698 



FARMERS' REGISTER— THE BEE. 



same mode of feeding — the altendant bees fre- 

 quently touching the antennae of the queen witli 

 their own. Wlien the operation of laying the eggs 

 is completed — and it generally occupies some 

 time — the queen retires to that part of the hive 

 which is most filled with bees. During her pro- 

 gress the surface of the comb is very little intru- 

 ded upon, and the space seems purposely to be left 

 unoccupied. Some few of the cells, however, in a 

 brood comb, arc passed over by the ciuccn, and are 

 afterwards filled either with honey or iiirina. 

 These serve as deposits of food, from which the 

 neighboring brood may be fed more readily, as 

 such cells are never covered with wax. 



With the hives referred to, I have been able to 

 follow many of Ruber's experiments, and can 

 bear witness to his general accuracy, except in re- 

 gard to the fecundation of the queen bee. I have 

 bestowed much time and pains in endeavoring to 

 discover any of the circumstances he mentions re- 

 lating to this fact, but without success. Neither 

 have I ever seen a cell visited by one of the drones 

 after the egg had been deposited, which a modern 

 writer has asserted they do. I have for many 

 years watched my hives with the greatest care and 

 assiduity, but have never yet seen the queen bee 

 leave the hive, except at the time of swarming. 

 I have also spoken to several experienced bee mas- 

 ters on the subject, and they are of the same opi- 

 nion with myself— that she never quits it. Her 

 person is so easily distinguished from the other 

 bees, by any one at all conversant with them, that 

 if the queen absented herself from the hive, in the 

 way Huber describes her as doing, it seems next 

 to impossible that she should not have been per- 

 ceived, either on her dei)arturc from, or on her re- 

 turn to, the hive. And yet we have no English 

 writer on bees (and we have many acute and ob- 

 servant ones,) who has even hinted at the proba- 

 bility of the queen's leaving the hive in the man- 

 ner Huber asserts that she does. It is now many 

 years since his work was jjublished, and no part of 

 it is more curious or more satisfactory, if correct, 

 than what he says on the impregnation of the 

 queen bee. Curiosity has in consequence been 

 much excited, and many persons, like myself, 

 have been anxious to ascertain the accuracy of his 

 statements. It does not appear, however, tliat any 

 one in this country iias succeeded in doing this, 

 though we have many very patient observers. Is 

 it probable therefore, that it should have been re- 

 served for Huber alone to ascertain a lact which 

 had e&caped the notice of naturalists, not only for 

 ao"es before, l)ut, what is more important, for years 

 since the publication of it in his work ? It should 

 be recollected also that Huber was blind, or near- 

 ly so, and that he was obliged to rely very much 

 on the reports made to him by his assistant, Bur- 



the abdominal rings or segments of the bees. 

 This may be also the case, but I have never per- 

 ceived it. 



The vision of bees seems very imperfect. I 

 have frequently turned a hive, so as to make the 

 entrance about two or three inches from its former 

 position, and have tiien always found the bees at a 

 loss to gain admittance. Indeed they seem more 

 to feel their way than to see it, after they have 

 once landed themselves on the board of their hives. 

 Their progress through the air is always made in 

 a direct line to the hive, and the instinct which 

 enables them to find it, amongst forty oi- fifty oth- 

 ers placed in a row, and nearly similar to each 

 other, is very striking. 



Mr. Rogers, in his ''Pleasures of Memory," 

 has a pretty idea on this subject ; — 



repor 

 nens. It is however with considerable diftidence 

 that one would venture to doubt the accuracy of 

 any statement of Huber's, especially when the ob- 

 jection turns, not upon a contradictory circum- 

 stance, but upon what myself and others liave not 

 been able to discover. 



Wax is a secretion formed under the scales of 

 the back of the insect, from which I have repeat- 

 edly seen it exfoliate in small flakes. A conside- 

 rable degree of heat appears to be necessary to 

 produce this secretion, as I have always observed 

 it most frequent in hot weather. Other writers 

 have maintained that the wax is discharti'ed from 



"The varied scents that charm'd her as she flew," 



he thinks might point out the way of her return to 

 the hive. 



Wasps appear to have a better vision than bees, 

 though it is not easy to assign a reason for this be- 

 ing the case, since the construction of the eyes of 

 both insects seems to be similar. Derham, in his 

 Physico-theology, has observed, in regard to the 

 eye of the bee and wasp," that the cornea and op- 

 tic nerves being always at one and tlie same dis- 

 tance, are fitted only to see distant objects, and not 

 such as are very nigh, and that the eye will be 

 found, on examination, to form a curious lattice- 

 work of several thousand hexagonal lenses, each 

 having a separate optic nerve ministering to it, 

 and, tlicrefore, to be considered as a distinct eye." 

 Wasps, however, certainly seem to alight at the 

 entrance of their nests with m,ore accuracy than 

 bees. I have frequently observed this to be the 

 case, even when the hole of a wasp's nest has been 

 in a grass field, surrounded with long grass. They 

 aliglit at it with the greatest precision, seldom or 

 never going even half an inch eitlier on one side 

 or the otlier of it, and they do this even late in the 

 evening. 



A hive of bees which have been once much ex- 

 asperated, do not soon forget the injury. This 

 was the case with one of my hives, the bees of 

 which never allowed me for two years to come 

 near them while they were working, without at- 

 tacking me, though a neighlioring hive would al- 

 low me to take almost any liberties with it with 

 imininity. Indeed 1 had familiarized myself so 

 much with some of my bees, that I am convinced 

 they knew me, and they always appeared to dis- 

 tinguish me from strangers. By constantly stand- 

 ing before the mouth of the hive, and allowing 

 vast numbers to fly about and settle upon me, and 

 by frequently feeding them, they became so well 

 acquainted with me, that I had much pleasure in 

 witnessing their attachment, and the confidence 

 they placed in me. This affection was mutual, 

 and I always think with pleasure of the many 

 agreeable hours 1 have passed in company with 

 my bees. Those only can judge of this, who like 

 myself, have witnessed their assiduity, tlieir inter- 

 nal laliors, their affection for their queen, and all 

 the various modes they take in promoting the pros- 

 perity of the community. I always listen to the 

 [)leasing hum of bees with delight, and know of 

 lew sounds more soothing and agreeable. 



