tOLLEN. 91 



of its own body as it were, is converted into milk. My 

 experiments do not corroborate this theory, but lend to con- 

 firm the views of Huber, and to show the absolute necessity 

 of pollen to the development of brood. The same able 

 contributor to Apiarian science, thinks that pollen is used 

 by the bees when they are engaged in comb-building ; and 

 that unless they are well supplied with it, they cannot rapid- 

 ly secrete wax, without very severely taxing their strength. 

 But as all the elements of wax are found in honey, and 

 none of them in pollen, this opinion does not seem to me, 

 to be entitled to much weight. That bees cannot live upon 

 pollen without any honey, is proved by the fact, that large 

 stores of it are often found, in hives whose occupants have 

 died of starvation ; that they can live without it, is equally 

 well known ; but that the full grown bees make some use 

 of it in connection with honey, for their own nourishment, 

 I believe to be highly probable. 



The bees prefer to ga.lheT fresh bee-bread, even when 

 there are large accumulations of old stores in the cells. 

 Hence, the great importance of being able to make the sur- 

 plus of old colonies supply the deficiency of young ones. 

 (See No. 28, in the Chapter " On the advantages which 

 ought to be found in an Improved Hive.") 



If both honey and pollen can be obtained from the same 

 flower, then a load of each will be secured by the industri- 

 ous insect. Of this, any one may convince himself, who 

 will dissect a few pollen gatherers at the time when honey 

 is plenty : he Will generally find their honey-bags full. 



The mode of gathering is very interesting. The body of 

 the bee appears, to the naked eye, to be covered with fine 

 hairs ; to these, when the bee alights on a flower, the farina 

 adheres. With her legs, she brushes it off from her body, 

 and packs it in tw6 .hollows or baskets, one on each of her 



