OLFACTORY SENSE OF THE HONEY BEE 291 



odors of the three essential oils are similar to those described for 

 bees with both antennae intact. The average reaction times are 

 as follows: Oil of peppermint 5.2 seconds, oil of thyme 4.3 sec- 

 onds, oil of wintergreen 4.8 seconds. The average time for 15 

 specimens with their right antennae pulled off gave similar re- 

 sults, as follows: Oil of peppermint 4.8 seconds, oil of thyme 4.1 

 seconds, oil of wintergreen 4.6 seconds. The average time for 

 workers with one antenna pulled off is: Oil of peppermint 5 

 seconds, oil of thyme 4.2 seconds, oil of wintergreen 4.7 seconds. 

 This gives a general average of 4.6 seconds for the three oils, 

 while the general average of the same oils for bees with both 

 antennae intact is only half as much, that is, 2.3 seconds. Ac- 

 cording to these results, and on the theory that the antennae 

 contain the organs of smell, it would at first glance seem that 

 each antenna plays an equal part in receiving odor stimuli and 

 that when either antenna is absent the average time for the 

 responses is consequently doubled. 



Bees with either the right or left antenna pulled off and with 

 from 2 to 8 joints of the remaining fiagellum cut off gave the 

 following average reaction times when using the three essential 

 oils: 



seconds 

 2 j oints missing 15 



4 joints missing 44 



5 joints missing 56 



6 joints missing 27 



7 joints missing 98 



8 joints missing 88 



Thus, in general, the greater the number of joints of the sec- 

 ond antenna removed the longer it takes the bees to respond to 

 odor stimuli. Workers thus mutilated are not at all normal and 

 live on an average only 5 days and 11 hours. 



Bees with both antennae either pulled off or covered with cel- 

 loidin entirely fail to respond to the essential oils. They also 

 are quite abnormal in their behavior. 



Two drones, one of which had 4 and the other 5 joints of one 

 fiagellum missing, were taken in this condition from a hive. 



