6 The Habits of the Honef/hee 



ities of the hive there is no better way to observe the 

 bees than to keep a small colony in an observation 

 hive. Such a hive consists of but one frame hung in 

 a narrow hive with glass sides, so that the bees are all 

 visible at all times. No one who is unfamiliar with 

 such a hive can appreciate the pleasure and profit to 

 be derived from watching a colony under such circum- 

 stances; and to any one who has the ability to appre- 

 ciate the wonderful things in nature it is no hardship 

 to spend hours by the side of the hive studying the 

 every movement of the bees. Of course, it must be 

 understood that there will be slight differences in the 

 l)ehavior of the bees in such a hive, but these are of 

 little importance to the beginner. 



Having now become acquainted with the three kinds 

 of individuals in the colony, and the place in which 

 they live, we will take up their habits of life. Perhaps 

 there is no better way to arrange what is to be said on 

 this subject than to follow a colony through a season, 

 taking up the various phases of their actions in the 

 order in which they occur in nature. 



In the spring of the year the colony consists of a 

 (|ueen and workers, there being no drones present at 

 this time of the year. During the winter the bees 

 remain quiet, and the queen lays no eggs, so that there 

 are no developing bees in the hive. The supply of 

 honey is also low, for they have eaten honey all winter, 

 and none has been collected and placed in the cells. 

 As soon as the days are warm enough the bees begin 

 to fly from tlie liive in search of the earliest spi'ing 

 Mowers. From these flowers they collect the nectai', 

 wliieh is transformed into honey, and pollen, which 

 they carry to the hive on the i)ollen-baskets on the 

 t hi I'd i)air of legs. The nedai' i> taken by the bee into 



