bke-keepisr's manual. 23 



as they sing their merry songs of contentment and hap- 

 piness. 



THE EFFECTS OF A SUDDEN STORJVt ON BEES. 



I have often seen these workers returning so late in 

 the evening, in warm sultry weather, that they were 

 barely able to find their respective hives ; and so eager 

 are they to devote every moment to their labors, that 

 many of them, suffer themselves to be overtaken by the 

 tempest and storm, before they take their homeward 

 flight. 



It may be supposed, that under, such circumstances, 

 storms and winds arise so suddenly, that the bees are 

 taken by them unawares ; but such is not the case. 



Wishing to note particularly the return of bees from 

 the fields, in the height of their harvest, and to what ex- 

 tent they would remain out, on the approach of a heavy 

 thunder storm, I, in the month of June last, took a sta- 

 tion among my hives, on the approach of a shower, and 

 minutely watched their course. It was about the mid- 

 dle of the day, or noon ; the sun had been shining all 

 the morning, and the bees were out in their greatest 

 numbers. 



On the appearance of dark clouds, in the west, and 

 accompanied with thunder, the bees commenced return- 

 ing more than is usual in fair weather. In about a 

 half an hour, the heavens were darkened beclouds, with 

 a slight sprinkling of rain, and the roar of thunder shook 

 the earth. At this crisis, the bees came in with a rush 



