Smyrna times., 1885-10-28
The Busy Bee,
BY MRS. G. HALL.

wisdom of the ants-their constant ac-
activity, architectural ability and ten
der care over their young.
To-day want to tell you of the bee.
the busy bee," for where in the whole
world except among the ants can we
find so industrious or so orderly Il com
munity as they? Or where apart
from the ants in the working of natu-
raj law III the lower orders do we see
more wonderful exhibitions of instinct
so nearly approaching to intelligence as
i'll the honey bee?
Truly this little creature is "won-
derfully made" Take. for instance.
the feet of the working bee. At one
and the same time they exhibit brush.
basket and pair of pincers. One of
the articles is a brush Of extreme fine
ness, the hairs being arranged in SYM
metrical rows, which are only to be
seen with the microscope. With this
brush of almost fairy dclicacy the bee
continually brushes its brown velvet
robe to remove the pollen dust with
which 1t becomes loaded while rifinU
the flowers of their nectar.
Another of the articles that the bee
carries about is followed like a spoon
and receives all of the gleaninps
which the insect carries to the hive.
1t IS really sort of pdnier for provis-
ions; and then by opening them, one
upon another, by means of hinge,
these two pieces become pair of
pincers, which render important SER
vice in the construction of the comb.
and 1t Is with them that the bee laws
hold of the semicircles Of wax below
her abdomen and carries them to her
mouth, mOistening it first with the
tongue into kind Of paste, and draw
ing it out like a ribbon, which she
then uses to plaster the top of the hive.
She has eight of these little wax pock-
cts, and yet she will use them all
Another bee will take her place and
go through with the same service
when she is done, until large wall of
wax has been built up, but as yet the
cells are not in.
You could not guess how the cells
are made, and l do not believe that
you or l would have thought of so in
geniOus a cOntrivance. The nursing
bees prepare them, and in this waV
one begins by forcing the head into the
wax, biting it with the iaw-like pin
GERS, and moving the head to and fro
rapidly. Very soon the beginning of a
round hollow is made, and then pass
ing on, another and another is com
menced, while the second bee takes the
place of the first and enlarges upon
the work. AS many as twenty bees.
one alter the other, work upon each
cell before it is large enough to use.
Another set of bees are working upon
the other side of these cells. back to
back, at the same time, all over the
comb, and soon number of six-sided
tubes, half an inch deep, stand along
either side of the comb, ready to re-
celVe honey or bee eggs; and how
closely they fit! the clever little bees
filling every alton of space, using the
least possible quantity of wax and
making the cells lie so closely together
that the whole comb is kept warm
when the young bees are in it. And
when you think of these g bee cities "
having population of from fifteen to
twenty thousand inhabitants. and that
each house has to be made for its par
ticular owner, evenly and regularly |
built as they are, isn't it wonderful +? /
From sunrise to sunset, if the /
weather Is not stormy, all is hustle and |
activity in this busy city; and though |
the gates are so narrow that only two
Of the inhabitants can pass at a time.
yet they go in and out every hour ali
day long, thousands of them, bringing
ood or provisions to store for Winter.
Dr. material for new apartments, and
here is not the least confusion or dis
order among them.
One queen reigns over the whole of
his numerous population, and is the
mother of the hive; and you might
hlnk, perhaps, with so many subjects
ihe would be very idle. But no! She
las her own especial duties to perform.
md works as hard as any of the rest
n performing them. When the cells
IRE ready she goes from another with
'ut rest, depOsiting her eggs, LAYING
bout two hundred daily. The first
aid are those Of the workers. and i'm the
Meantime the larger drOne cells are
icing made, the proportion of the lat
er being about one in thirty. If anv
.ccident carries off the queen thev in
know enough of the springs
u lie to create themselves a new
queen in this wise: At the edge of
me of the combs you will see them
reap up ample materials and con-
truct vast royal cell forty or iiftv
INES as large and weighty as the
'thers. After that they bear away a
ommOn workwoman from her narrow
ell and plaae her in this palace. Just
S soon as she is installed in her SUNNI
uous abode, the nurses, now full Of
enderness, load her with more aoree.
BILE and sweeter scented bee bread
nd under the influence of this am
'rosia the larva which once filed 90
tumble position becomes a fully de-
'elOped queen Isn't this wonderful
ct OF intelligence on the part of the
,ees? ;
l meant to have told you of the
Mechanism of the bees sting in sneak. {
ng of its tools, brush, basket and min !
ers, and as it is so formidable n wea- {
'on with the females and WORKING l
ees 1.-THE males and drones being de- {
eneelessl, cannot give YOU some of S
heir exhibitions of wisdom unless {
peak of it here. This weanon con
lsts OF a sheath inclosing two needle
AetA 70 VI GAGGeulQ4 U0enpg9 | q
Laced side by side. Towards the
olnts they are armed with minute !
eeth like those of saw, whence IL '
appens that the bee is sometimes nm. l
BILE to withdraw this little iavelin from i
he enemy it Inns pierced, for SO power. ]
u is the impetus of the sting that II q
lill easily pierce even thick human /
kin the twelfth Of an inch deep. '
When the sting makes the wonnd \
he poison is squeezed in from the ba9 I
ear its base, the structure and process !
eing Identical with those of the poison ]
angs of the serpents. Now see how II
forks. ~ +
When an enemy, little to be dreaded /
neaks into hive of bees the first sen- q
nels that see it pierce it with their
tngs, and in the twinkling of an eve
he dead body is tossed out, the woTk h
I the hive not being interrupted for : Z
ngle moment. But if the intruder he
big, strong slug, or worm, all the
are thrown into a state of a0i- n
/