The Life of the Bee 
obey? We know not; as we know not 
the being who watches us as we watch 
the bees. 
15 
But the hive that we have selected is dis- 
turbed in its history by no interference of 
man; and as the beautiful day advances with 
radiant and tranquil steps beneath the trees, 
its ardour, still moist with the dew, makes 
the appointed hour seem laggard. Over 
the whole surface of the golden corridors 
that divide the parallel walls the workers are 
busily making preparation for the journey. 
And each one will first of all burden herself 
with provision of honey sufficient for five or 
six days. From this honey that they carry 
within them they will distil, by a chemical 
process still unexplained, the wax required 
for the immediate construction of buildings. 
They will provide themselves also with a 
certain amount of propolis, a kind of resin 
with which they will seal all the crevices 
in the new dwelling, strengthen weak 
places, varnish the walls, and exclude the 
light ; for the bees love to work in almost 
48 
