The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-11-06
TIFFIN TRIBUNE.
rImn, Thur.day Eve. Nov. 6. lszs
Hh.ta EaIrt san In . Bee-Ri1a.

In the store-roOms We saw rows up
on rows Of cells, fitted one upon an
other, and every one filled with clear
honey, and securely sealed.
"This is our winter store,n said my
guide; "pure honey, msde from the
white clover, and put uD in the
combs by the Workers"
"How do they make the honey 81 I
ssked.
"They gather it,, she replied. ''Ne
send out thousands OF bees ever morn
ing, to all the gardens and fields
around. Mignonette makes good
honey, and 80 DO all spple-blOssoms.
We usually make from two to six
pounds IN q day. The bees often fly
as far as two miles from the hive, and
thew come back loaded with honey
and pollen. Each Worker has 3
tongue or prObcseis with which she
licks or brushes up the honey, and
puts it into her hOney-bag.
.sStop a moment" said she TO 3
Worker VINO was huTrying by. "You
will observe, my dear, that the hind
er legs have something like baskets,
on the side, in which the pollen or
1 bee-bFead Is carried"
~ see Il, ~ said ], 81 have often
watched the bees coming out Of flow
/ ers, covered with yellow dust"
l then took the opportunity to men
( tion to her that lived in q lily-bell,
that 1 sometimes danced the greater
part of the night, and that the bees
were very much in the habit of wax
| ing me at an unreasonable hour in
the morning. She said she would at
tend to 1t.
"And how do the bees make wax ?''
I asked.
"By a process best known to them
selves" replied Deborah. at is not
In my line just now, and 1 am quite
sure that I could not describe il to
you. The bees say they cannot tell
how they do it, but they wish to keep
the secret among themselves. The
sides OF these cells are the one-hund-
red d-snd-eightieth part of an inch in
thickness. So you see we must use
an immense quantity of wax"
"You must indeed, ,"I replied. "And
are the cells always made in this
same shape ?n
Yes" said she. 'FThey are six
sided. The early bees fixed upon that
as the best for strength and econ
omy OF space, and no change has been
made since. However, the Bundle.
bees" she added, with a slight ex-
preston of scOrn, as though she had
said, ''the Beggars," ''have a way
which they prefer. They put 1t up in
bags, and store il under GROUND"
This was no news to me. Such q
/ fhino hoe haa,, dopa In Eairu-Ian6 qe
to "borrown q little honey from the
Bumble-bee, in time Of scarcity. Rut
said nothing.
"And you tell me the Workers do
the fighting. Is there mu-h fighting
to do ?" 1 asked.
"a great DEAL" replied Deborah.
1--WE have many enemies, bother on
them Mice, caterpillaTs, moths,
snails, wasps, robber-bees, and other
evil-minded creatures :" AS she said
this, she buzzed fisreely and un-
shesthed her sting.
"Look here a moment,n said she,
''and you will see one of them"
And there in corner, guarded by a
squad of bees, lay a wretched snail,
prisoner in his own shell. The edge
Of tile shell was covered with strong
cement, which held it firmly to the
floor.
al think we have him now, viii
lain 90 said my guide. "His shell is
fastened with propolis."
"What is propOiis?'' 1 asked.
"It is bee-glue," she replied; "resin
from the buds of trees. .n-FroDl "a
VIst to a Bee-HiUe," an 81. Nicholas
for November.