or the dark and -strong heather honey. But the honey which is perhaps the most common -and beautiful is that from clover. The white clover blooms for about -three weeks and then indeed are the bees busy. Red clover is of little -use, the florets being too long for the bees to reach the nectar. It -is true that this might be obtained by the bee biting through the base -of each one, but when red clover is in bloom the white is also to be -had, and so of the two the bees naturally prefer the white, where -their tongues can easily gather up the tiny drops of fluid. Later on, -perhaps, when the white clover is done, there will be a second crop of -red, and the bees are then glad to visit it, for the florets of the -second crop are shorter than those of the first. Clover honey is light -amber colour, and as clear as crystal. A bee-keeper can tell by the -taste of any honey from what flowers it has come, and perhaps, too, -from which part of the country. - -After the bees have filled up their combs with honey, the bee-keeper -puts some smaller frames in the second chamber of the hive. These are -called sections, and as a rule they measure 4-1/4 in. × 4-1/4 in. -If honey is still plentiful the bees will then build combs in these -sections, and fill them with it, and so when this has been done the -bee-keeper may take away the sections, and it is in this manner that -honey is taken from the bees. - -Each section contains about 1 lb. of honey, and you may often see them -for sale, at about one shilling each. Some people prefer honey when it -has been extracted from the sections and put into glass jars; myself, -I think it is far nicer to eat it from the comb. An average hive will -give about 30 or 40 lbs. of honey a season, but you can easily -imagine that a great deal depends upon the weather. The situation of -the hive counts, too, for hives in the south of England give more honey -than do those farther north. This is because the flowers in that part -are much finer and yield more nectar, and also because the climate is -warmer. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXXI - - Bees on White Clover] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII - -MODERN BEE-KEEPING - - -We have already seen that straw hives were formerly used to keep bees -in. They had many disadvantages, and perhaps the greatest was that -sections could not be put on to collect the extra honey. The only -way in which it could be obtained was to kill the bees and to take -the honey they had stored for themselves. The bees were generally -suffocated by the fumes of burning sulphur, and so you will see that -besides being inconvenient this method of bee-keeping was also very -cruel. The hives with the greatest number of bees were the healthiest, -and they were selected for treatment in this manner, for they had -more honey stored away than the weaker ones. In this way all the best -bees were killed off, and those that we have at the present time are -descended from poor ancestors. It will be many years before they have -been brought back to their former state of excellence. - -After the bees had been suffocated, the old bee-keepers took out the -combs. These were not built in frames as are those of the present day, -but were just made inside the skep in any way the bees liked. The honey -was then extracted from them, but it was of very poor quality, for -pieces of broken comb, pollen, and even dead grubs, or parts of the -bees themselves, were mixed up with it. How different this is from the -beautifully clear honey obtained by the modern methods. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXXII - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Sealing over the Honey Cells] - -After the cells have been filled with honey the bees leave them -uncovered for a little time, so that the water in the honey may -evaporate. The honey then ripens, and the chemist bees place a tiny -drop of formic acid in each cell. When all is ready, the cells are -sealed over, and in Plate XXXII. we may see the bees at work doing -this. You will be interested to know that the English bees do not quite -fill the cells, and so the colour of the honey does not show. Foreign -bees, however, fill the cells quite to the brim, which gives the comb a -dark and dirty appearance. - -Nowadays the straw skeps are very seldom seen, for their place is taken -by the wooden hives we have already considered. The frames containing -the combs are all of the same size, so that they may be transferred -from one hive to another. For instance, should a certain hive have -collected a large quantity of honey for winter use, and another hive -not have sufficient, the bee-keeper may take one or two frames of this -honeycomb from the rich hive and put it into the poor one, and in this -way both lots of bees will live throughout the winter. In many other -ways the frame hives are useful, besides being much more healthy. The -bees need not be killed in order to get the honey, as was necessary -with the skeps, for a puff or two of smoke is all that is required, and -while they are frightened we may remove the sections. - -You will understand that the sooner the queen sees pollen coming into -the hive in the early spring, the sooner will she commence laying -eggs. The sooner the eggs are laid, the more bees will there be ready -for the summer flowers. So the bee-keeper sprinkles pea-flour in a box -of shavings near the hive in the early days of spring. The bees soon -find the flour, and, thinking it is pollen, they commence to carry it -into the hive. When the queen sees it coming in she is deceived, and -thinks summer is at hand; so she commences to lay eggs. This gives the -hive a start, so that when spring really comes, there are large numbers -of bees ready to gather honey from the early flowers. - -We have already mentioned that a great quantity of honey has to be -consumed before wax can be made, and this is a serious loss to the -bee-keeper, for it not only reduces the stores, but also wastes -valuable time as well. So the bees are now provided with a thin sheet -of wax, a piece of which hangs downward in each frame. On it is stamped -the exact design of the cells, so that not only is material provided -for the bees, but the architects are saved the trouble of having to map -out where each cell shall be. A piece of this “foundation,” as it is -called, is shown in Plate XXXIII. The bees readily take to it, and as -soon as the work of building is to commence they knead the wax and draw -it out from the foundation, until it is a complete cell. In this way a -great deal of time is saved. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXXIII - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Foundation, showing the Pattern for Cells] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII - -THE BEES’ ENEMIES - - -Bees have many enemies, apart from robber bees, who try to steal their -honey. In winter-time, when pressed by hunger, certain birds come to a -bee-hive and commence tapping on the alighting-board. Of course some -of the bees come to the door to see what is the matter, and no sooner -do they appear on the threshold than the sharp little birds grab them -in their beaks, and so make a meal. Birds often catch the bees as they -are gathering nectar in the fields, and no one knows how many perish in -this way. - -Then there is the death’s-head moth, as it is called. You no doubt know -that this is an insect which bears on its back markings like a skull, -and hence its name. It sometimes enters a hive and makes a chirping -noise. It is supposed that this fascinates the bees, and the moth is -therefore able to take whatever it wants in the way of food. - -Bees have fleas too, and though they are not very formidable enemies, -they are a nuisance. A picture of one of these tiny mites is found in -Plate XXXIV. - -The worst enemies of the bees are diseases, of which there are several -kinds. The most dreaded are dysentery and what is called the “Isle of -Wight” disease. Many of our soldiers died of dysentery in the South -African War, caused through their drinking bad water, and it is the -same kind of illness which attacks the bees. The Isle of Wight disease -is as peculiar as it is mysterious. It resembles the dreaded sleeping -sickness from which natives of Africa suffer, and of which we have -heard so much these last few years. The bees seem to lose all power of -flying, and in a few days whole hives may die. It is called the Isle of -Wight disease because it first appeared in that island a few years ago. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXXIV - - From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks - - Parasite of Bee] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX - -POWERS OF COMMUNICATION - - -Bees have not, so far as we can tell, any system of language such as -we have, but it is quite certain that they are able to communicate -with one another. Not only can they communicate simple facts, but -they actually can, in their way, talk or tell each other things. How -this is accomplished without any voice we are not able to say, but it -is certain that in this connection the wondrous antennæ play a most -important part. If you watch bees on the board in front of the hive, -you will see them sometimes march up to one another and gently cross -the antennæ, as two duellists cross their swords before a fight. For a -fraction of a second one seems to lightly tap the antennæ of the other, -and it is evident that some communication is passing between them. It -may be some important piece of news, or perhaps it is just some hive -gossip, of interest to both the little insects. Who can tell? - -An experiment which I have often tried with bees, to show that there -is the power of communication, is to put a few drops of honey on a -saucer, which must then be placed at some distance from the hive, or -there would soon be a crowd of bees round it. Next, a bee is entrapped -and placed on the honey. She will commence to sip it up, and as soon as -she has taken as much as she can carry will fly to the hive. When next -she comes back for honey she will probably be accompanied by a friend; -on the third or fourth visit, if the honey still lasts, several more -bees will also visit it, and all will be busy carrying it to the hive. -I should tell you, however, that it does not always happen that the -first bee will bring friends. I have tried the experiment many times, -and have come to the conclusion that there is no doubt the first bee -does often tell other bees of her find, and that they come to help her -to gather in the treasure. In this regard a still further experiment -may be of interest. Many of you no doubt have seen that beautiful fairy -play called _The Blue Bird_. This was written by an author called -Maurice Maeterlinck, who has also written a very interesting book, _The -Life of the Bee_. Mr. Maeterlinck has suggested for this experiment -that honey should be placed on a plate or saucer some distance from the -hive, as in the other case. Then a bee should be put to the honey and -allowed to take in a supply. While she is feeding she will be so deeply -interested that we are easily able to mark her by painting a tiny spot -of colour upon her back. Now away flies the bee to the hive, and hands -over the honey to the house bees. She will then leave the hive and fly -back to the plate for more honey. She must be trapped as she leaves -the hive, and kept in a little box. Now if bees have the power of -communicating, we might expect that the marked bee would have told some -of the other workers of her find. So far so good, but what we wish to -know from this experiment is whether or not the marked bee was able to -tell the other bees where to find the honey, or whether she only said -to them, “I know where there is some honey. Follow me, and I will show -you.” Now if the latter was the case, when we trapped the marked bee, -the others would not be able to find the honey, because they could not -follow her. But, on the other hand, if the marked bee had told her -friends how to find the honey, and had described to them exactly where -it was, it would not matter to these other bees whether she was with -them or not. Mr. Maeterlinck’s result of this ingenious experiment left -the question almost as undecided as before. He tried it twenty times, -but only one strange bee found the honey, which was placed in his study -in the house. He asks, “Was this mere chance, or had she followed -instructions received?” I have tried the same experiment a large -number of times, for it interests me very much. I am bound to say that -there appears to be some ground for believing that the marked bees do -actually give instructions to the others, for in my case the honey was -placed in a spot which was quite out of the way of the voyages of the -bees, and yet on several occasions friends of the marked bees found it; -and though the honey might be left in exactly the same position for a -week or more before the experiment was tried, yet not a single bee ever -came to it. - - - - -CHAPTER XL - -BEE FLOWERS - - -Until quite recent times it was not thought that the bees’ visits to -flowers were for any other purpose than to gather food for themselves. -It is now known, however, that their visits are really necessary to -the flowers, and it is thought that flowers secrete nectar to attract -them. Some kinds of flowers contain more nectar than others, and it is -not always the largest which have the most. Small flowers are quite as -interesting to study, if not more so, than large ones, and there is a -great deal yet to be learned about even the tiniest flower. A primrose -or a snowdrop possesses wonders which even the greatest scientists of -the day cannot completely fathom. Lord Tennyson knew this when he wrote -these beautiful lines:-- - - “Flower in the crannied wall, - I pluck you out of the crannies; - Hold you here, root and all, in my hand, - Little flower; but if I could understand - What you are, root and all, and all in all, - I should know what God and man is.” - -[Illustration: PLATE XXXV - - Delphinium] - -Nature has so arranged things that all plants do not flower at the same -time. Not only does this give us flowers nearly all the year round, -but it allows the bees to work many months to gather in the stores for -winter. Have you noticed that as soon as one kind of flower is over its -place is taken by something else? Even though this arrangement does -exist, it would be of but little value to the bees, unless the flowers -were “honey” flowers--that is to say, the sort which secrete good -supplies of nectar. Yet the bee-keeper knows that besides the ordinary -flowers, those kinds which are useful to bees also follow one another -from early spring to late autumn. There is thus a sort of calendar of -honey flowers all the year round. - -The bees will wake from their winter sleep as soon as the fine days of -spring come, and it is then that the crocus is in flower. This flower -is rich in pollen, which the bees commence to carry into the hive. -In March there will be the daffodil and several other wild flowers, -among which we may mention the dandelion and colts-foot. In April the -blackthorn and palm will appear, whilst in May there will be a large -number of wild flowers ready, including the broom, hawthorn, and -foxglove. But June is the great bee month, for the fruit trees in the -orchards are covered with blossom, and the clover makes the fields -look white. Down in the south of England, too, there is the sainfoin, -a flower which gives a large amount of nectar. In July the heather -attracts those bees who are near the moors, while bramble flowers cover -the hedges. In August there is still the heather, but the flowers begin -to go, and the bees feel that winter is drawing near, and it is now -that they make preparations for their long sleep. The last flower of -the year is generally the ivy, which may be seen about October. This -flower gives a little nectar, but, as the days are now cold and wet, -the bees seldom leave the hives to gather it. - -These are but a few of the best-known flowers, for there are hundreds -of other kinds, and it would be interesting for you to make a calendar -of your own. The two flowers from which the most nectar is obtained, -are the white clover and the heather. Some flowers are of no use to -the bee, although they store large quantities of nectar, for it is so -placed that the bee cannot get to it, such as the red clover. - -We have seen that bees can distinguish between colours, and it is even -supposed that they have favourite colours, and that they prefer blue -to any other. If you are able to watch a flower called delphinium, -or larkspur (Plate XXXV.), which is light blue, and grows in parks -and gardens, you will be surprised to notice what a number of bees it -attracts, even though there may be many other kinds of flowers around. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXXVI - - From a photograph by] [E. Hawks - - Sectional View of Daffodil] - - - - -CHAPTER XLI - -POLLEN - - -Whilst it is true that plants cannot speak or walk about, yet they -live a separate life of their own. They breathe and sleep, feed and -digest just as animals do, but in a different manner. In order that -we may understand more about this and the use that bees are to them, -we must first learn a little about the construction of the flowers -themselves. Let us choose a daffodil about which to speak, for it is -both interesting and easily obtainable. - -You will know that it is made up of “flower leaves,” and that there is -no calyx like that of a primrose, for instance. The corolla is a deep -yellow tube, and to it the flower leaves are joined. If now we cut the -flower in half, we find that there is a long rod, called the style, -at the end of which is a kind of sticky knob, called the stigma; this -you will see on Plate XXXVI. There are six smaller rods grouped round -the style, and these are called the stamens. They are thickened at the -end near the stigma, and the thickenings are called the anthers. The -anthers are the pollen-bearing parts of the flower, and though their -position often varies, you will find both anthers and stigma in nearly -every kind of flower. Below the corolla of the daffodil is the ovary, -and this is where the seeds are formed. If we look in the ovary of -our daffodil, we shall see several tiny round objects of a transparent -nature. These are called the ovules, and in time they may become seeds. -There is a remarkable difference between an ovule and a seed, for if -we planted one of the former, it would simply wither and decay in the -ground. If, however, we set a seed, sooner or later a plant, like that -from which the seed was taken, will spring up. - -An ovule only becomes a seed after it has been fertilised, and this -is accomplished by some pollen being placed on the stigma. The style -is a kind of tube, and is connected with the ovary, and when grains -of pollen fall on the stigma they send out long shoots, called pollen -tubes. These pollen tubes grow down the style till they reach the -ovary. Each pollen tube then finds an ovule, forces its way in, -and pours in nutrition from the pollen grain on the stigma above. -The ovules then undergo certain important changes, and are turned -into seeds. Pollen grains are of all sizes and shapes, but they are -generally very tiny indeed. When I tell you that hundreds of grains -of the kind would take up no more room than a pin-head, you will -understand how very minute and wonderful are these tiny pollen tubes. - -The change in the ovules, which we have just read about, is called -fertilisation, and we know that this is necessary to a plant if its -ovules are to be changed into seeds. We might imagine that there is -no difficulty about this in the cases of flowers where there are both -anthers and stigma, but it is a law of Nature that it is not desirable -for flowers to be fertilised by their own pollen. Why this should be -we do not know, but it certainly is an actual fact. By this I do not -mean to say that flowers cannot be fertilised by their own pollen, but -that they produce healthier and more numerous seeds when fertilised by -pollen from another plant. Pollen from another flower of the same plant -will not do, but it should be from another plant altogether. Of course -the two plants must be of the same kind, for it would not do to expect -the pollen of a sweet-pea to fertilise a wallflower. - -Some flowers will not be fertilised at all by pollen from their own -plant, and one of these is clover. Mr. Darwin, a scientist who has -taught us a great deal about this subject, tried an experiment in which -he fertilised twenty heads of clover by the pollen of other clover -plants. They produced no less than 2290 seeds, but when another twenty -heads of clover were kept from being fertilised by any but their own -pollen, not a single seed was produced. - -No doubt you will be wondering why a flower is not fertilised when -anthers covered with pollen surround the stigma. The explanation is -very simple, for the stigma has to become ripe before it can receive -any pollen. In some plants the stigma is ripe before the anthers give -off pollen, whilst in others all the pollen is given from off the -anthers before the stigma becomes ripe. Thus we see how Nature prevents -a flower from fertilising itself. - - - - -CHAPTER XLII - -BEES AND FLOWERS - - -From what you have read in the previous chapter you will see that for a -flower to be fertilised the pollen must come from another plant. How, -then, is this effected, for plants cannot walk to one another and ask -for each other’s pollen? There are two ways in which Nature’s law can -be fulfilled. The first is by the wind, for the pollen of some flowers, -such as the willow-catkin, may be blown on to the stigmas of other -catkins, and thus fertilise them. The stigmas of such plants are made -branched and hairy, so as to allow of their more easily catching the -flying pollen as it passes. - -You will easily understand that it would not do for all plants to be -wind-fertilised, for the chances of pollen grains alighting on stigmas -would be very remote if that were the case. By far the greater number -of plants, therefore, are fertilised in the second manner, which is -by insects. The bees are the most useful of all, and we now see what -service they render to plants, for when a little worker dips into a -flower in search of nectar, her body becomes covered with pollen. -It may be that the next flower she comes to is one in which the -stigma is ripe, so that the bee, as she pushes her way in, rubs her -pollen-covered body against it, and thus the flower is fertilised by -pollen from another plant. When a bee is nectar-gathering, you will -notice that she always keeps to one kind of plant on each journey, just -as the pollen gatherers do. This arrangement fits in with Nature’s -plan, for it is thus that pollen of the sweet-pea is carried to another -sweet-pea, and not to a wallflower, and so with each kind of plant. - -Many people think that the beautiful colours and scents of flowers -exist only to delight man, but this is quite a wrong idea. For -instance, just think of the gorgeous flowers which must grow and die in -places where no human eye ever sees them. The real state of affairs is -that man uses the flowers which already exist, and even if all men were -to die, flowers would still continue to blossom. - -The more we study flowers, the more clearly does it become evident -that their rich colours, beautiful perfumes, and sweet nectar are -really baits to entice insects to visit them. More than this, even the -very marks in certain flowers point to where the insect will find the -nectar, just as signposts on country roads direct us to the place we -wish to find. Have you noticed that flowers which have gaudy colours, -like the tulip, foxglove, or hollyhock, often have no smell, whilst -insignificant flowers, as the mignonette, privet, or forget-me-not, -give off beautiful scents? The first kind attract insects by their -colour, but the second by their fragrance. Certain flowers have their -nectaries at the base of the corolla, as the geranium; others have tiny -little glands, or bags, on their petals, like the buttercup. - -You will know that flowers open and close at different hours--in fact -it is almost possible to tell the time by watching them. The little -daisy is so called, for it is the “day’s eye,” and it closes at -sunset; but the evening primrose is only just waking when the daisy -is going to sleep. Who does not know that honeysuckle gives off its -sweet fragrance in the evening-time? The reason for these facts is -this. The daisy is open during the daytime, because it is visited and -fertilised by insects who come only during the hours of daylight. The -evening primrose is fertilised by moths which fly in the twilight and -evening, and so it has no need to be awake by day. We can easily see, -too, that the tube-like flower of the honeysuckle is far too long for -the tongue of the little bee to reach its nectar, and the corolla is -so narrow that she cannot creep down it. So the honeysuckle relies for -fertilisation on moths, who have far longer tongues than bees, and it -emits the lovely smell at evening-time to attract them. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXXVII - - Nasturtiums] - - - - -CHAPTER XLIII - -HOW FLOWERS PROTECT THEIR NECTAR - - -A whole volume could be written on the marvellous contrivances of -flowers, but we must be content to describe a few. It is a wonderful -subject, and one which you yourselves will be able to study quite -easily. - -Have you ever wondered why cup-shaped flowers--the harebell, the -snowdrop, and many others--droop their heads? It is because they would -become filled with rain or dew if they did not do so, and thus their -nectar would be spoiled, and insects would no longer visit them. For -the same reason daisies will close their petals when dark clouds come -up, and will remain closed until the sun shines again. Have you ever -seen a flower of the white dead nettle? It actually protects its -nectaries with one of its petals, which overhangs the others, and acts -like a little umbrella. - -The ordinary nasturtiums (Plate XXXVII.) have the edge of the three -lower petals cut into fine strips. These keep the rain from the nectar, -which is situated at the end of the long spur. You will notice that -hive bees are not often seen on nasturtiums, for their tongues are -not long enough to reach the nectar; so these flowers depend more -on humble-bees for fertilisation. The nasturtium is a flower which -illustrates very well what was said about “honey-guides” just now, for -all the lines on the petals point to where the nectar is to be found. - -Some flowers have to protect their honey from certain insects, who -wish to take it without fertilising the flower in return. Ants, for -instance, are very fond of honey; and, as you can easily imagine, they -are so small that they can creep right down to the nectaries without -dusting themselves with pollen, or fertilising the flower. So certain -flowers--like the primrose--have their stalks covered with multitudes -of tiny hairs. These serve as a barricade to the ant, and prevent it -from climbing to the flower above. The cross-leaved heather has its -stalk and calyx covered with sticky hairs, so that not only are the -little thieves prevented from getting to the flower, but they are -actually held prisoners as well. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIV - -HOW FLOWERS ARE FERTILISED - - -We have now seen something of the contrivances of flowers to aid -in their fertilisation, and in this chapter we shall consider -the ingenious arrangement some flowers possess to assist their -fertilisation. - -[Illustration: (_a_)] - -[Illustration: (_b_)] - -Let us first look at the primrose. Have you ever noticed that there are -two kinds of primrose flowers? From the outside perhaps they look very -similar, but if you look closely, or better still, cut them open, you -will find where they differ. Let us look at these sketches and we shall -see that the one kind (_a_) has a long style, which reaches nearly -to the top of the corolla. The other kind (_b_) has quite a short -style, so that instead of the stigma, or knob, being at the top of the -corolla, it is really half-way down. We notice, too, that the anthers, -or pollen bags, in the first kind (_a_) are placed half-way down the -corolla, and in the other flower (_b_) they are at the top. We might -think that Nature had made some mistake here, for it seems that if the -pollen bags belonging to flower (_a_) were placed in flower (_b_), or -_vice versa_, things would be more natural. - -Let us suppose that a bee visits flower (_a_) and dips her tongue -down the corolla to collect the nectar. Half-way down the flower the -tongue has to pass the pollen bags, and in doing so gets dusted over -with pollen grains. The bee, having collected the nectar, flies to -another plant, which we will suppose bears flowers of the other kind. -She dips down her tongue, which touches the stigma just at the place -where it had been covered with pollen by the first flower. By this -means, therefore, the flower (_b_) is fertilised. But, you will ask, -what about flower (_a_)? While the fertilisation of flower (_b_) has -been going on, the pollen bags of (_b_) at the top of the corolla have -dusted the root of the bee’s tongue, so that when she goes to a flower -of the (_a_) type, the pollen dust at the root of her tongue touches -the stigma, and the flower is thus fertilised. - -What a wonderful arrangement this is, for you will see that it is -almost impossible for the flowers of one primrose plant to fertilise -each other; the pollen must come from the flowers of a different plant. - -Some flowers, if not fertilised by insects, have the power to fertilise -themselves, and to this class belongs the sweet-pea (Plate XXXVIII.). -This flower belongs to the _papilionaceous_ (butterfly) tribe, and when -a bee alights on the flower its weight presses down the underpart. -While the bee is taking the nectar, the pollen bags rise and touch her -on the underside of the thorax. Then she goes on to another flower -whose stigma is ripe. This time the stigma rises and touches the same -part of the bee’s body, and in this manner the flower is fertilised. - -[Illustration: PLATE XXXVIII - - Sweet Pea] - -Some plants have wonderful arrangements for transferring their pollen -to other flowers, some of which are so peculiar and clever that we -might think they had been designed by some crafty scientist. One of -these is called the salvia, and it belongs to the same family as the -dead nettle. The anthers are mounted like a see-saw, and when the bee -makes its way into the flower it pushes one end of the see-saw up. This -causes the other end, on which the pollen bags are situated, to come -down thump on to the bee’s back. The pollen is thus scattered there, -and the bee also receives what may be called a pat on the back! As the -salvia flower grows old its pollen bags shrivel up, but at this time -the stigma is ripe. It grows longer and longer, and bends over till it -is like a letter J turned upside down: [Illustration: upside down J] -After a bee has visited some young flowers and had her back dusted with -pollen, she will, without doubt, visit some of the older ones too, and -it is quite easy to understand that when she enters these she rubs her -back against the overhanging stigma, and the pollen adheres to it. - -Another interesting plant is the violet, the nectar of which is stored -at the end of the long spur, which you will have noticed. The pollen -bags fit closely round the stigma, and so when pollen drops from them -it does not fall out of the flower, for its passage is blocked by the -tight-fitting pollen bags. When the bee comes, she has to push her -tongue right up the spur, and in doing this she forces it past the -pollen bags. This causes the pollen to fall out on to her head, and so -it is carried to the next flower. - - - - -CHAPTER XLV - -CONCLUSION - - -Although very much more could be written on this interesting subject, -yet there is a limit to all things, and we come now to the end of this -little book. - -If you did not know or care much about bees when you began Chapter I., -I hope that what you have read will help you to understand something -about these wonderful insects. The study of parts of their bodies, or -Anatomy, as it is called, teaches us a great deal, and helps us to -understand all the more clearly how they perform the duties of the -hive, and how they collect their food. - -Although the wonders of the hive, the combs, their building and design, -the different workers and their duties, are marvellous, yet the ways -of the bees themselves are far more wonderful, and we cannot fully -understand them. It is not known at the present time whether the bees -are able to think and reason, or whether they simply do these things by -instinct. This alone is a great subject, and one on which there have -been endless discussions among the cleverest scientists in the world, -and yet we get no nearer the truth. - -If you are not able to study the habits of the bees in the hive, there -is nothing to prevent you from watching them when they are at work in -the garden or hedgerow. It is always very pleasant to hear the happy -song of the foragers on a summer afternoon as they flit from flower to -flower on their task. - -The study of flowers, or Botany, is most interesting, especially when -considered in relation to insects. It was not till comparatively recent -years that it was found they were connected; but one day a young German -botanist, called Sprengel, happened to notice some tiny hairs growing -in the centre of a wood-geranium. He determined to find out what -purpose these hairs served, and ultimately proved that they protected -the nectar of the little flower from the rain. From this apparently -trivial discovery it was found that most plants were fertilised by -insects. It seems almost as though Nature had intended flowers and -insects to fit in with each other, and it is very wonderful to think -of this when we remember that they belong to two different kingdoms. A -great deal has yet to be learned about bees and flowers, for there are -all sorts of curious devices in flowers which we do not yet understand. -It is important to remember that the bees do not know that they are -fertilising the flowers, for they only think of collecting nectar, and -carry the pollen from one plant to another quite accidentally. - -Always remember that a bee will not sting you unless it is annoyed, or -unless you hurt it. If it does sting you for this reason, do not kill -it, for it is only doing what it has a right to do, although it may be -a painful right! I knew some boys who used to spend Saturday afternoons -seeing who could kill the most bees. One day they ran to me and told me -that they had actually killed 172 bees between them. Of course I told -them how cruel I thought they were, but they had never thought of it in -this way, and after I had shown them one of my hives and explained a -few of the wonders of the bee-city, they said how sorry they were, and -you may be sure they have never killed a bee since. - - -THE END - - Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. Edinburgh & London - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Although Plate IV is referenced in the text, no Plate IV appears - in the original. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEES, SHOWN TO THE -CHILDREN *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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