The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-02-05
Science fer the Young
THE BEE.

| THE BEE.
! Everybody who ever went TO interview
| bee returned with black eye, and yet Their
is no insect whose character and habits ar
hrtfcr known TO us. This shows how fnn,
scientific men are of honey and how self
sacrificing they are in their efforts to Pre-
vide the young with useful knowledge. Yor
are taught TO pray for the poor sailors VIII
cross the raging ocean to bring you nut
and raisins. and for the poor miners VIII
live underground to gather the coal which
keeps yeu warm. You ought 70 think just
rs tenderly of the poor naturalsts who vast
their lives in finding out what bugs are i'll
natnred and what berries are poisonous
One of these men misspent sixty years il
studying the bee, and you can imagine how
he looked st the end of that period.
Bees dwell in communities nun berins ter
thousand to sixty thousand individuals. and
have their own peculiar ideas about house
keeping and as to what constitutes a sue
cesSfnl life. Almost everyb body has been
once to see how the hees live, hut few ever
'are to repeat the visit. If people kept up
the acquaintance they would discover thai
among bees, as ameng ourselves, it is only
the 1eiii;'es who sting. The males would
probably efound hospitahle enough if al
lowed to have heir own way.
Young people re often much deceived
about the career OF \ bee because they so
soon ma that It Is F~asanter to believe
what the old folks say abr,t il than 70 in.
vestigate it for themselves. The hea is CO,
before them as Il model of well-,irected in.
dustry and they are taught to nosne how
many saving banks have n little glide, be,
hive over their doors. But bees, like may
of our business men, are SO absorbed in lay
ing up treasure where thieves break through
and steal that they have no time to reflect on
the folly Of their course. They are very self
ish and narrow minded, never take any rec
reatinn, and never like to enjoy the fruits
of their toll. When they have stored up 4
little honey by their hard labor the old
farmer comes along and steals it, just as
regularly as The bank directors steal the
hard earned savings which you deposit in
their beeh hive banks. The shrewd country
man understands these things so we'll that
he rarely puts his money in a bank, but
prefers to lose it in cashing notes for the
confidence men who travel round and sell
him worthless "machnes on six months
credit
In every community of bees there is one
member of great importance called the
Queen bee and it is her sole business to lay
enough eggs TO keep up the population.
Her life differs greatly from that of IN ord-
nary queen because 10 prime minister can
do her work for her. She lays from 200 to
1000 eggs every day, summer and winter.
This would be regarded as a laborious life
in any decent society, such, for instance, rs
that of an ordinary hen roosi: but from n
bees point of view she has rather an easy
time of it, and sometime lives TO the green
old age of three years. whereas the bees that
are called workers wear themselves out
in about twelve months.
The only members o: 4 beehive who have
any comfort are certain fellows called droneS
who do so little work that scientific men are
unable to understand why they are allowed
TO exist at all. Sometimes i'll hot weather
they hang around the door of the hive and
flap their wings to keep up y circulation of
fresh air, just rs certain young men ut onr
fashionable parties manipulate he fans for
those who are doing the real heavy work of
the evening. But, as rule, the ,irone leads
Il tranquil life. Children are always taught
to look with scorn upon the drones and never
to he like them. This is good advice if you
are going to live i'll 4 beehive, for the droneS
are all maSSacred there about once i year.
the other bees being entirely unable to see
the use of the mere social graceS.
There is only one other fact ahout bees
which you need to know, and it is this:
When you are sufficiently advanced in years
to have the boys call you "od beeswax "
on the street, you may be assured that your
days of usefulness are over.