Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-03-12
rr.as. and nes.n,r,s,.ls. In n.s..

nal. me Things Lhhl Dees 40 uht VI sHei
general order OF things as pertains 70
their well settled habits. think are
properly called freaks" Those OF US
who have handled bees for years. ana
observed closely their habits. know
that bees some times do things thar
cannot be reconeiled to the common
laws OF reasoning. or instinct. such
acts are freakish--su sudden starts IN
action. governed by no laws. reasona-
BILE or instructive.
have seen colony OF bees virtually
attempt 10 commit suicide. by refusing
10 accept queen. or queen-eell, and
even refuse 10 nurse young brosa,
Some people would be glad 70 say,
Maybe they were too old" etc. But
this cannot be. for | have wtnteFed
many queenless colony. and made
them rear a queen and nurse brood
until the hive was well stocked with
young brood ready for the main early
honey harvest.
Last summer I was walking through
my apiary and discovered some p1s1
hopping and crawling on the grass "
front Of one OF the hives. went up
closer. and found the grass for seyesa
feet around the entrance covered with
partially paralyzed heea dragging
themselves almlessly about. A case
Of paralysisvs exclaims the novice no.
the cause was ''balled queen. bees
often sting each other IN thalr scramble
70 ball a queen. yet. strange enough.
they 40 not sting tho queen.
have seen a truant swarm leave
the aplary and 80 straight 10 hollow
tree. aud have seen swarm Of bees
leave the aplary with business airs.
and pass over fields and through
dense woods straight TO a bunch Of
ironweeds, two miles away. | saw one
swarm Of bees pass through the largest
tract OF timbered land In the vleinity
Of my apiary and settle on a fence near
a farm house. and vas taken Ia BY
the farmer. had a swarm % bsea
take leave % my aplary as though Y
was dlaguzted with such quarters. 90
a quarter Of q mile. SETTLE on bush.
then break the cluster. and make a
"bee.lins" back 10 the apiary and set
tie on tree.
once saw a swarm OF bees -hivsd"
BY what may properly b. called an &C.
eident ~. The swarm was struggling
In the air against stin gale. and =
sudden gust Of wind swept them 10 the
ground near tho entrance o. an empty
hive, and the hive acting a. sound
ing board" in response 10 the hum Of
their wings. the bees caught tho sound
and hived themselves. Ny observations
| have led ms TO believe that 10 q state
OF nature more swarma Of bsss dad
homes by the sense Of hearing than In
all other ways
| once saw q swarm 81 bees In. 10
flight pass near the top % large APP
pie tree. and the rear part of tho swarm
seemed to catch ths sound from hole
/ In a dead limb Of the tres. and made a
rush for the hollow limb. while the
main part Of the swarm vas evidently
bent on going forward. but the loud
hum az the hcts Ia the limb pre-
vailed. and the whole swarm attempted
70 enter a cavity in the limb too small
10 accommodate half Of tho swarm.
smoked them out and hiyed them.
once had q swarm OF bees To refuse
70 stay in any hive | put them into.
Their craze was TO locate and build
comb on the limb they first settled on.
and finally let part Of the awarm
try the experiment. They made q ily-
Ing until the honey season was over,
and then starved out.
Bees do some things 80 vide Of the
mark Of common sense that their acts
are both amusing and astounding 10
reasoning mind. The following il nm
example among many that might be
mentioned.
sometimes leave on the hive a case
81 partially flled sections with honey
TO supplement- scant winter stores IN
tho breeding department OF the hive
Well, In some way a large grey mouas
got into one Of the cases aboys m.
brood nest, and its escape was cut on
BY full brood nest OF lively bees be-.
low. II occurred TO me that IL thoaa
bees had stopped to reflect. they might
have cleared way down through ,ha
brood department TO the entrance ana
then sent detachment Of fierce vonng
buck" bees into the super. with IN.
structions to shrek and yell after tina,
mouse until. panlc-stricken, he hied his
way-hair and hide--down the cleared
way to the open air. and thus summari.
ly eject him AZ an obstreperous tenant.
But they did no such thing. They ma
liciously murdered the intruder. and
proceeded to reduce him to as nice
white, clean skeleton az any natnralls,
ever had the pleasure OF adding to hIz
collection Of curiosities; bone 10 his
bone" as clean and nice as II the whole
carcass had been boiled, scraped and
sandpapered.
have seen big humble bee slip In.
70 hive when the portals were strong.
" guarded by vigilant warriors. and
have seen him 90 led out by the ears
90, after he had passed the guards into
the dark interior OF the hive. Now lei
some one ask the question. DO bees
Es..#fI -