The Wonderful Ways of Insects and Spiders [ 261 



to found a new home, they seem especially tolerant of bystanders 

 and almost never sting during this swarming. 



Very Few Kinds of Bees Store Honey: Many children and even 

 some grownups have a mistaken idea that all bees store honey. 

 Actually this is true of only a few of the thousands of kinds of 

 bees known to exist. Most of them eat nectar as they take it from 

 the flowers, instead of using it for honey. 



The true honeybees, so valuable in fertilizing such plants as 

 clover and fruit trees, are native to Europe; they were introduced 

 to North America by colonists in the seventeenth century. If you 

 find any of these in hollow trees in the woods, they are swarms 

 that have escaped from man-made hives or descendants of such 

 bees. 



The Underground Bumblebee: The large, hairy bumblebee, with 

 its black coat marked with yellow, orange, or red, is probably 

 more quickly recognized by children than most species. This 

 honey manufacturer is native to America. Bumblebees live in 

 large colonies underground, where they construct many-celled 

 combs. In the cells they lay eggs, store pollen and nectar, and 

 make honey. 



Playing Bee Detective: Country youngsters have long delighted in 

 tracking down honeybees that have "gone native," and finding 

 their store of honey. The bee detective's equipment is a small box 

 with either honey or sugar water and an opening large enough to 

 enable the bees to get to it. The same purpose is achieved by 

 using one of those frames in which honey is bought in the comb. 

 Putting some flour or cornstarch in the receptacle will give the 

 bees a touch of white as they take the bait. Thus they will be 

 more conspicuous at a distance, making it possible to follow the 

 direction of their flight. 



Your bee detective places the box on a stump or post in a 

 neighborhood where bees are working. By moving the box at 

 intervals in the direction of their flight, the youthful hunter 

 gradually narrows down the distance to the bees' storehouse. 



The first customers will usually bring other workers with them. 

 Individual bees can be identified after a while, and the lessening 



