BEES, BEE-HIVE9, AND BEE CULTURK. 91 



POLLEN; OR, EOOD EOR INFANT BEES. 



Bees, when fully grown, feed almost wholly on honey ; but the 

 larvae require for their development a more substantial kind of 

 nourishment. Such solid fare is found by the bees in the pollen of 

 flowers, a farina which conrains some of those nitrogenous elements 

 in which honey is deficient. The body of a worker-bee is covered 

 ■with hairs, to which the pollen adheres when, by contact with the 

 bee, it is rubbed from the anthers and stamens of flowers. The bee 

 with its fore legs then brushes it off, and moulds it into the pellet 

 shape suitable for carrying it in the " baskets " or grooves on its 

 thighs. Dewy mornings or humid bowers suit the bees for the 

 gathering of the pollen. If the atmosphere be too dry for 

 kneading it into pellets, they roll themselves in the blossoms, 

 and trust to the good offices of the bees at home, who, on their 

 return, brush off the farina into the cells intended for it. A 

 portion of this " bee bread " is taken at once by the " nursing 

 bees," which are supposed to subject it to some change before 

 offering it to the larvae ; but the greater part of the pollen is stored 

 away, and sealed over in the cells for future use. In April and 

 May the bees are frequently busy "all the day" in gathering 

 pollen, and often one community of bees will collect about twenty 

 pounds weight of " bee bread " in one season. 



One of the objects of the apiarian is to assist the bees in 

 providing for the nurselings of the hive. A German pastor. Here 

 DziERZON, first suggested the plan of providing the bees with 

 "unbolted rye meal" as a substitute for the farina of flowers. 

 He had observed that, in early spring before the flowers were open, 

 his bees had entered a neighbouring corn mill, from whence they 

 returned laden with rye flour. Since his discovery, most bee- 

 keepers in early spring place either rye or wheat meal near the 

 apiaries ; to this artificial store the bees repair by thousands, and 

 seem to rollick in the enjoyment of so much plenty, many of them 

 returning to the hive as dusty as millers. The object in thus 

 supplying them is, that the brood may be rapidly brought forward 

 and early swarming induced. In this way, a few pounds of rye 

 meal at one penny per pound may tend to the production of very 

 many pounds of honey of twelve times the price. 



