CHAPTER VI 



EARLV^ WORK IN THE BEE-CITY 



THE "turn of the days," when the winter 

 sun has passed its nadir of feebleness and 

 just made its earliest wan recovery in the 

 skies, marks the true beginning of the honey-bee's 

 year. Then the first few eggs are laid in the 

 heart of the brood-nest ; the drowsy cluster begins 

 to show an interest in life ; the water-carriers 

 bestir themselves, watching for a bright warm 

 morning that they may sally forth to ply their 

 trade. 



Dangerous work it is at this season, yet most 

 necessary. Without water the rearing of the 

 young bees is impossible on any but the smallest 

 scale. Water is needed at every stage of their 

 development, and, lacking it, the progress of the 

 colony must be fatally checked. Even the mature 

 bees will starve and die in the midst of plenty, if 

 their honey-stores are candied, and no water is 

 available to dissolve the inassimilable sweets. 

 The hive that shows honey crystals thrown down 

 on the floor, and littering the entrance, is sure to 



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