76 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



Yet few persons seem to think that each 

 colony of bees vary from the others in the 

 same way. Most persons may admit that 

 different varieties of bees are quite differ- 

 ent in character, yet these persons would 

 be greatly surprised to be told that there is 

 as much difference between different col- 

 onies of the same variety as the average 

 difference between different varieties. 



Any one who has had even a little ex- 

 perience with bees will readily admit that 

 some colonies are more vicious than 

 others. I remember one such colony. It 

 was with the greatest difficulty that the 

 hive could be opened and the combs lift- 

 ed out, and this trait remained perma- 

 nently until a new queen was given. 



Differences in comb-building were \ery 

 marked before the advent of comb founda- 

 tion. Some colonies would build their 

 combs straight and handsome; while 

 others would build combs so crooked 

 as to be almost worthless. 



In the surplus boxes some colonies 

 would build their combs slowly, perhaps, 

 but every available bit of space would be 

 occupied; while other equally strong col- 

 onies would build their combs, and per- 

 haps leave them with the edges but poor- 

 ly attached to the sides of the box or sec- 

 tion. 



Some colonies would gather much 

 more propolis than others, to the disgust 

 of their keeper, daubing the inside of 

 their hive with it until it would run down 

 the sides. They leave the legitimate per- 

 suit of honey-gathering to daub the in- 

 side of their surplus boxes and half-finish- 

 ed combs with a coat of bee glue. 



The buisne.ss thrift of other colonies is 

 very marked. With a far less number of 

 bees than some of their neighbors, they 

 make the most of their condition. At the 

 end of the season they will have much 

 more to .show for their summer's toil than 

 will colonies that were more populous in 

 early spring. 



Some colonies are most uncomfortably 

 shiftless or actually lazy, like some fami- 

 lies of the genus homo. No matter how 

 much we try to help them up, they are 



always behind and in need of all we can 

 be.stow. 



Some colonies gather much more pol- 

 len than others; apparently leaving the 

 more laborious employment of gathering 

 nectar, because it is laborious, thus filling 

 their broo:! combs, crowding the mother- 

 bee for room, and even spoiling their sur- 

 plus honey by filling with pollen many 

 cells in almost every section. 



The combs in some hives can be han- 

 dled with the greatest ease, with or with- 

 out smoke, while it requires great care to 

 handle them in other colonies. 



The swarming passion, or impulse, or 

 instinct, seems feeble in some colonies, 

 while it is very strong in others; so much 

 so that unless you let them have their way, 

 or do soiiictlnng to satisf}' them, they will 

 sulk and do little or nothing. 



Some colonies will work earlier in the 

 morning, or later in the evening, or gath- 

 er honey from some kind of flowers that 

 others neglect. 



I remember one colony, a few years ago, 

 that had the peculiar habit of tearing out 

 its brood-combs in early spring. I never 

 could quite understand their oVjject, as 

 their combs were comparatively new and 

 clean and free from anything that I should 

 expect would annoy them. The first 

 time I found them in this condition I 

 supposed it the work of mice; and I splic- 

 ed or fitted in quite a large amount of 

 comb to fill up the places that had been 

 gnawed out. The next .spring the same 

 thing was repeated; when I became sat- 

 isfied it was the work of the bees and not 

 of mice. If I remember rightly, the pro- 

 cess was repeated the third .spring; when 

 I put a stop to it by removing the queen 

 and introducing one whose progeny would 

 spend their time and strength at some- 

 thing more useful than tearing down their 

 combs. 



Then we have more or less variation in 

 color, size, shape and other traits of char- 

 acter that I have not time to mention. 



Of course, we bee-keepers understand 

 that all these various traits of character 

 are represented in the queen of the colo- 



