Insect Study 



455 



The observation hive made and sold hv A. I. Root. 



jelly and also take care 

 of her royal person and 

 give her every atten- 

 tion possible. The 

 queen, when laying, 

 thrusts her abdomen 

 into the cell and glues a 

 little white egg to the 

 bottom. The specially 

 interesting thing about 

 this is that the queen 

 always lays an egg 

 which will produce a 

 female, or worker in the 

 smaller cells and will 

 always lay an egg to produce a drone or male in the larger cells. 



If there is any foreign substance in the observation hive it is interesting 

 to see the bees go to work at once to remove it. They dump all of the 

 debris out in front of the hive. They close all crevices in the hive; and 

 they will always curtain the glass, if the door is kept open too much, with 

 propolis or bee glue, which is a very sticky substance which they get from 

 leaf buds and other vegetable sources. When bees fan to set up a current 

 of air in the hive, they glide back and forth, moving the wings so rapidly 

 that we can only see a blur about their bodies. 



If drones are developed in the hive, it is interesting to see how tenderly 

 they are fed by their sister workers, although they do not hesitate to help 

 themselves to the honey stored in the cells; and if the observation hive is 

 working during September, undoubtedly the pupils may be able to see the 

 murder of the drones by their sisters. But the children should understand 

 that this killing of the drones is necessary for the preservation of the 

 colony, as the workers cannot store enough honey to keep the colony alive 

 during the winter if the drones were allowed to go on feeding. 



If you see the worker bees fighting, it means that robbers are attempt- 

 ing to get at the stores of the observation hive. The entrance to the hive 

 should at once be contracted by placing a block of wood in front, so that 

 there is room for only one bee at a time to pass in and out. 



LESSON CV 



The Industries of the Hive 



Leading thought — In the hive are carried on the industries of wax- 

 making, building of honey-comb, storing of honey and bee-bread, caring 

 for the young, keeping the hive clean and ventilated and calking all 

 crevices with bee glue. 



MetJwd — ^This lesson should be in the nature of a demonsi ration. If 

 there is an apiary in the neighborhood, it is quite possible that the teacher 

 may show the pupils a hive ready for occupancy by the bees; in any case 

 she will have no difficulty in borrowing a frame of brood comb, and this 

 with a section of honey which can be bought at the grocery store, is 

 sufficient if there is no observation hive. This lesson should be an in- 

 formal talk between teacher and pupils. 



