The Habits of the Honeybee 23 



cold weather comes on, the bees cluster together on the 

 combs and are in a very inactive condition, merely 

 doing enough fanning to keep up the temperature of 

 the hive. During the winter the stores of honey are 

 consumed, and generally in the spring but little re- 

 mains. On a bright warm day in winter the workers 

 may take short flights from the hive, but for short 

 distances only. After the winter is over they once 

 raore begin the cycle described above, and year after 

 year this goes on to the pleasure and profit of the 

 beekeeper. 



In the previous discussion of the habits of the bee 

 the practical side of beekeeping has been entirely 

 omitted, for it is the purpose of this article to give a 

 brief introduction to the actions of these insects in 

 their natural conditions. Modern apiculture is made 

 possible by numerous appliances which add greatly to 

 the ease with which bees can be handled, and also add 

 even more greatly to the profit to be derived from the 

 care of bees ; and a knowledge of practical beekeeping- 

 adds greatly to one's knowledge of the habits of bees 

 as Avell as makes possible many interesting experi- 

 ments after new facts. By modern methods we are 

 enabled to take honey from the bees without resorting 

 to the old methods of killing the entire colony ; we can 

 raise queens at pleasure, and in an}- number, by bring- 

 ing about artificially the conditions under which cjueens 

 are produced; we can extract the honey from the 

 combs by centrifugal force, and return the combs to 

 be refilled; and numerous other operations almost in- 

 definite in number are possil)le as a result of the care- 

 ful work of practical beekeepei's. A discussion of 

 these methods is just as interesting as the account of 

 the natural instincts of the bee, but is out of place in 



