Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-07-03
For the Freeman.
A Chat with Farmers.
No. 12.
BY AGRICOLA.

That beehive is still a wonder. My
readers will desire to follow me further il
its history. The bees which form the wa,
are called wax-workers. They are largel
and more cylindrical than the nurses
These wax-workers suspend themselves il
one extended cluster. or hanging curtain
holding on to each other by the legs The
reason for this is, rest facilitates the secre
ton of wax. They remain in this position
some fifteen hours, when a single bee de-
taches itself and commences the con
struction of cell. Soon others come t,
his assistance and the work goes on brave
ly.
The quality of the wax secreted de-
ponds upon the consumption of honey by
the bee. Hence, bees fed on grape sugar
(Which contains more honey form WAN
with more facility than those fed on cane
sugar. We could hardly expect to find
pure air in hive filled with many thou.
sand active and crowded bees, and honey
comb, with only small opening at the
bottom, and even that constantly obstruct.
ed by Il throng Of bees passing in and ont.
Still it has been shown that the air of the
bee hive is nearly rs pure as that without
NV readers will be curious to know how
this result is secured answer-it is the
result of artificial ventilation! Bees I'M
derstand the philosophy of this subject,
doubt it though we may. They create an
inward current of air through the opening
OF the hive, by the rapid agitation of their
wings. Some of the workers are always
employed in thus venlilating the hive.
This process is as artificial us the motion
of windmill constructed by man. and is
accomplished BY the application Of mathe
NAUTICAL laws, with wise plan adapting
means to the end in view. We call this
instinct in the bee, but reason and intclli
gence in man. What is the difference?
The intelligence of the bee is remark
ably displayed in three divisions of hi,
woik, viz the preparation of the hive,
the construction of the cells and the pro.
cess Of swa,ming.
On entering new hive the workers
commence, at once, on house cleaning
which they perform in the most thorough
manner. They know that II more tena-
cious substance than WAX is necessary to
cause their cells to adhere firmly to the
hive; but how do they know it? Hence
they 90 to the buds Of poplar and birch
and other resinCus trees, and gather an
odoriferous, glutlnous resin, which they
use with the wax, and ftsten upon the
hive, filling every crevice and covering
every foreign body which they cannot re-
move. Another interesting fact is, this
resinous wax is gathered upon the legs of
the bees, and when they get home they
are unable to remove it. Hence they are
obliged to call in the aid of their co work
ers. They pick it off with their jaws and
apply it wherever needed. They next
to construct their cells in the most
scientific manner. No student of Enclid
construct the comb SO skillfully. When
this strange work has been completed and
The cells all filled with honey. and when
the hive has become too crowded, prepa
rations are At once made for swarm,
with their queen. to emigrae to another
hive, or to some hollow tree in the woods
Scou are sent out TO select the new home
for the emigranrs, and the workers are
busy in preparing lunch to take along
wi them. When II full stock of eggs
have been laid. the old queen abdicales
the throne, which the tirst-born among the
new queens will soon occupy. During the
preparation for leaving, great buzzing is
occasionally heard in the hive, but on the
day of their departure this noise ceases.
A signal is given by the workers, and the
old queen leads off, followed by the de.
parting swarm. They go to the hive or
tree selected for their new home, alighling
with her in dense cluster. There they
rest. and n little later, collected into a close
phalanx, they enter and occupy. The de-
serted hive is now restored to order, and
after new queen has been secured, and
the useless males of the hive been massa
cred, the workers proceed to collect stores
for heir winters use.