42 



ANIMAL BIOLOQI 



34. Economic importance of bees. In our study ol 

 flowers we referred frequently to the necessity of the visits 

 of bees to insure cross-pollination. Indeed, Professor Hodge 

 says (" Nature Study and Life ") that for all practical purposes 



FIG. 30. A swarm of bees on a limb. (Lyons.) 



so far as man is concerned, the honeybee is sufficient for 

 this purpose (with the exception of securing a red clover 

 crop, which requires the help of the bumblebee). The most 

 successful fruit farmers keep bees in order to secure cross- 

 pollination, which insures a larger fruit crop. 



It is estimated that the annual production of honey and 

 wax in the United States amounts to between twenty and 

 thirty millions of dollars, and if scientific management were 

 to be introduced more widely, this output could be raised to 

 fifty million dollars a year without additional investment. 

 Almost any one who is interested can keep bees. During a 



