122 FOOD OF BEES. 



supports the idea that large cells are not built to raise brood 

 (224). 



Aristotle observed, that a bee, in gathering pollen, con- 

 fines herself to the kind of blossom on which she begins, even 

 if it is not so abundant as some others ; thus a ball of this 

 substance taken from her thigh, is found to be of a uniform 

 color throughout ; the load of one insect being yellow, of 

 another, red, and of a third, brown ; the color varying with 

 that of the plant from which the supply was obtained. They 

 may prefer to gather a load from a single species of plant, 

 because the pollen of different kinds does not pack so well 

 together. Reaumur has estimated, that a good colony may 

 gather and use as much as one hundred pounds of it in a 

 year. 



267. When bees cannot find pollen, in early Spring, they 

 will gather flour, or meal, or even fine sawdust, as a substi- 

 tute. This was noticed by Hartlib, as early as 1655. 



Dzierzon, early in the Spring, observed his bees bringing 

 rj'e-meal to their hives from a neighboring mill, before they 

 could procure any pollen from natural supplies. The hint 

 was not lost ; and it is now a common practice, wherever 

 bee-Tseeping is extensively carried on, to supply the bees 

 early in the season with this article. Shallow troughs or 

 boxes are set not far from the Apiaries, filled about two 

 inches deep with finehj-cjround, dry, unbolted rye-meal, oat- 

 meal or even with flour. Where bolted flour, or meal, is 

 given, it should be tightly pressed with the hands, to pre- 

 vent the bees from drowning in it. To attract them to it, 

 we bait them with a few old combs, or a little honey. 



The boxes must be placed in a warm spot sheltered from 

 the wind. Thousands of bees, when the weather is favor- 

 able, resort eagerly to them, and return heavily laden to 

 their hives. 



This artificial pollen or bee-bread, is kneaded by them 

 with saliva, or honey brought from the hive. This is easily 



