124 



FOOD OP BEES. 



neither eggs, brood nor bee-bread; and the colony was sup- 

 plied with pollen from another hive; the next day, a large 

 number of eggs were found in the cells. When, this supply 

 was exhausted, laying again ceased, and was only resumed 

 when more was furnished. During the time of these experi- 

 ments, the weather was so unpromising, that the bees were 

 miable to leave the hive. 



Dzierzon is of opinion that bees can furnish food for their 

 young, without pollen; although he admits that they can do 

 it only for a short time, and at a great expense of vital 

 energy; just as the strength of an animal nursing its young 

 is rapidly reduced, if, for want of proper food, the very sub- 

 stance of the mother's body must be converted into milk. 

 The experiment just described does not c(jrroborate this 

 thetiry, but confirms Habei''s view, that pollen is indispensable 

 to the development of brood. 



Gundelach, an able German Aniarist, says that if a colony 

 with a fertile queen be confined to an emptj' hive, and sup- 

 plied with honey, comb will be rapidly built, and the cells 

 filled with eggs, which in due time will be hatched; but the 

 wnrms will all die within twenty-four hours. 



Sometimes bees, unable to feed their bro(jd for lack of 

 pollen, desert their hives (•lO'S', 663). 



2G5. In September, IS.jfj, we put a very large colony of 

 bees into a new hive, to determine some points on which we 

 were then experimenting. The weather was fine, and they 

 gathered pollen, and built cnmb very rapidly ; still for ten 

 days, the queen-bee deposited no eggs in the cells. During 

 all that time, these bees stored very little pollen in the combs. 

 One of the days being so stormy that they could not go 

 abroad, they were supplied with rye flour (26'7), none of 

 wliieli, although veiy greedily appropriated, could be found 

 in the cells. During all this time, as there was no brood to 

 be fed, the pollen must have been used by the bees either for 

 nourishment, or to assist them in secreting wax; or, as we 

 believe, for both these purposes. 



266. Bees prefer to gather fresh pollen, even when there 

 are large aeeumu^.ations of old stores in the cells. With hives 



