50 The Honey-Makers 



on sharing the booty. But not to the feeder did they 

 betake themselves. They rushed past that without notic- 

 ing it, and went straight to the honey-house door ! Of 

 course tliey thought it had been left open again, and 

 when they found it closed, they returned to the hive. 



Fond as bees are of nectar they are yet fonder of honey, 

 and will leave the fields at any time to collect a load of 

 ready-prepared sweets. Thus bee-keepers often have trouble 

 in handling the honey in their apiaries, for when the bees 

 get scent of the alluring harvest they fall upon it and perform 

 prodigious feats in conveying it quickly back to the hives. 

 Indeed, under the intoxicating influence of ready-made 

 honey they often become demoralized, and like a miser at 

 the sight of gold, dream only of acquiring the largest pos- 

 sible amount. Thus swarms sometimes fight over the 

 honey, and finally the strong ones break into the hives of 

 the weak ones and rob their own neighbors. 



Bee-keepers understand that when honey is to be handled 

 it must be taken into a room and the door closed, or else 

 there is danger that the whole apiary may be seized with a 

 frenzy for robbing, and a general scrimmage ensue. 



When this happens the by-stander will do well to keep 

 out of the way, for when the fight is on every living thing 

 is regarded as a foe. 



Perhaps the most convincing proof that bees find honey 

 by the aid of scent alone is afforded by Ruber's experi- 

 ment of placing honey in closed boxes with an opening 

 covered by a hanging valve which the bees had to push 

 aside in order to enter. This they did, entering the dark 

 box, securing a load of honey, and finding their way out 

 again. 



All this is in great contrast to the results achieved by Sir 

 John Lubbock, when experimenting to find whether bees 

 returned to honey, and whether they brought or sent their 



