686 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [VOL.XLIV 



green hives at the other end of the house apiary, and tried 

 to enter them, even though they were closed. 13 



These statements are confirmed by the experience of 

 W. Z. Hutchinson, an authoritative writer on American 

 apiculture. 



One spring I bought and broughi home about forty colonies or hives 

 painted a very dark gray, or almost lead color. They were set down in 

 the apiary by themselves in four different rows. In the course of a 

 few days I began transferrin- the bees from these hives into white 

 hives, like the rest of the hives in my apiary. I took an end hive first. 

 When the brood combs were set over into a white hive, and this hive 

 set down where the old gray hive had been, the bees refused to enter it, 

 but piled into the next hive in the row. which, of course, was gray like 

 their old home. This hive was soon filled to overflowing, some of the 

 bees hanging on the outside. I then transferred the combs from this 



next gray hive in the row. The hives were about three feet apart in 

 the row. A bee is guided to its home by location as well as color, and 

 after about four hives, or colonies, had been transferred, then some of 

 the bees began to enter the new, white hives, as the gray hives were 

 now so far from their old location that they perceived that they could 

 not be their home. The same trouble was had in each row that was 

 transferred." 



An excellent illustration of the effect of differently 

 colored hives is given by Buttel-Eeepen : 



together), and settled here and there in little clumps. After a short 

 time they flew back to the bee-house; but only a few found the right 

 hive; the rest flew to other colonies, and to which? Only where a blue 



Unfortunately they were so hostilely received that the ground in front 

 of all the hives marked blue was covered with dead bees. 15 



The experience of apiarists, therefore, both in America 

 and Europe furnishes indubitable evidence that bees by 

 thousands readily distinguish colors. 



