THE BEE NATION. 261 



ever, soon leave the little circle in which they at first revolved, 

 and when they meet their comrades they cross their antennas 

 and lightly touch the others with them. The bees which 

 have received some impression from this touch, now become 

 uneasy in their turn, and convey their uneasiness and distress 

 in the same way to the other parts of the dwelling. The 

 disorder increases rapidly, spreads to the other side of the 

 comb, and at last to all the people. Then arises the general 

 confusion before described. 



Huber tested this communication by the antennae by a 

 striking experiment. He divided a hive into two quite 

 separate parts by a partition wall, whereupon great excite- 

 ment arose in the division in which there was no queen, and 

 this was only quieted when some workers began to build 

 royal cells. He then divided a hive in similar fashion by a 

 trellis, through which the bees could pass their feelers. 

 In this case all remained quiet, and no attempt was made 

 to build royal cells : the queen could also be clearly seen 

 crossing her antennae with the workers on the other side of 

 the trellis. 



The bees, of course, make the greatest use of their feelers 

 in the darkness of the hive or at night, while during the 

 day and in the light they are guided by their rather short 

 sight. In order to be convinced of this it is only necessary 

 to follow their movements when they are on guard at the 

 mouth of their hive on a moonlight night, to prevent the 

 intrusion of the dangerous wax-moths fluttering above. It 

 is very interesting to observe with what cunning the moths 

 know how to utilise to the disadvantage of the bees the fact 

 that they can only see things by a clear light, and what 

 tactics the latter employ to discover and drive away their 

 destructive enemies. Like watchful sentinels, the bees parade 

 round their abode with constantly extended antennae, moving 

 them to right and left, and woe to the moth which comes 

 in contact with them ! But the moth tries to slip past them 

 by carefully using every effort to avoid touching these 

 sensitive organs. 



Apparently the feelers are also connected with the exceed- 

 ingly fine scent of the bees, which enables them, wonderful 

 as it may seem, to distinguish friend and foe, and to recog- 

 nise the members of their own hive, among the thousands 

 and thousands of bees swarming around and to drive back 



