122 FOOD OF BEES. 
supports the idea that large cells are not built to raise brood 
(224). 
Aristotle observed, that a bee, in gathering pollen, con- 
fines herself to the kind of blossom on which she begins, even 
if it is not so abundant as some others; thus a ball of this 
substance taken from her thigh, is found to be of a uniform 
color throughout; the load of one insect being yellow, of 
another, red, and of a third, brown; the color varying with 
that of the plant from which the supply was obtained. They 
may prefer to gather a load from a single species of plant, 
because the pollen of different kinds does not pack so well 
together. Réaumur has estimated, that a good colony may 
gather and use as much as one hundred pounds of it ina 
year. 
267. When bees cannot find pollen, in early Spring, they 
will gather flour, or meal, or even fine sawdust, as a substi- 
tute. This was noticed by Hartlib, as early as 1655. 
Dzierzon, early in the Spring, observed his bees bringing 
rye-meal to their hives from a neighboring mill, before they 
could procure any pollen from natural supplies. The hint 
was not lost; and it is now a common practice, wherever 
bee-keeping is extensively carried on, to supply the bees 
early in the season with this article. Shallow troughs or 
boxes are set not far from the Apiaries, filled about two 
inches deep with finely-ground, dry, unbolted rye-meal, oat- 
meal or even with flour. Where bolted flour, or meal, is 
given, it should be tightly pressed with the hands, to pre- 
vent the bees from drowning init. To attract them to it, 
we bait them with a few old combs, or a little honey. 
The boxes must be placed in a warm spot sheltered from 
the wind. Thousands of bees, when the weather is favor- 
able, resort eagerly to them, and return heavily laden to 
their hives. 
This artificial pollen or bee-bread, is kneaded by them 
with saliva, or honey brought from the hive. This is easily 
