February Amongst the Hives. 



population from the first moment the queens begin to lay 

 in January, until the end of May brings on the rush of the 

 white clover, and every bee goes mad with work from 

 morning to night. Of course, in countries where the 

 climate is reasonable, and the year may be counted on to 

 warm up steadily month by month, all this is fairly easy; 

 but with topsy-turvy weather, such as we get in England, 

 it is a vastly different matter. Just listen to the bees 

 now ! And this is only February ! " 



A deep vibrating murmur was upon the air. It came 

 from all sides of us; it rose from under foot, where the 

 crocuses were blooming; it seemed to fill the blue sky 

 above wuth an ocean of sweet sound. The sunlight was 

 alive with scintillating points of light, like cast handfuls 

 of diamonds, as the bees darted hither and thither, cr 

 hovered in little joyous companies round every hive. They 

 swept to and fro between us; gambolled about our heads; 

 came with a sudden shrill menacing note and scrutinised 

 our mouths, our ears, our eyes; or settled on our hands 

 and faces, comfortably, and with no apparent haste to 

 be gone. The bee-master noted my growing uneasiness, 

 not to say trepidation. 



** Don't be afraid," he said. *' It is only their com- 

 panionableness. They won't sting — at least, not if you 

 give them their way. But now come and see what we are 

 doing to help on the queens in their work." 



At different stations in the garden I had noticed some 

 shallow wooden trays standing among the hives. The old 

 beeman led the way to one of these. Here the humming 

 was louder and busier than ever. The tray was full cf 

 fine wood-shavings, dusted over with the yellow powder 

 from the bee-master's box ; and scores of bees were at 

 work in it, smothering themselves from head to foot, and 

 flying off like golden millers to the hives. 



*' This is pea-flour," explained the master, ** and it 

 takes the place of pollen as food for the young bees, 

 until the spring flowers open and the natural supply is 

 available. This forms the first step in the bee-keeper's 

 work of patching up the defective English climate. From 

 the beginning our policy is to deceive the queens into the 

 belief that all is prosperity and progress outside. We 

 keep all the hives well covered up, and contract the 

 B 17 



