262 OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS. 



BEES. 



Sept. 13, 1825. I HAD often remarked that the 

 blossoms of the dahlias in gardens contained bees 

 apparently dead, but had not reflected much on the 

 circumstance, till I lately heard the same observa- 

 tion made by another person. I have since paid 

 more attention to this matter, and have watched 

 bees entering the flowers of these plants, for the 

 purpose of sucking the nectarium, or collecting the 

 pollen, when they were obviously soon seized with a 

 sort of torpor ; in which state, if not speedily remov- 

 ed, they often died. This appears to result from 

 some poisonous quality in these flowers detrimental 

 to bees : they should not therefore be planted near 

 their hives. When these plants are in full blossom, 

 numbers of bees may be found in this state of in- 

 toxication. Humble-bees, however, seem to be 

 more influenced by its narcotic powers than hive- 

 bees.* 



In the early part of the spring, when there is no 

 great abundance of flowers, hive-bees are very much 



* The above observation, made by myself many years back, 

 has been since made by others, as appears by the following ex- 

 tract from one of the numbers of the Gardener's Chronicle : 



"BEES AND DAHLIAS. The cultivation of the dahlia is incom- 

 patible with the success of the bee-keeper. For many years I 

 was very successful with my bees, having upwards of twenty hives 

 yearly, and of course abundance of honey j but from the time 

 that I commenced growing dahlias the bees declined, and I had 

 at last to give up those useful insects altogether. They became 

 intoxicated by feeding on that flower ; many of them I found 



