POLLEN. 91 



bees, and found their stomachs to contain farina, but not a 

 particle of honey. 



We are indebted to Huber for the discovery that pollen is 

 the principal food of the young bees. As large supplies are 

 often found in hives whose inmates have starved to death, it 

 was evident that it could not, without honey, support the 

 mature bees. It was this fact which led the old observers to 

 conclude that it was gathered for the purpose of building 

 comb. After Huber had demonstrated that wax can be 

 secreted from an entirely different substance, he was soon led 

 to conjecture that the bee-bread must be used for the nour- 

 ishment of the embryo bees. By rigid experiments he 

 proved the truth of this supposition. Bees were confined to 

 their hive without any pollen, after being supplied with 

 honey, eggs and larvse. In a short time the young all per- 

 ished. A fresh supply of brood was given to them, with an 

 ample allowance of pollen, and the development of the 

 larvse then proceeded in the natural way. , 



In the backward Spring of 18-52, I had an excellent op- 

 portunity of testing the value of this substance. In one of 

 my hives, was an artificial swarm of the previous year. 

 The hive was well protected, being double, and the situation 

 warm. I opened it on the 5th of February, and although 

 the weather, until within a week of that time, had beea 

 unusually cold, many of the cells were filled with brood. 

 On the 23d, the combs being again examined, contained 

 neither eggs, brood, nor bee-bread. The bees were then 

 supplied with pollen from another hive : the next day, a 

 large number of eggs were found in the cells. When this 

 supply was exhausted, laying ceased, and was resumed 

 when more was furnished them. During the time of these 

 experiments, the weather was so unpromising, that the bees 

 were unable to go out even for water, and were supplied at 

 home with this important article. 



