THE VALUE OF BEES. 



The supreme ralue of the bee had never been recognized until the 

 disappearance of the farm apiaries during the past ten or fifteen 

 years. Failure, resulting from fruit not setting and decrease in crop 

 yields, is largely due to the absence of bees during the blooming 

 periods of the plants. The annual loss to West Virginia reaches 

 millions of dollars not only loisses in fruit and curtailed crop production, 

 but in the production of honey, because of the absence of bees. Nectar, 

 secreted by the nectaries of the flowers is the foundation for honey 

 and every pound of honey produced is added wealth which can only 

 be obtained through the agency of the honey bee. Every flower 

 casting its nectar back to the soil, from which it came, does not 

 materially increase the soil productivity. Prom the great kingdom of 

 insects, the honey bee is the one of most value to mankind. Its ruling 

 passion is INDUSTRY and its instinct at times even surpasses human 

 knowledge, which all in all places it in the front rank of insects. 

 It might be stated that if the bee did no more in its brief life than 

 furnish its example of industry, social instincts, and economy, a few 

 colonies would be well worth a place on every farm. Every farmer 

 cannot afford to be without five or more colonies of Italian bees. 

 Considering the value of the bee with reference to fructification in 

 connection with the amount of honey produced, there is no other 

 livestock kept on the farm from which a greater percentage of profit 

 can be secured on the amount of labor expended and capital invested. 



NATURAIi HISTORY OP THE BEE. 



Even if bees have been kept by man from an early stage in human 

 civilization, they do not possess any outstanding characteristics of 

 domestication, which is clearly shown by their activities in the wild 

 state differing in no respect from those kept in an apiary. Bees are 

 insects induced by man to live in their immediate vicinity by suitable 

 environment to their needs. Their instincts as shown by their activi- 

 ties do not indicate any change whatsoever in their tastes and dis- 

 likes. The colony in a modern hive will attack any intruder with the 

 same amount of fierceness as the one having its abode in a hollow tree. 

 Man has learned through experience that bees can be handled with 

 the proper use of smoke. The bounds of instinct are not over-stepped, 

 but their immediate activities are diverted along other lines. 



The structure and instincts of the bees compel them to live a 

 colonial life. Each colony is a kingdom in itself where each and 

 every individual works for the interest of the community. The col- 

 lection of individuals varies according to the season; the largest num- 

 ber are usually found at the height of the season in the summer while 

 the smallest number is at the close of the winter. 



The normal colony at the season of greatest activity is composed of 

 three kinds of individuals, the Queen (under normal conditions only 

 one), thousands of workers, and many drones. In addition to the 

 adults there are all stages of developing bees. 



