BEES. 175 



Syrian, Cyprian, etc. These differ just as much as Shorthorns, 

 Jerseys and Ayrshires. Some are quiet, others are very ill- 

 tempered. In addition to our honey bees there are other 

 kinds of bees, such as the humble-bee, whose tongue is long 

 enough to get into the nectar of the red clover. We have 

 here given only a very few of the simplest facts in regard to 

 bees. There is no part of nature that will be found more 

 interesting or more profitable than the study of the busy bees. 



SWARMING. In the fall of the year the wild bees complete 

 their store of honey, packed away usually in a hollow tree. 

 As the weather grows colder the bees go out less and less. 

 Winter sets in and we find the bees all bunched together, 

 clinging to one another in a half-asleep mass, a drowsy bunch 

 that can be handled without any fear of stinging. On bright, 

 warm days some of the bees may venture out for a while. In 

 this dormant condition they eat but little. Spring comes on 

 and the early flowers appear. The hive again becomes active 

 and the hatching of the young brood begins. The old 

 queen, with a part of the bees, starts off to seek a new 

 home, leaving the old home for the new queen and her 

 followers. Swarming takes place, the bees fly away in a cloud 

 and settle in a tree probably. The bee-keeper is on the watch, 

 he follows them and shakes them down into his basket, and 

 places them in an empty hive, where they soon take up their 

 regular work of storing honey. 

 SUGGESTIVE : 



Should the fruit grower keep bees ? Why ? 



Name some useful honey-yielding plants. How does " clover honey " 

 differ from " buckwheat honey "? 



