352 LIGHT AND THE BEHAVIOR OF ORGANISMS 



reactions are adaptive, that it is to the advantage of the 

 larvae and pupae, as well as to the adults, to be in darkness 

 or in rays of longer wave lengths while in their nests, 

 rather than in those of shorter, can scarcely be questioned. 

 And Lubbock's suggestion that " ants do not like light in 

 their nests, probably because they do not deem it safe," 

 if liberally interpreted, may not be so far from the truth 

 as some investigators assume (see Loeb, 1905, p. 13). 



2. Bees 



1 



In the study of the effect of different colors on the 

 behavior of bees Lubbock showed the same characteristic 

 thoroughness and ingenuity manifested in his work on 

 ants. Several pieces of paper which differed in color were 

 pasted to glass slips, upon each of which a drop of honey 

 was placed. A bee was then taken from a hive, marked 

 and placed near the honey on one of the glass slips. After 

 the bee had taken honey to the hive and returned several 

 times the glass slip was removed to a distance of from one 

 to three feet, and one of a different color was put in its 

 place. When the bee now returned it seldom went to the 

 honey over the new color in the old position; it usually 

 returned to that over which it had been accustomed to 

 collect honey, although it was now in a new position. 

 The reactions to various different colors were tested in this 

 way. In case of blue being the original color visited by 

 the bee, it returned 31 times to the blue, two times to the 

 green and not at all to the yellow, orange, red and white, 

 one of which was substituted for the blue between each 

 visit. In case of green being the original color the bee 

 returned to the green 20 times, to the blue twice, to the 

 yellow once and not at all to the other colors. In case of 

 orange it returned 20 times to the orange, and but twice to 

 other colors which were not recorded. These experiments 

 extended over several days and a number of different bees 

 were used. 



