S3 2 
Saw-flies, Gall-flies, Ichneumons, 
be placed conveniently near the house, or, better, inside one’s room , it will 
prove a never-failing source of interest and pleasure. 
Perhaps it had better be explained how an observation-hive can be kept 
in one’s room without interfering with coincident human occupancy. The 
observation-hive, in the first place, may be, as shown in Fig. 736, simply an 
ordinary outdoors hive into each, side of which a large pane of glass has 
been let, with swinging outer wooden doors, one on each side, which, when 
shut, keep the hive in normal darkness, but opened, allow “observing” to 
go on. In addition to the side glasses a loose sheet of glass is inserted just 
under the ordinary “honey-board” or removable top of the hive. Or the 
observation-hive may be, as shown in Fig. 737, a special, narrow, two-frame 
Fig. 737.—An observation-hive holding only two frames, with the two sides wholly of 
glass, so that any single bee can be continuously watched. (Drawn from hive in 
author’s laboratory.) 
hive, with both sides wholly composed of glass held in the narrow wooden 
frame which forms the ends and the top and bottom of the hive. A black 
cloth jacket should be kept on the hive when “ observing” is not going on. 
In such a hive, which will obviously hold but a small community (one of 
not over 10,000 individuals) any single bee can be kept continuously under 
