32O THE INSECT WORLD. 



Avith materials and provisions ; others cross them and go in their turn 

 into the country. Here, cautious sentinels scrutinise every fresh 

 arrival ; there, purveyors, in a hurry to be back at work again, stop at 

 the entrance to the hive, where other bees unload them of their 

 burdens ; elsewhere it is a working bee which engages in a hand-to- 

 hand encounter with a rash stranger ; farther on the surveyors of the 

 hive clear it of everything which might interfere with the traffic or be 

 prejudicial to health ; at another point the workers are occupied in 

 drawing out the dead body of one of their companions ; all the outlets 

 are besieged by a crowd of bees coming in and going out, the doors 

 hardly suffice for this hurrying, busy multitude. All appears disorder 

 and confusion at the approaches to the hive, but this tumult is only 

 so in appearance ; an admirable order presides over this emulation in 

 their work, which is the distinctive feature in bees."* A very simple 

 calculation may serve to give us an idea of this prodigious activity. 

 The opening of a well-stocked hive gives passage to one hundred 

 bees a minute, which makes, from five o'clock in the morning till 

 seven o'clock in the evening, eighty thousand re-entrances, or four 

 excursions for each bee, supposing there is a population of twenty 

 thousand workers. 



Let us now follow their occupations from the moment in which 

 they establish themselves in a hive. The workers begin by stopping 

 u p all the openings except one door, which is always to remain open. 

 A certain number set out to look for a resinous and sweet-scented 

 -substance, known under the name of propolis, which is destined to 

 cover the inner surface of the hive, as its name shows, which is 

 derived from a Greek word signifying outskirts, or suburb. Huber 

 asserts that it is gathered from the buds of plants. This substance 

 has not yet been employed in the arts, although it possesses the same 

 qualities as wax, as M. de Frariere remarks in his work " On Bees and 

 Bee-keeping. "t The propolis is employed in Italy for making blisters. 

 This gum is viscous and very adherent. The bee works it up into 

 balls, and carries it in this form to the hive, where other labourers take 

 possession of it. They seize the pellet with their mandibles, and 

 apply it to cracks which they have to make air-tight. They use the 

 propolis for another purpose still, which deserves to be mentioned. 



It happens sometimes that an enemy penetrates into their hive, 

 and that the bees are not strong enough to cast this intruder out of 

 their dwelling. What do they do ? As soon as they have discovered 



* " L' Intelligence des Betes." In i8mo. Paris, 1864. 



t " Sur les Abeilles et 1' Apiculture." In i8mo. 2e edition. Paris. 



