THE BEE AS ROBBER 



accustomed to think of the bee as robber and free- 

 booter, yet no sooner do the stores of nectar in the 

 flowers give out than the worker bees of many hives 

 start on pilfering expeditions. For hours of a sunny 

 autumn day the entrances of several hives in a bee 

 garden may be scenes of uproar. Put down the 

 hand to reduce the entrance to a single bee-way, and 

 you are in danger of being stung. I have found it 

 safer to close mine with a garden prong or a long 

 stick. An attack is being made on the hive by a 

 body of robbers from another hive. 



Now, the bees whose stores are threatened are so 

 excited they will fall upon and sting the innocent 

 beemaster or anybody who ventures near. If a hive 

 is weak through the loss of a swarm and a cast or two 

 earlier in the year, it seems unable to repulse the 

 attack. How do the defenders distinguish between 

 the enemy and workers of their own hive that are 

 constantly arriving at the alighting board with honey 

 or pollen whilst the sack is being attempted by the 

 freebooters ? It is easy to understand how they 

 distinguish if the freebooters belong to another breed 

 of honey bee ; say if Ligurians are attacked by 

 natives, or the reverse ; but suppose natives are 

 attacked by natives, Ligurians by Ligurians ? The 

 bees may have some means of identifying, finer than 

 any we imagine, but I have often noticed that the 

 robbers, instead of settling boldly on the alighting 

 board and rapidly crawling inside, as if they had 

 lawful business there, hover and buzz above the 

 entrance, or examine the ventilation holes in the 

 Q 225 



