178 DWIGHT E. MINNICH 



could be kept in this way in reasonably good condition for a 

 month to six weeks, food being provided in case there was not 

 sufficient in the comb. It was on these bees that I made the 

 observations to be detailed in the present note, which I believe 

 afford some evidence oil the question of swarming and its rela- 

 tion to light. 



The strong positive phototropism of individual bees is also 

 characteristic of certain activities of the hive as a whole. Kellogg 

 ('03) was the first to call attention to the fact that swarming 

 bees are strongly positive to light. He says (p. 694), "That 

 the issuance from the hive at swarming time depends upon a 

 sudden extra development of positive heliotropism seems obvious. 

 The ecstasy comes and the bees crowd for the one spot of light 

 in the normal hive, namely, the entrance opening. But when 

 the covering jacket^ is lifted and the light comes strongly in 

 from above — ^my hive was under a skylight— they rush toward 

 the top, that is toward the light. Jacket on and light shut off 

 from above, down they rush; jacket off and light stronger from 

 above than below and they respond like iron filings in front of 

 an electro-magnet which has its current suddenly turned on." 

 These observations leave no doubt as to the strong positive photo- 

 tropism of swarming bees. The statement, however, that the 

 issuance of the swarm is dependent upon a "sudden extra develop- 

 ment" of positive phototropism has met with some difference of 

 opinion. 



Thus von Buttel-Reepen has objected to this interpretation 

 oil the ground of a particular swarm instinct. He says ('15, 

 p. 168)". ... so ist in diesen Momenten [the emergence 

 from the hive at swarming] nicht ein besonders starker Helio- 

 tropismus die Ursache, sondern die Schwarminstinkte • drangen 

 die Bienen in das Freie." Another objection, and I believe a 

 much more important one, is suggested by a statement of Hess 

 ('13a, p. 663). "Meine Versuche zeigen, dass die Neigung der 

 Bienen, zum Hellen zu gehen, nicht auf die Zeit des Hochzeits- 

 fluges beschrankt ist." This contention of Hess— that the 



' Kellogg had a glass observation hive covered with a black cloth jacket. 



