POLLEN. 



342 



POLLEN. 



we were somewhat amazed to find it sweet 

 and very mnch like pollen from the flow- 

 ers. They doubtless had plenty of honey 

 but no pollen, and these fine particles of 

 wood contained enough of the nitrogenous 

 element to answer very well, mixed with 

 honey, as they have it when packed in their 

 pollen-baskets. The pollen from common 

 sawdust contains an essential oil, besides 

 some gummy matter, that gives an odor 

 doubtless reminding the bees of the aroma of 

 opening buds. Not only do they thus collect 

 (to us) tasteless sawdust, but they have been 

 found at different times on a great variety 

 of substances. A friend in Michigan at one 

 time found them loading up with the fine 

 black earth of tlie swamps, and they have 

 been known to use even coal-dust; but the 

 striingest thing of all was told us by the 

 owner of a cheese-factory, near by. He said 

 the bees were one day observed hovering 

 over the shelves in the cheese-room, and, as 

 their numbers increased, they were found to 

 be packing on their legs the fine dust that 

 had accumulated from handling so much 

 cheese. Microscopic investigation showed 

 this dust to be embryo cheese-mites, so that 

 the bees had really been using animal food 

 as pollen, and living animals at that. If one 

 might be allowed to theorize in the matter, 

 it would seem this should be a rare sub- 

 stance to crowd brood-rearing to its utter- 

 most limit. 



HOW TO START BEES AT WORK ON RYE 

 MEAL. 



A beginner hears the feeding of oatmeal 

 highly recommended as a substitute for pol- 

 len. He places some near the entrances of 

 the hives, but not a bee touches it. He is 

 told again to wait until early spring, before 

 the bees have access to natural pollen, and 

 then they will take it. He does so, but, as 

 before, not a bee notices it. He is next told 

 to put a heap of it in the smi, a few rods dis- 

 tant from the hives. This time he may suc- 

 ceed ; but it would not be strange if he 

 should once more report that his bees would 

 have nothing to do with it. Finally he is 

 directed to take a piece of honey and get 

 some bees to feeding on it, then to set it on 

 the heap of meal. The bees soon gather 

 over it in great numbers; those who go 

 home loaded start out many more searching 

 all about the vicinity, to see where the trea- 

 sure conies from. The hum of the busy ones 

 on the honey soon attracts them, and, in 

 snuffing about the pile of meal, some bee dis- 

 covers that it can be used as a substitute for 

 pollen ; the others soon follow suit, and, in 



a little time, both the bees and their owner 

 are happy, and the pile of meal quickly dis- 

 appears. After this he never has any more 

 trouble in getting the bees to work on meal, 

 for he knows how. The bees and their own- 

 er have both learned a valuable lesson about 

 pollen. Is there any very great difference 

 in the way they have been taughtV Did they 

 not both learn by practical experiment? 



BEES ROBEiING ARTIFICIAL. POLLEN FROM 

 BARNS AND STABLES. 



Thfre are times when bees will not only 

 find sawdust but delve down into chop feed 

 for cattle. On such occasions they will raid 

 barns, stables, and chicken-houses in a way 

 that seems almost like a regular case of rob- 

 bing. In the spring of 1909 numerous re- 

 ports from all over the country told how bees 

 had invaded premises of farmers, driving 

 cattle out of the stables, and causing annoy- 

 ance generally. One of our own neighbors 

 telephoned us one day, saying that a swarm 

 of bees had taken possession of his chicken- 

 houFe, and that he would like to have us 

 come and take the bees out. Investigation 

 showed there was no swarm, but the inside 

 of the building was filled with bees. At first 

 we were inclined to think that syrup of some 

 kind had been sti red there, as it looked like 

 a genuine case of robbing; but a careful ex- 

 amination of the floor where the chickens 

 had been fed showed the desire of the bees 

 for nitrogenous food was so great that they 

 had invaded this chicken-house and helped 

 themselves to the bran and screenings. 



A few days later a farmer located near one 

 of our outyards complained that our bees 

 had taken possession of hiscow-stables, say- 

 ing that the cows were stung, and that it was 

 impossible for man or beast to enter the 

 barn. We sent a man down to investigate, 

 and he found, as in the former case, 1 hat the 

 bees were after chopped feed. 



The spring had been peculiar— so peculiar, 

 in fact, that warm weather came on without 

 any natural supply of pollen. The time Jor 

 rearing brood had come; and the poor bees, 

 through dire necessity, were compelled to 

 help themselves to anything they could find. 

 When a few of their number found a substi- 

 tute for pollen they were wild with excite- 

 ment, and rushed pellmell into every stable 

 and barn where there was any tiace of meal 

 of any sort. It is in seasons like this that 

 the apiarist shouM be forehanded enough to 

 supply them with all the rye meal Ihey can 

 use. But this supply should be cut ( ff just 

 about as pollen from natural sour es b< gii s 

 to come in. 



