1907. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



87 



to take up the active work of a nor- reared; but the great mass of bees 

 mal colony. clung there idle, waiting for sbme- 



Now for the explanation: thing which did not come. To begin 



The swarm came out on July 26th with they were bees at the right age 

 Or 27th, there being some dispute as for comb-building and home-making, 

 to the date. Immediately following ready to hustle if in a hollow tree and 

 this time there came a spell of the the nectar coming in freely. So their 

 damp, foggy weather which prevailed instinct lay dormant waiting till it 

 so much here in New England dur- could go its natural course, 

 ing the past summer. When fair I thought that hiving them on 

 weather finally came, there came with combs of brood, and thereby giving 

 it a dearth of nectar in the flowers, them responsibility, would start them 



into activity, but no, they were so 

 fixed in their inactivity that even such 

 treatment failed to break the trance. 

 But when their queen was taken away 

 and another substituted, they awoke 

 as it were. Within a few hours all 

 was active life in that hive, just as 

 in the wonderland kingdom when the 

 prince kissed the sleeping princess. 



I do not know how large the origi- 

 nal swarm was, but the seven-weeks- 

 old swarm which I hived, though it 

 would rank below an average prime 

 swarm would compare most favora- 

 bly with first-class second swarms. 



Lest some may think that these 

 bees had to stay on the tree because 

 of some inability on the part of the 

 queen, I will state that this queen was 

 only a year eld, active, with perfect 

 wings. That the swarm remained on 

 tlie tree from no o*:her cause than 

 lack of impulse to go away, I have 

 rot the least doubt. 



Thus we have here, a clear example 

 of abortive or thwarted instinct, of 

 25th, not to open again till September. Lacking impulse, and of resuhmg 

 To keep from starving these bees strike or "bee-sulks " Could the bees 

 were forced to forage on that first help it? Not one bii' Being entirely 

 sunny day. The homing instinct died . .vithoiit reason as ^ve possess it, they 

 out in those bees which had possess- were unable to co;j>' with a difficil y 

 ed it, and did not develop in any i.yhich prevented the calling out of the 

 others, for there were lacking the instincts which serve to bring about 

 conditions which will bring on this t^g phenomena of the bee-hive. Only 

 impulse. So the bees simply remained t-^o instincts, possibly, remained ac- 

 where they were. tive, the instinct to keep together, 



A desultory existence was kept up. and the instinct to gather food by 

 Such wax as had been secreted was which to keep alive, 

 made into comb, and a few bees I oflfer this, which seems to me to 



TRAPPING BEES FOR NUCLEI 



for our season closes here about July 



