Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-09

superstition says. Sec
49, : ::'.;s ss;. 's s;s..i t.
therefore, on the acqui-
AAS sition OF O buzzing
W. - colony which arrived
the other day from
some unknown source
and took up its quarters at the main building
Of the Agricultural Department. Such interest
In the matter is felt by the official staff that
every visitor is asked to observe the busy honey
makers as they iy in and out Of the vase that
crowns the tall column on the left-hand side Of
the principal entrance. In this "urious place.
among the cast-iron fruits that all the recep-
tacle Aforesaid, they have begun TO build their
hive.
STRAY SWARM.
Where did these bees come from?" people
ask. Undoubtedly from come one Of several
apiaries which are maintained in this neighbor-
hood. They are a stray swarm. This being
the season when flowers are most plentiful
business was particularly good in the parent
hive just before they left it. A large stock Of
honey had already been laid in, the population
had been multiplied 10 the point OF crowding
and the queen was ready to lead company of
enterprising members OF the community out
ana away to some spot favorable for founding
another colony and constructing another dwell
ing. Other queens, one Of whom would take
her place after her departure, were in their
cells and about to be Matched.
so one fine day, about fortnight ago. she
New out of the hive with swarm OF workers.
each OF the latter having filed herself prelimi-
narily with as much honey as she could hold.
obtained from cells full of II, fresh gathered,
which had not vet been finished by being COW
cred over with neat caps of wax. Thus sup
piled, they went and gathered in a cluster on q
branch of tree. ANY one could have told by
their buzzing that they were engaged in consul
tation. the result of which might have been
presently seen in the departure of a number Of
individuals in different directions. These were
scouts and they went with instructions TO hunt
up some suitable place for a new home.
SELECTING A NEW HOME.
After little while they came back and made
their reports, of which one excited more favor
able attention than any OF the others. 1t was
submitted by bee, who said that she had dis
covered very remarkable and attractive loca-
ton for hive just above and TO the left Of the
main entrance to the large brick building
facing 18th street, in the neighborhood OF
which there was profusion of beautiful flowers.
Accordingly the migrating swarm struck out for
the locality indicated, where before night they
had fairly set up housekeeping-a sort of st.
simon Styltes colony on top OF a column.
Furthermore it will presently be seen that they
brought with them the materials requisite for
beginning the furnishing Of their freshly
adopted home.
CONSTRUCTING THE COMB.
Necessarily. their first task was to begin the
construction of the comb, in the cells Of which
they store their food and rear their young.
For this purpose they had filed their bodies
with honey before abandoning the parent hive,
being able to manufacture from il the all-im-
portant wax for building. In the abdomen of
each worker bee are four pairs OF wax-secreting
glands, from which the substance exudes be-
tween the plates that cover the belly of the in
sect. 1t hardens on the outside in delicate
translucent flakes. which the animal pulls off
by means of pair of pincers which are formed
for that purpose between the joints of its hind
legs. She conveys the pieces of wax to her
mouth. which is provided with jaws formed ex-
pressly for wax molding, and with them and
her saliva she gives to the substance the proper
consistency.
BUILDING DOWNWARD.
Because the comb Is always suspended from
above the beginning Of the structure must be
made by placing strong layer Of wax along
beneath the horizontal beam or what not from
which the fabric is to depend. From this the
latter Is continued downward with a hanging
wall, on each side OF which the hexagonal cells
face outward. Much wonder has been ex-
pressed at the absolute regularity with which
these slx-sided rooms are supposed TO be made
but the fact Is that they are not ALWAYS per-
fectly regular and are very apt to be consider
ably out of geometrical exactitude. They are
not made heKagonal, but circular. and il is the
interference with the form of each cell by the
ones surrounding ii that makes il six sided.
The principle may be illustrated by putting
several soap bubbles together, the walls by
which they are united being invariably plane
surfaces.
ECONOMY II WAX.
Wax is very costly product from the bees
point of view, requiring for its manufacture sew
eral times its own weight of honey, and there
fore the utmost possible economy is pursued in
its employment. The insects in building the
comb carefully scrape away and thin the main
dividing wall and the partitions of the cells TO
the furthest point that is consistent with the
requisite strength. Thus they will SO utilize a
single pound Of wax as to compose with il from
30 900 to 80 600 cells, which will afford accom-
mediation for at least TWENTY-FIVE pounds of
honey. From this it has been estimated that
the wax of . cell at the top of full comb one
foot deep supports ], $40 times its own weight
Because of the greater strain upon them the
top cells are made extra strong.
THE QUEENS CRADLE.
In making the cells which are to be cradles
for young queens, however, no such economy Of
material is exercised. They must be very strong
because they have to bear the weight of many
nurse bees crowding around to feed the imms-
ture princesses with the rich food called '.royal
jelly" Accordingly the walls of these larger
apartments are constructed as to be Forty or
fifty times the ordinary thickness. For them
scraps of old wax are chiefly utilized. it being
the usual habit of bees to avail themselves for
building purposes Of whatever secondhand ma
terial Is at their disposal. Often a new comb,
seen under the microscope, will be found TO be
full OF bits Of old caps that once covered cells,
fragments of cocoons and the cast skins of larye.
ARTIFICIAL DIVIDING WALLS.
In order to make the bees produce more
honey certain very ingenious methods Of aiding
them in their BODYBUILDING are commonly
practiced by beekeepers. Artificial dividing
walls for combs are manufactured out Of wax
ut o small price per square foot. These come
in sheets about one-sixteenth Of an inch thick
or less being stamped ozt in such q manner
that both sides of each sheet are covered with
hexagons slightly raised from the surface and
formed exactly on the patterns adopted in ma |
ture by the bees. The bee man suspends a |
piece Of this in a comb frame, which he places |
in the hive, and the bees use il as q foundation
for building combs upon. Thus they are en-
ehled to store away much honey which they |
would otherwise be obliged to utilize for pur- |
poses Of construction. Furthermore, the |