42 Natural History of the Honeybee. 



ories (see p. 27 ), 125 and the respective bees no longer know their own hives; so without 

 hesitation they run in, and their quiet entrance is often little or not at all noticed. 



If a queenless colony is allowed to run into a queen-right one, or if it wanders over 

 of itself, a broad stream of bees joyfully "humming" enters the strange hive. These 

 usurpers of the strange dwelling, with such a sure (and I might say matter-of-course) 

 manner must in most cases have a somewhat " disconcerting ' ' and "embarrassing" effect 

 on the inmates, for seldom is a defense attempted. It appears, therefore, that the hive- 

 odor is not the only absolutely certain sign of recognition, but that the kind of flight, the 

 particular conduct on flying in, plays an important part in the recognition of friend or 

 foe, or at all events in the setting free of hostile reactions. 



If daubed bees, which have, in addition to the foreign hive-odor, a still stronger odor 

 of the substance used in daubing, are shaken on to a colony, hostile reactions are never 

 set free, for the bees shaken on lie entirely quiet or move only very slowly. 



THE FORMATION OF THE CELLS IN THE COMB. 



The honey-comb, apparently so "ingenious," can hardly be brought in as proof of the 

 higher faculties of bees, since it is only the result of mechanical force, aa Mullenhoff m 

 demonstrated, and as is well known. I can not reconcile myself to many statements in 

 Mullenhoff's explanation, for they do not entirely coincide with my observations. But a 

 doubt can scarcely be raised against the foundation of^Mullenhoff 's theory of the mechan- 

 ical acting principle. According to his theory, a so-called one-sided comb can not produce 

 the pyramidal cell-floors formed of three rhombs, yet we see them frequently in such 

 comb. Also the case can not be so represented as tho bees worked with semi-liquid material 

 in order to explain thereby the tension of Plateau's "liquid membrane," or the tension of 

 the floors and sides of the cells. In a cluster of bees the temperature is, usually from 

 28 to 34° C, while the melting-point of wax is 62° C. Of course, the wax at 30° is weak 

 and easily molded, yet there remains for the instinctive activities of bees the act of thin- 

 ning and smoothing of the floor and walls, as independent productions, as well as the 

 special sizes of cells. Mechanics does not explain why drone-cells are so much larger 

 than worker cells, but the form and the width of the angles have certainly nothing to do 

 with the "dexterity" of the bees. I can here only refer to the interesting work carried on. 



Miillenhoff's statement that, in the cells thus formed, a "drop of the secretion from 

 the poison-gland" is added for the preservation of honey "gathered not for immediate 

 use, ' f is anthropomorphically quite clear, but does not correspond with the facts in the case. 



This statement has been proven untenable by Schonf eld 127 and by Planta 128 through 

 chemical analysis. I must also call into question Mullenhoff's view that "the form of the 

 body of the animal depends chiefly upon the form of the cell in which/ it developed ' ' (1. c, 

 p. 616). For the purpose of other observations I placed a colony only upon drone comb, 

 so that only the large drone-cells were available for the queen. After long hesitation she 

 began to lay eggs. From the drone-cells, besides a number of drones, mostly workers of 

 normal ■ size crept out. The nourishment does not here come into consideration, for in 

 all cases that was as usual. Drones also which have hatched in queen-cells are very fre- 

 quently of normal size. The view is not correct, that the cell 1 1 surrounds the entire body 

 of the insect like an enclosing caoutchouc sheath, hermetically sealed, and, accordingly, it 

 must be the cell which determines the form which the body of the young developing insect 

 shall assume." The larva has room for motion, else it would not be in condition to spin 

 its cocoon in there. 



That drones are smaller if reared in worker-cells is not positive proof of Mullenhoff's 

 theory. These are, I might say, necessary relations, and do not permit the conclusion that 

 we "get a suggestion concerning the causa eflicienSj which may change the body-form of the 

 insect from the action of the molecules of the cell constituents." If bees go over to the 

 building of drone comb, which condition is noticed regretfully by bee-keepers, because then 



125 1 must mention the fact that memory pictures are not always effaced by bathing. It seems that 

 the length of time and the temperature of the wafer are particularly determinative. My experiments in 

 this direction are not yet concluded. 



126 K. Mullenhoff, Ueber die Entstehung der Bienenzellen, Pfluger's Archiv f. d. ges. Physiologic, Bd. 

 XXXII., Bonn, 1883. - ' . 



127 Gravenhorst's illust. Bienenzeiting, Nr. 5 u. 6. Aaran, 1893 



128 Schweizerische Bienenzeitaing, Nr. 5 u. 6, Aarau, 1892. 



