266 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



the same as any strange queen, unless 

 scent has somethuig to do with it?" 



If Mr. LeAvis can so transfer the 

 queen from her own hive to the strang- 

 er's as not to frighten her, she will be 

 well received until she comes in con- 

 tact with the queen of the colony. 

 Again, if he will take the balled queen, 

 co)ihn(> lier alone and without food 

 for thirty minutes, and then let her 

 walk quietly into her own hive, she 

 will be well received. If odor has 

 to do with it, why can we put comb, 

 bees, queen and all safely from one 

 colony into another? If odor is the 

 prime factor, why is not a queen caged 

 and carried next to one's body, where 

 she is surely contaminated with strong 

 human odor, always well received 

 when given to a queenless colony? 

 Frighten a queen in her own colony, 

 and her own bees will often ball her 

 at once. 



Odor works only to this extent, that 

 it probably acquaints one queen of the 

 presence of the other. Such knowledge 

 raises the combative spirit, and trou- 

 ble ensues right off between the queen 

 and the surrounding bees. There are 

 scores of ways of testing the matter 

 if one is so disposed. 



Another e<litorial in the same issue 

 refers to Mr. A. D. D. Wood's criti- 

 cisms, on my statements to the effect 

 that bees never offer food to the queen, 

 as follows: "Mr. Wood then asked 

 how I supposed a queen caged in a 

 hive, with no food in the cage, man- 

 aged to survive for days and weeks? 

 She would have no opportunity to 

 take food from the bees by force— it 

 must be offered to her." 



I would here ask the editor and Mr. 

 Wood why so many queens under the 

 same conditions die? 



HOW ONE BEE FEEDS ANOTHER. 



Let me again descrilw the manner 

 in which food is obtained by one bee 



from another. The hungry bee, queen, 

 drone, or worker, accosts bee after 

 bee until one is found who Avill yield 

 the desired food; then the hungry 

 bee puts her tongue into the other 

 bee's mouth and proceeds to take all 

 possible, the giving bee meanwhile not 

 having unfolded her tongue. As soon 

 as such a proceeding is under way, 

 surrounding bees project their tongues 

 and try to get a bit of the coveted 

 pap, and not infrequently two or even 

 three bees are simultaneously taking 

 food from the same mouth. Generally, 

 too, the "giving" bee has her abdomen 

 slightly curved and contracted while 

 the abdomen of the taking bee is pal- 

 pitating the same as when taking 

 honey or nectar. 



Just how the hungry liee ascertains 

 which bee has food, and how she 

 persuades her to part with it. I can 

 only guess at, but certainly the anten- 

 nae play a very lively part. As to 

 the force part: Not infrequently 

 when the "giver" has for some reason 

 seemingly tired of being "pumped." 

 and she tries to liack away, or turn 

 from side to side, the taking bee siezes 

 the "giver" by the "cheeks" and holds 

 her fast. If Mr. Wood, or the editor, 

 is uncertain as to which bee is giving, 

 and which is taking, use a well fed 

 .young worker and a hungry drone. I 

 do not know that the latter has ever 

 been suspected of giving food. 



The editorial further alludes to the 

 case of the starved colony being re- 

 vived by the few who are able to get 

 food passing it on to the others. 



Bees too far gone to be able to put 

 their tongue into another liee's mouth, 

 die. If man intervenes and gives 

 warmth, more will revive than other- 

 wise would, and if he puts a small 

 drop of honey on the outstretched 

 tongues of the faintly stirring liees, 

 he can revive still more. As soon as 

 the flrst few bees to get food create 



