16 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION 



small opening, the micropyle. Fertilization is accomplished at will, 

 male bees being produced from unfertilized eggs. 



SOME HABITS OF THE BEES. 



We are all familiar with the sight of bees flying from flower to 

 flower, now dusted with pollen and stopping to brush themielve* 

 with their legs and pack away the golden treasure in their sacks, 

 now scrambling into deep flowers or clinging in twisted and con- 

 torted positions to extract the sweets of some drooping flower. We 

 find that we can chase these industrious little fellows, shake the 

 flowers, and even attempt to catch them, and still no resentment or 

 attempt to sting on the part of our little companions. They seem 

 to realize the neutrality of the ground and only skillfully evade our 

 efforts, flying off with a confident hum to *ome distant flower to 

 continue their busy work. Not so when we stumble upon their 

 homes in hollow trees or about the eaves of the barn or perhaps the 

 house, or out in the orchard where the bee homes devised by man 

 for his own convenience are inhabited by numbers of these insects. 

 Intrusion here in the sacred precincts of the home are at once re- 

 sented as many of us have no doubt discovered. But cautiously 

 drawing close many things of interest can be noted by watching 

 the little creatures as they ply their busy way to and from the en- 

 trance to the colony. 



The heavy laden bees come down flying low and slowly, with 

 a dull resonant hum, dropping wearily on the alighting board like 

 pelting snow. As they crawl toward the entrance they are imme- 

 diately met by one or more bees which are always on the alert, ac- 

 costing each incomer. Satisfied that the intrant is of the colony 

 for each bee belongs to a particular colony, and each bee know* 

 ihe bees of its own colony, presumably by scent, it passes in to 

 unload. Meanwhile other bees are passing out. They come out 

 with a quick run. Perhaps at first they seem unable to rise. This 

 is due to the fact that the air sacks contained in the abdomen are 

 not inflated, but these are soon filled through the spiracles of the 

 sides, and the bee rises and flies high into the air. If there is no 

 main harvest of honey on, the bee will be seen perhaps to describe 

 one or two circles and then start off like an arrow. But if honey 

 is to be had in abundance in a particular direction, the bees pass out 

 and with a dart in the given direction are lost in the air above. In 



