The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-10-02
INSECT PROPHETS.
lIOndOn \eWS-l

weather Of particular DAYS of the
week, saints days, and even the NOV
able feast days. Although it is inter
esting enough in it's way. that kind Of
weather lore can hardly be taken as
a reliable guide. 1t is from the habits
and instincts of animals properlV
observed, that we can learn more
weather wisdom Of the scientific sort
| than from almost any other source,
and of all animals, insects are among
| the most interesting to study in this
connection.
Bees are excellent weather prop
hcts. There is a common country say
| ing that "a bee was never caught in
a shower When rain is impending
bees do not 90 far afield, but ply their
| labor in the Immediate neighborhood
| of their hives. This well-authenticat-
| ed fact is set forth III the rhyme
which tells Us that
When bees to distance wing their
| fight
Days are warm and skies are bright;
| But when their flight ends near their
home,
| Stormy weather is sure to come.
Virgil was evidently aware OF this
| bees instinct for coming rain, and de-
scribes Tin Georgics IN) the insects
| as ''searching the skies to find out
| breeding storms. just before the
rain humming bees may be observed
entering the hive in large numbers,
| while none comes out again. When
| that is observed the observer may con-
fidently follow the good example and
seek shelter And. again, when bees
are seen vigorously at work very ear
| ly in the morning, unsettled weather
| may be expected later in the day, the
| weather instincts Of the little crea-
lures apparently leading them to make
| up time in advance.
Wasps and hornets are said to have
| the weather instinct over a still Ion
| ger range The banks of streams are
favoritc nesting places for these in
sects. If the nests in any season are
generally placed high up in the bank
| it is always taken by country people
as sign of a wet season, the position
Of the nests being taken in order to
avoid floods. When the nests are near
down to the level Of the water they
foretell Il dry and warm season.
Ants, too. are credited with an IN
stinct for the weather of a whole sea
son. When they are observed at mid
summer charging and building up
their dwellings, it is said to be a sign
Of an carly and cold winter. The
daily habits CT the ant, however, yield
Il number of mere reliable ObserVa-
tiOns at closer than q season S range.
For instance when ants that have been
located in low ground are observed
migrating to higher, it is Il sign OF
heavy rains The entrances to their
underground dwellings, are always
worth noticing, for an open ant hole
means clear weather and a closed one
means that Il storm is approaching.
1t is also said that the direction from
which the prevailing rains of the sea
son will come may be told from the
position Of the entrances to ants
nests. the opening being made with
the aspect that will be driest. This
, is also said Of wasps' nests; and, since
the southwest is cur wettcst quarter
it follows that when many nests are
found with a southwest aspect the
season is likely to be a dry one.
There is a wealth of weather wis
dom to be got from observation OF
| spiders. These insects cannot SPIN
properly in a high wind. Before a
Gale they may be observed strength
enino their webs The shape of the
web is also a valuable indication.
When the frame lines are short and
stout the insects instinct has told it
that wind and rain are coming, while
long and slender frame lines are Il
, very reliable 81 gn Of calm and fine
weather. The duration of a storm
can often be foretold by observations
of spiders If they remain active dur
, inc rain you may be certain it is only
a shower and will very soon be over.
When. at the beginning of rain. they
, retire into complete Incidence, the
unsettled weather will almost GER
tainlv last for some time. The time OF
dav at which spiders mend their nets
is also I; good weather sign.
| If the mending is observed going
on during q summer evening there
, will be no rain that night. \ curious
observation. but we'll authenticated
IS that when spiders are seen in large
| numbers crawling on walls instead OF
= attending to their nets, wet weather
) is impending. The SANG expectation
t follows when they are seen falling
, without apparent reason. from their
webs In time Of drought spiders are
t often the first creatures to give us &
hint of n change coming, for III a
long. dry period, if closely woven and
f,,nnel-shared webs begin to be seen
| in sheltered position about the hedges
the drought it about to break up.
Most people have observed gnats
, with, a view to fcretclling the weather
! and are aware that, as the old Illus
| handman's Practice puts it. IF Gnhfs
, be, seen to hover together about the
, beams of the sun before it sets and
hy together. making. as it were. the
| form Of pillar, it is a sure token OF
fair weather. If the column OF
: onats sports up and down. ascending
; and descending in the evening sun
+ shine. it fOretells heat. The higher
| tbe sWarmS are observed the more set
+ / fled is the weather likely to be. When
' , however. the SwarmS are seen sport
r inp in the shade and under trees YOU
may expect rain, and if they sting vic
+ | ioIlslv YOU may be quite sure OF 1t
The excessive chirping of crickets Is