494 



GJ.KAN1XG8 IN BEE CULTURE 



Aug. 1 



their way to and from localities, enabling 

 them by the aid of memory to make a bee- 

 line as we call it. 



Old bee-hunters recognize this faculty in 

 the bees when they burn a bit of comb to 

 attract them to the honey-box. I never 

 heard of a bouquet of flowers being used ap- 

 pealing to the sight of the bee for that pur- 

 pose. Yes, I believe it is the sense of smell 

 that enables them to seek their food, as it is 

 of other winged insects; and it is the com- 

 posite eye that guides them to flowers near 

 by, which otherwise might be missed, just 

 as it is the composite eye of the common 

 house-fly that enables it to see nearby ob- 

 jects. The liy has no use for long-distance 

 sight. 



In testing the keenness of the sense of 

 smell in the honey-bee a number of years 

 ago I had the following experience: One day 

 after extracting I took a comb several rods 

 from tlie yard in the direction the wind was 

 gently moving, away from the yard, you 

 will observe, and set it on the ground against 

 a post and awaited results. The bees were 

 flying in this direction to a large patch of 

 sweet clo\ er about a mile away. In less than 

 five minutes my curiosity was rewarded by 

 seeing a bee about a rod away, and about 

 half a foot above the lawn, coming slowly 

 against the wind in a zigzag course, as 

 though hunting for something it had scent- 

 ed, till it found the comb. I walked still 

 further away and saw others coming — not 

 from the yard, but toward it, and several 

 rods away, hunting in the same manner as 

 the first, till they found the comb. Soon a 

 line was established between the comb and 

 yard, when they came and went on what we 

 call a bee-line. 



Now, I think these bees were on their way 

 to the clover-field, but, scenting the comb 

 somewhere on the way, they turned back to 

 find the source. 



It has been a very common thing with me 

 to observe bees fiying along in a zigzag 

 course just above the lawn, hunting for 

 drops of honey that had dripped from the 

 burr-comb of a sui)er which had been car- 

 ried to the honey-house several rods away; 

 and the manner of search was very much 

 the same as that of a hunting dog in search 

 of the track of its prey. I really think that 

 there is no animal with keener sense of smell 

 than the honey-bee. 



I have sometimes almost felt like reproach- 

 ing myself for cruelty in experiments to test 

 the accuracy of the theory that the antennae 

 are the organs of the .sense of smell, to say 

 nothing of hearing and feeling. 



.lust in proportion to the clipi)ing of the 

 antenna^, the workers lost all desire, appar- 

 ently, to perforin any of the functions of 

 their species, even to feeding themselves, 

 though honey was within easy reach. Some 

 may say that such an exjieriment furnishes 

 no evidence that this is the organ of smell. 

 At any rate, it satisfied me that, apparent- 

 ly, every sense but seeing had been destroy- 

 ed. 



If the sense of smell is the chief means 



employed in finding nectar, as I believe it 

 is, how important, tlien, that it be extreme- 

 ly acute! Donning the old bee-yard suit 

 that has been hanging up for six months 

 will call them to me on any warm day in 

 early spring, not because they remember the 

 old clothes, but it's the lingering scent of 

 honey, just as it is the wax and honey smell 

 on the old bottom-board, or on the window- 

 sill which we sometimes read about, that at- 

 tracts them. Were every bee in the hive 

 that stood on the old stand in the fall killed, 

 plenty of bees could still be seen flying 

 about the old stand in early spring. 



Bees' memory is about "three days long. 

 On a division being made, the new colony 

 may be opened anywhere in the yard at the 

 end of that time without the fear of their re- 

 turning to the old stand. An experiment 

 along this line of testing the memory of bees 

 was made a few years ago with one of your 

 ten-frame observation hives which I have 

 had in my room, as follows: A wire-screen 

 cover was put over the frames, leaving a 

 space oi lyi inches above the top-bars. The 

 bees were fed regularly for several days by 

 trailing over the screen very thick honey. 

 After a few times feeding, they would gath- 

 er on the under side of the screen as soon as 

 I approached the hive, expecting to be fed, 

 just as pigs or chickens will congregate at 

 their accustomed place to be fed. But on 

 failing to feed them for three days they did 

 not make their appearance on my approach 

 to the hive as before. On resuming the feed- 

 ing, the same experience was repeated; hence 

 I conclude that their memory is short. Al- 

 so, from careful observations, I conclude 

 that their sight is not telescopic. If this 

 view is not correct, bees might be expected 

 to return to the old stand, though removed 

 five miles away. 



Batavia, Illinois. 



A Lucrative Lay. 



BY THOMAS H. ROGERS. 



A hen wiU lay one egg a day- 

 One day in every three; 



Ten dozen eggs a year, we"ll say. 

 Each hen shells out for me. 



But she s not in"t lor laying eggs 

 Comp.ared with buz'v bee 



That lays a thousand eggs a day- 

 Two thousand —sometimes three. 



For size I'll take my old hen's eggs; 



For numbers, those of bee: 

 And thus I'll pile my wealth so fast 



That cost won't worry me. 



I'll do this stunt— combine the size 

 And numbers— don't you see? 



I'll have just one good egg-machine- 

 A cross 'twixt hen and bee. 



Cambridge, Mass, 



