FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES 



225 



so after trying for a time to get in the place I had closed, 

 they gave up and left the hive. 



PLAYING BEES AND ROBBERS. 



I think I can tell by carefully looking at bees when 

 flying with unusual commotion at the entrance of a hive, 

 whether it is a case of robbing or bees at play, but I am 

 not sure I could tell some one else the difference in ap- 



Pk- 75.— Robber-Cloth. 



pearance. Looking at bees at play in Fig. 82, and com- 

 paring with Fig. 81, there appears little difference. In 

 actual life there will be seen the same excited eagerness 

 in each case. 



The time of day helps to decide. During the mid- 

 dle of the day, say from noon till the middle of the after- 

 noon, playing is common ; earlier or later than that time, 

 if there is big excitement at the entrance of a weak col- 

 ony, the likelihood is that robbing is going on. 



