The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-12-09
| BEES:zzs |
| AND ~
BEE KEEPING ~
PROVIDE WATER FOR BEES.
III Natural Supply Not Convenient
Place Pans Near the Hive.


Every well-informed beekeeper
knows that bees need water Has he
not seen them at the watering-trough
or at the brookside, thickly dotting
the waters edge as they sip the re-
freshing liquid? Every wise bee
keeper will see to it that water is in
close proximity to his apiary, and
will so arrange that the bees may
quaff to their fill. with no danger of
loss of life. In case there is no nat
ural supply, pans of water with chips
placed in them or other provision for
their safety, should be near the
hives, says a writer in the American
Bee Journal.
We have all noticed that we may
eat a very full meal. and then drink
full glass of water with no essen
tial distur bance A very little more
solid food or a glass OF milk would
bring no little uneasiness. This fact
is easily explained. The water is al
most at once absorbed from the
stomach into the blood while the
solid food or milk must first be di-
gested, and then viii be absorbed
Osmosis--the technical term for abb
sorption--is always more rapid I'M
der pressure We can see then, that
with a full stomach we have Just the
conditions for very rapid absorption.
We might reason from this fact of
the rapid absorption of water, that it
would take place in the case of the
bee
We have another proof of the
rapidity of absorption in our own
case when we drink at a time of
great thirst. OF course the thirst will
not be quenched until the water
quickly after we drink the refresh
ing beverage has the thirst entirely
disappeared. We see the same thing
In watering our horses. When they
are thirsty, if we let them drink to
their fill, they will overdrink, often
greatly to their hurt. If. on the
other hand we give them a pail Of
water and wait only very few min
utes, we find they drink no more:
the water had passed to their blood
and their thirst was satisfied.
In case of the bees, we have an
other reason for believing that this
water is used at once. We never find
1t stored in the hive True. it may
be that the bdes carry this to the
hive and at once give it 10 the other
bees, but in this case / suppose it is
used at once by the nurse bees and is
never stored. Is it not probable,
then, that the water is taken Just as
we take it when we are sure that we
can get it whenever needed. only as
the bees need it, and that as IN our
own case, 1t is at once absorbed and
used?
II is we'll known that a goodlv
proportion of the BODY. even the
most solid portion, is water. while In
the blood and secretions, the water
forms much greater part. Circula-
ton, of course, depends largely upon
q good supply of water, but circula-
ton is all important, il the body is
to he kept in normal condition. We
can understand. then, how water is
so necessary a part Of our food, and
how health, no less than comfort.
demand sufTiciency at all times.
We can also understand why thirst is
50 terribly disturbing, and how the
one, famiShed for want OF water, SUI
}ers SO terribly from the want. This
should make M all the more careful
that our bees and all our large do
nestle animals should have an ever
waiting supply Of this life-givine ali
ment.