The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-04-14
A Home in an Old Fence Post.

Home in an Old Fence Post.
There was once little mother.
with lars" family and only her own
hands 10 do for them all They lived
in an old fence post that hal stood
for 50 many years in the corner of
an old field that everybody else had
forgotten its existence.
Al the bottom OF the post a colony
of brown ants kept carrying Grains
Of sand TO tn" surface until little
mound was formed around their hole.
Bat the little mother paid no more
attention 70 the ants than if they had
been a thousand miles away | doubt
is she knew OF their existence.
She was the busiest Of busy people
when She FIRST found the post in early
summer and decided To make her
home there. She was all alone then,
but sh" knew what She was about.
She first bit 4 tiny scrap off the sur
lace Of the post. Then another and
another. Finding it was just soft
enough for her stout little jaws to
work upon She toiIcd hour after hour
until she had bored a tunnel down into
the post. II was Il smooth little tun-
mel bigger than lead pencil and not
qult" as long as new one
Just think how long it must have
taken her Think how many weeks it
would take You to dig tunnel twelve
times your own length and plenty wide
enough for YOU to creep into. And
you would have Il shovel and a pick
axe ana cart to carry away the dirt.
30 you think she sat down to rest
when the tunnel was done and every
scrap carried TO the entrance and
dropped to the ground? Il wonder
II me brown ants ever thought it was
sawdust) No rest for the
nttle mother yet. She flew (for she
mad four Wings straight to the near
est garden, and found without delay
a fine rose bush with thin leaves. Be-
tore you could wink twice she had
shipped out an oval piece and was
gone. At the very bottom of the TIM.
lel IN the old post she placed the bit
d rose leaf, whirled away again to
ne very same bush, cut another oval
o go with the first.
SO she continued until she had made
II the pieces of rose leaf little
himble-shaped cup at the bottom of
he tunnel.
without stopping to admire her
work she hurried to the nearby flowers
md collected honey and pollen enough
0 make little cake, which she pack
ct away in the rose leaf cup.
The first room of the little new
ome is now ready for its occupant.
he walls are thick and smoothly
med The little bee-mother now laws
er first egg upon the cake of honey
nd pollen. When the bee-baby
atcnes ont 1t finds enough food to
ISL until 1t is Srown-up bee. Away
ne little motter flies Back to the
)se bush now. But the piece she cuts
lis time from the rose leaf is not
val but circular. Quick as lightning
er little scissOrs-like jaws do their
ork. The round piece is Just the size
cover the top of the cup in the tun-
Ell and she tucks the edges in tidily.
ten making three or four trips for
rcular pieces before the work is
nished to her liking.
Another rose leaf cup is fitted in the
lnnel just touching the top of the
rst one. 1t is stocked with food.
egg placed in it and all covered
it'll green circles. Another cell
EN- another and another is made. I'm.
the tunnel is full. Sometimes sew
al tunnels are made by the same
'e. To line them all she must make
lndreds OF trips to the rose garden.
Examine your rose bushes and see
the leaf-cutter bee has paid them
visit. How lucky you would be If
III should be watching some dav and
ould really see a grey bee not SO
rye as a honey bee come and emf
t piece and bear it away. A bow
'nce knew had habit of always see
3 things happen. One day he actu-
y followed one of these bees from
mothers rose bush straight across
2 pasture to the old fence post in
corner, and saw her carry the bit
rose leaf into her nest.-Mary
'rgan Miller, in Boys and Girls.