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The w we
| Habits

Poruie fc J

|Honey

Bee

By
E. F. PHILLIPS, Ph. D.

Published by ©
THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY
Medina, Ohio

No, 17
Beekeeper’s 10-cent Libra v

*

= - FORTHE He UIE FROHEE ae 3

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The Habits of the
Honeybee

E. F. Phillips, Ph. D.

The A. I. Root Company, Medina, Ohio
July, 1914

Publisher’s Introductory.

The writer of the following treatise on the honey-
bee, Mr. E. F. Phillips, Ph.D., is the scientist who
spent nine weeks with us here in Medina investigating
the honeybee during the summers of 1903 and 1904.
His articles, which appeared later in GLEANINGS IN
BEE CuLTURE, added much to our knowledge of the
bee. All of these articles were of a very technical
nature; but in this booklet will be found in simple
language the history and life of the bee. Any one
without previous instruction can, by reading this book-
let, gain a practical knowledge of the honey-bee.

Dr. Phillips graduated in Allegheny College, Mead-
ville, Pa., in 1890. He taught science in the New
Brighton high school for two years. He then entered
the post-graduate department of the University of
Pennsylvania in 1901, holding University scholarships
for 1902 and 1903. He was appointed Harrison
Fellow of Zoology for 1903 and 1904. Mr. Phillips
is now Expert in Charge of Apiculture, in the Bureau
of Entomology of the United States Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

May, 1910.

THE HABITS OF THE HONEYBEE.

Of all the insect associations there are none that
have more excited the admiration of men of every age
or that have been more universally interesting than the
colonies of the common honeybee. While ants, wasps,
and the true ants have all come in for their share of
study, and truly wonderful are the activities of their
colonies; but on account of its value to man as a
honey-producer the honey-bee, Apis mellifera, has
received more attention and its habits are much better
known. It would seem that, of the making of books
on bees, there is no end; for in every age men have
written of these insects, and at present we see more
new books than ever before. Since there is so much
to be written about bees, nothing but a mere outline
can be expected in this article. In this ease, as in all
others, 1t 1s better to follow the advice of the celebrated
naturalist Agassiz, ‘“ Study nature, not books,” fer
time spent with bees in an observation hive is worth
far more than time spent over bee-books, provided the
observer goes at the observation in the true spirit of
an investigator and does not first decide what he will
see and then find it.

The ancients held many absurd views concerning
the generation and propagation of bees, believing that
they arose from decaying animals, from the flowers of
certain plants, and other views equally ridiculous from
our present point of view. The names of Swammer-
dam, Reaumur, Bonnet, Sehirach, and Huber will

4 The Habits of the Honeybee

always be venerated among beekeepers for the light
they threw on the activities of the hive. It would be
interesting to note the discoveries of these men and
their followers if room permitted. Men of the olden
days were not alone in their absurd beliefs, for even at
the present day there appears at times a man who
thinks he has made the wonderful discovery that all
our old beliefs are wrong; but we are comforted by
the facet that most of these receive no following. It is

WORKER-BEE.

by this means only, however, that we are to arrive at
the truth ultimately; for by sifting what is correct
from all the views advanced, and dropping the errors,
we shall perhaps some day know the true economy of
the hive. It is scarcely necessary to remark that we
are far from that position at the present time.

The honeybee belongs to the group of insects known
beekeeping can soon recognize each with ease. This
order includes both solitary and social bees, wasps,
ants, saw-flies, and some others, all of which are inter-
esting in their habits. This order is divided into

The Habits of the Honeybee 5

families, the family to which the bee belongs being
known as the Apidae. ;

A colony of bees consists of one female, capable of
laying eges, called the queen; some thousands of
undeveloped females that normally never lay eggs, the
workers; and, at certain seasons of the year, many
males, the drones, whose only duty is to mate with the
young queens. These different kinds of individuals
can readily be recognized by the difference in size of
various parts of the body, so that even the novice at
beekeeping can soon recognize each with ease. This
colony makes its home in nature in a hollow tree or

EGG OF QUEEN UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

cave; but it thrives perhaps even better in the hives
provided for it by man. There are many kinds of hives
—some good and others seemingly made merely to sell ;
but they must all contain sheets of comb, concerning
the making of which more will be said later. In a
modern hive the sheets of comb are placed in wooden
frames which are hung in the hive-box in such a way
that they can be removed at the pleasure of the bee-
keeper. A sheet of comb is made up of small cells in
which honey is stored by the bees, and in which ege's

5s”

are laid, and young bees develop. To study the activ-

6 The Habits of the Honeybee

ities of the hive there is no better way to observe the
bees than to keep a small colony in an observation
hive. Such a hive consists of but one frame hung in
a narrow hive with glass sides, so that the bees are all
visible at all times. No one who is unfamiliar with
such a hive can appreciate the pleasure and profit to
be derived from watching a colony under such cireum-
stances; and to any one who has the ability to appre-
ciate the wonderful things in nature it is no hardship
to spend hours by the side of the hive studying the
every movement of the bees. Of course, it must be
understood that there will be slight differences in the
behavior of the bees in such a hive, but these are of
little importance to the beginner.

Having now become acquainted with the three kinds
of individuals in the colony, and the place in which
they live, we will take up their habits of life. Perhaps
there is no better way to arrange what is to be said on
this subject than to follow a colony through a season,
taking up the various phases of their actions in the
order in which they oceur in nature.

In the spring of the year the colony consists of a
queen and workers, there being no drones present at
this time of the year. During the winter the bees
remain quiet, and the queen lays no eggs, so that there
are no developing bees in the hive. The supply of
honey is also low, for they have eaten honey all winter,
and none has been collected and placed in the cells.
As soon as the days are warm enough the bees begin
to fly from the hive in search of the earliest spring
flowers. From these flowers they collect the nectar,
which is transformed into honey, and pollen, which
they carry to the hive on the pollen-baskets on the
third pair of legs. The nectar is taken by the bee into

The Habits of the Honeybee 7

its mouth, and then passes to an enlargement of the
alimentary canal known as the honey-stomach, where
it is acted upon by certain juices secreted by the bee.
The true stomach lies just behind the honey-stomach ;
and if the bee needs food for its own immediate use it
passes on through the opening between the two stom-
achs. On its arrival in the hive the bee places its head
in one of the cells of the comb and deposits there the
nectar which it has carried in. By this time the nectar
has been partly transformed into honey, and the proe-
ess 1s completed by the bees by fanning the cells to
evaporate the excess of moisture which still remains
When a cell has been filled with the thick honey the
workers cover it with a thin sheet of wax unless it is
to be eaten at once. The pollen is also deposited in
cells, but is rarely mixed with honey. The little pellets
which the bees carry in are packed tightly into eells
until the cell is nearly full. If a cell of pollen be dug
out of the comb, one can often see the layers made by
the different pellets. This collecting of nectar and
pollen continues throughout the summer whenever
there are flowers in bloom, and ceases only with the
death of the last flowers in the autumn.

Almost as soon as the honey and pollen begin to
come in, the queen of the colony begins to lay eggs in
the cells of the center combs. The title of queen has
been given to the female bee which normally lays all
the eggs of the colony, under the supposition that she
governs the colony and directs its activities. This we
now know to be an error, but the name still remains.
Her one duty in life is that of egg-laying. She is most
carefully watched over by the workers, and is con-
stantly surrounded by a circle of attendants who feed
her and touch her with their antennze; but she in no

8 The Ilabits of the oneybee

way dictates what shall take place in the hive. The
eges are laid in the bottom of the hexagonal cells,
being attached by one end to the center of the cell.
The first eggs laid develop into workers, and are
deposited in cells one-fifth of an inch across. As the
colony increases in size by the hatching-out of these
workers, and as the stores of honey and pollen in-
crease, the queen begins to lay in larger cells measur-
ing one-fourth of an inch, and from the eggs laid in
these cells drones (or males) develop. The size of the
cell does not determine the sex, as will be explained
later; but the queen almost invariably lays the worker
egies in the smaller cells, and drone eggs in the larger
ones. As these male eggs develop and hatch, drones
begin to appear in the colony, generally about the first
of May in temperate climates.

The eggs do not develop directly into adult bees, as
might be inferred from what has just been said; but
after three days there hatches from the egg a small
white worm-like larva. For several days the larve are
fed by the workers, and the amount of food consumed
is truly remarkable. The larva grows rapidly until it
fills the entire cell in which it lives. The workers then
cover the cell with a cap of wax, and at the same time
the larva inside spins a delicate cocoon under the cap.
The worker brood can at once be distinguished from
the drone brood by the fact that the workers place a
flat cap over worker brood and a high arched cap over
drone brood; and this is often a great help to the bee-
keeper in enabling him to determine at once what kind
of brood any hive contains. Twenty-one days from
the time the egg is laid the young worker-bee emerges
from its cell, having gone through some wonderful
transformations during the time it was sealed up, this

The Habits of the Honeybee 9

stage being known as the pupa stage. For drones the
time is twenty-four days.

About the time the drones begin to appear, the
inmates of the hive begin to prepare for swarming,
which, to any one watching the habits of bees, is one
of fle most interesting things which takes place in the
colony. The workers now begin to make queen-cells.
In our previous description of the development of the
young from the egg, nothing was said about the queen,
and there are some decided differences in her growth
which we will not take up.

As was stated earlier in this article, the queen and
the workers are all females. Schirach, an old authority
on bees, discovered that the bees could take a young
worker larva soon after it hatched from the egg, and,
by giving it special food all during its larval life,
“royal jelly,” and, by constructing for it a special
cell, make of the otherwise worker larva a fully de-
veloped queen. This it is that the workers of a colony
do when they are preparing to swarm. Several young
worker larve are chosen as the material for queen-
rearing, generally located near the margin of the comb.
The workers now begin to feed these chosen larve an
extra amount of food, and at the same time the sides
of the cells containing them are remodeled and enlarged
by the destruction of surrounding cells. The queen
(or royal) cell is nearly horizontal at the top, like the
other cells of the comb, and projects beyond them; but
then the workers construct another portion to the cell
into which the queen larva moves. This is an acorn-
shaped cell placed vertically on the comb, about as
large as three ordinary eells. As the cell is being built,
the queen larva continues to grow until the time comes
for her to be sealed up and enter her pupa state. Al-

10 The Habits of the Honeybee

though it takes the worker twenty-one days to com-
plete its development, the queen passes through all the
stages and reaches a considerably larger size in but
sixteen days.

Before leaving the subject of the raising of queens
it might be well to state that if, for some reason, a
queen is killed in the hive, or by chance gets lost, the
workers can at any time replace her by the same

QUEEN-BEE, MAGNIFIED.

method, provided, of course, they have worker larve
on which to work. In the same way they will replace
an old queen when she begins to show signs of de-
creased power of egg-laying, so that this peculiar
performance is not characteristic of swarming only.

In the swarming season, at about the time the new
queens are ready to leave their cells, the old queen
leaves the hive and takes with her part of the workers,
this being known as swarming. ‘This generally takes
place in the morning of a warm pleasant day. It

The Habits of the Honeybee 11

might as well be confessed that we know but very little
about this remarkable instinct of the bee. In the first
queens are ready to leave their cells, the old queen
would not allow queen-cells to be constructed in her
colony, nor has any one told us why she allows it now.
Neither do we know what starts the actual swarming,
or what bees, workers, or queen first sets the hive in
motion. Neither do we know what is the thing which
compels certain bees to leave with the old queen, and
why the others stay in the old hive with the young
queen. Here is plenty of interesting work for any one
who desires to investigate some phase of the life-
history of bees; and for the encouragement of the
beginner it may be added that there are plenty more
open fields. Since our original hive has now divided
we will follow the swarm with the old queen, and,
later, return to the old hive to observe the actions of
that.

In the hands of a beekeeper the departing swarm
will be put into another hive provided he wishes to
increase the number of his colonies; but in a state of
nature the swarm will find an old hollow tree or some
similar place in which to establish itself. The bees,
before leaving their old hive, fill themselves with honey
until the abdomen is greatly distended, and for this
reason it is not necessary for them to collect nectar for
a day or two, for they have other work to do. Some
of the bees begin to clean out the new quarters and get
it fit for occupancy; but most of them begin the con-
struction of new combs. To do this they suspend
themselves in curtains from the top of the hive, and
remain motionless for some time. The wax used in
building comb is secreted by the workers in eight small
pockets on the lower side of the abdomen while they

UNIVERSITY Oy
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12 The Habits of the Houweybee

thus hang in curtains. Finally, after enough wax har
been formed, they begin to build. The small flakes of
wax are passed forward to the mouth, there mixed
with a salivary secretion to make the wax phable, and
then are placed on the top of the hive by the first
comb-builders. Other workers then come and place
their small burdens of wax on those first deposited,
and this continues until the combs are finished. There
is more to comb-building than the mere sticking on of
wax plates, however; and nothing in all bee instincts
is more wonderful than the beautiful plan on which

GROWTH OF LARVAE.

they build the comb. The cells are hexagonal in shape,
so that each cell in the center of the comb is surround-
ed by six others. Nor is this the only remarkable thing
in their arehiteeture, for each comb is composed of a
double row of cells, the base of each cell being formed
of three parts, each one of which is likewise a part of
a separate cell of the other side of the comb. By this
method the bees obtain the greatest possible capacity
for their cells, with the least expenditure of wax. The
accuracy of the cells of the comb has in all ages been
an object of admiration of naturalists and beekeepers;
and while the degree of perfection assigned to these
cells has undoubtedly been overstated by many writers,

The Habits of the Honeybee 13

yet we cannot but admire and wonder at the remark-
able instinet, almost bordering on intelligence, which
enables the bees thus to build cells so well suited to
their purpose.

The original plan for a cell for storing honey and
raising brood is a eylinder, and this we find in some
other bees; but if the honeybee constructed cylindrical
cells there would be much more waste space and an
unnecessary expenditure of wax. If we take a number
of cylinders of flexible material and press them to-
gether they assume a hexagonal shape lke the cells

DRONE-BEE—NO POLLEN-BASKET.

of the comb; but the bees in building do not first
construct cylinders, but at first hand make the cells
hexagonal.

As soon as there are some cells constructed, and even
before the cells are entirely completed, the queen
begins to lay eggs, and the workers begin to collect the
stores of honey and pollen. They also collect in con-
siderable quantity a waxy substance from various

14 The Habits of the Honeybee

trees, commonly called propolis, with which they seal
the inside of the hive, closing up all openings except
the one which serves as the entrance.

On a previous page mention was made of the two
sizes of cells in the comb. The earhest cells construct-
ed by a swarm are always worker-cells—that is, cells
from which workers will hatch, and these occupy the
middle space of the hive. Later on, the workers con-

QUEEN-CELLS.

struet comb with cells of the larger size, from which
drones hateh when they are used for brood, and in
which honey is stored. The cells which are used for
the storing of honey generally slant upward slightly
to help keep the honey from running out. This mars
to some extent the symmetry of the comb, but adds
ereatly to its efficiency. Queen-cells are made only
when a new queen is to be reared.

The Habits of the Honeybee 15

In this way the new swarm prepares for itself an’
abode like the one it left; and by sealing up the
erevices and gathering stores of honey it prepares
itself for the coming winter. We may now return to
the colony which remained after the swarming took
place, to see what takes place there.

The colony left in the old hive retains all the brood
and honey stores, and has a newly hatched queen.
There is then no necessity for wax-building nor for
sealing up the hive; but this colony is already in a
normal conditon except that the queen is not yet ready
to perform her duties, and she will receive our atten-

HEXAGONAL AND ROUND CELLS.

tion now. A very young queen receives little attention
from the workers, but goes about the combs practically
unattended. When about five days old (the exact time
depending on the weather), in the afternoon-the virgin
queen flies from the hive to mate with a drone, or male.
She first takes several small preparatory flights to get
her hive located so that she may find it on her return,
and finally she flies upward in constantly enlarging
circles high in the air. This far she may be easily
followed; but few have been fortunate enough to
observe the actual mating, Sometimes the mating

16 The Habits of the Honeybee

takes place at a lower point, and a few men have
recorded the fact of witnessing the completion of the
“ marriage-flight.””. The queen, on leaving the hive, in
some way attracts a great many drones to her from
all parts of the apiary, provided her hive is located in
a bee-yard, and the swiftest and strongest drone is
successful in the race. The other drones often follow
the queen back to her hive, and for an hour or two
often remain on the outside of the hive after she has
entered, but later they return to their own hives.

The queen returns from the mating-flight in about
half an hour, carrying with her the generative organs
of the male which is killed during the union of the
two. Near the posterior end of the queen is a small
sac, which, before the flight, is filled with a clear
liquid; but after her return this sae is filled with an
opaque fluid; and it is the reception of this opaque
substance which is the essential thing in mating. This
liquid contains millions of spermatozoa, or male-sex
cells, each one of which is capable of fertilizing an egg
as it glides past the opening of the sac. This supply
of spermatozoa is almost always sufficient to supply
the eggs laid by a queen for three or four years, it
rarely happening that she mates the second time before
laying. There may be cases in which she mates after
once beginning to lay, but the evidence for such a
flight is very small. Since a queen can, during her
lifetime, lay a total of 500,000 eggs, most of which
receive one of these spermatozoa, it will be seen that
the apparatus for preserving them is very perfect,
since the queen cannot generate more, and they do
not divide or increase in number in any way.

The mating of queen and drone never occurs in the
hive, but always in the air, on the wing. This instinet

The Habits of the Honeybee 17

prevents what is known as in-and-in breeding; for if
the queen mated in her hive she would eae sper-
matozoa from her brothers or from her sons, and we
know that such close breeding is undesirable in all
forms of life. The cause of the undesirable results of
in-breeding are yet a mystery; but we do know that
they follow, and this habit of the queen in. mating
away from her own hive renders close crossing less
probable. After the queen has returned to her hive,
the workers remove the male organs. These parts of
the male are not absorbed by the queen, as is some-
times claimed; but the spermatozoa contained in them
are taken into the spermatheca, or spermatozoon-sac,

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WORKER AND DRONE CELLS.

and the rest dries up and is removed. Almost as svon
as the queen returns from her flight there is a differ-
ence in the treatment which she receives from the
workers. It happens at times that she is not received
kindly after taking her flight, and may be killed by
the workers, which do not recognize her as their queen,
probably on account of some new odor which she has
acquired during her absence. This is rare, however;
for, ordinarily, she is the object of much care and
attention on her return. From this time on, whenever
the queen stops for a moment on the comb, either to

18 The Habits of the Honeybce

deposit an egg or to rest, she is surrounded by a dozen
or so workers that try to feed her, and who rub her
with their antenne. In about two days after mating,
the young queen begins to lay eggs in the cells of the
comb, and this one duty, and no other, she performs
until her death, never again leaving the hive except at
the head of a swarm.

THOSE PETS.

The colony with the young queen is now in the same
condition as the one which left the hive; both having
laying queens, combs, brood, anda sealed hive. Their
histories, under normal circumstances, are then prac-
tically the same. Both prepare for winter, and the
following spring both east swarms again, and the

The Habits of the Honeybee 19

cycle is again repeated. Such is the activity of bees
under favorable circumstances ; but, needless to say,
this ideal condition is not always Jeera and we will
now follow colonies under other anager to see what
happens.

Let us take a colony with a virgin queen like the one
left after the swarm was east. It sometimes happens
that the queen is defective in some way, so that she can
not fly from her hive to meet a drone. This may be
caused by mutilated or weak wings, or possibly the
queen shows no disposition to fly. On the other hand,
the weather may not be favorable for her flight, or
there may be drones in the air when she does fly.
Evidently, any of these conditions will prevent suc-
cessful mating; and when this occurs we are enabled
to see one of the most remarkable phenomena of the
hive. The observer who wishes to study this phase of
bee activity may bring about the same conditions by
cutting off the wings of the queen, or by covering’ the
entrance with zine perforated with holes, which allows
the workers to pass freely, but which confines the
queen to the hive, so that it is not necessary to depend
on chance to bring about what we are now to observe.

If a queen remains unmated for a period of three
weeks she 1s incapable of mating, and loses all desire
to leave the hive to meet a drone. After that time she
may begin to lay eggs, but, strangely enough, these
eges produce nothing but drones, and the queen is then
known as a “ drone-layer.” Obviously, then, drones
are produced from eggs which have not been fertilized.
Not all unmated queens become drone-layers; in fact,
many queens die if not mated, and many others never
lay at all; but if any eggs are laid they produce only
drones. The person wishing to verify this strange

‘SIONITIL ‘NOSIUNOW “NITMOVIN “9 SA'TUV HY HO AUVIdV

The Habits of the Honeybee 21

phenomenon should start several virgin queens in
hives, and probably one or two will lay.

This introduces us to one of the most remarkable
phenomena which is known to occur in nature, but it
is not characteristic of bees alone. In most cases eggs
disintegrate unless fertilized by spermatozoa of the
same species. Just why fertilization is necessary is
still a disputed point among scientists; but we know
that it is by all means necessary in the majority of
cases. Yet in many cases in the animal kingdom eggs
do develop without fertilization, and one of the best
known eases is the development of the drones of the
honeybee. ‘To this phenomenon the name “ parthen-
ogenesis ” is applied.

This fact concerning drones was discovered by
Johannes Dzierzon in 1845, and has since been verified
by many workers on the subject. As the eggs in the
queen leave the ovaries they pass down a tube called
the oviduct, to the outside. As they traverse the ovi-
duct they pass the entrance to the spermatheca men-
tioned above; and if the egg is to become a female,
worker, or queen, it receives from the spermatheea one
spermatozoon which fertilizes it; if it is to become a
drone it receives no spermatozoon, and, consequently,
is in the same condition as are all the eggs of a drone-
layer. Since a normal queen rarely lays a drone egg
in a worker-cell, or vice versa, provided both kinds of
cells are present, it would seem that she in some way
can control the spermatheca; but how this is done is
still a mystery.

Another fact which supports the theory of parthen-
ogenesis is that workers in a colony which is hoye-
lessly queenless will often begin to lay eggs. As we
have seen, workers as well as queens are females, but

22 The Habits of the Honeybee

they are incapable of mating, and the eggs laid by
them produce nothing but drones. This entire subject
of the parthenogenetic development of the drones is
still but little understood, and here again is a wide
field of work for one who is willing to devote time and
energy to the subject. A few facts are well known;
but around these facts there has been woven a mass of
evood or bad guesses which must be verified before we
arrive at the truth. If the theory could be stripped of
these surmises the whole subject would be much clear-
er; and one who undertakes to work on this line must
drop all but well-verified facts. The A. I. Root Com-
pany has published in booklet form “ The Dzierzon
Theory,’ by Baron von Berlepsch, which was trans-
lated into English by Samuel Wagner, and published
in the American Bee Journal for 1860. This booklet
contains a fuller discussion of the facets supporting
this theory, and should be consulted by any person
interested in the subject.

Colonies containing drone-laying queens, or workers
which lay eggs, called fertile workers, can naturally
not become strong, since no new workers are produced
to do the work of the colony; and as the old workers
are killed, or die off in a comparatively short time, the
colony soon dies out, since the drones produced do no
work. This can be prevented by the owner of the hive
by introducing a new fertilized queen to the colony,
but, of course, in nature the fate of the colony is
sealed.

Having followed the course of normal and abnormal
colonies during a season we are now ready to see what
takes place in preparing for winter. The entire hive
is filled with honey, the drones are expelled from the
hive, and die, and the queen ceases to lay eggs. When

bo

9
o

The Habits of the Honeybee

cold weather comes on, the bees cluster together on the
combs and are in a very inactive condition, merely
doing enough fanning to keep up the temperature of
the hive. During the winter the stores of honey are
consumed, and generally in the spring but little re-
mains. On a bright warm day in winter the workers
may take short flights from the hive, but for short
distances only. After the winter is over they once
more begin the cycle described above, and year after
year this goes on to the pleasure and profit of the
beekeeper.

In the previous discussion of the habits of the bee
the practical side of beekeeping has been entirely
omitted, for it is the purpose of this article to give a
brief introduction to the actions of these insects in
their natural conditions. Modern apiculture is made
possible by numerous appliances which add greatly to
the ease with which bees can be handled, and also add
even more greatly to the profit to be derived from the
care of bees; and a knowledge of practical beekeeping
adds greatly to one’s knowledge of the habits of bees
as well as makes possible many interesting experi-
ments after new facts. By modern methods we are
enabled to take honey from the bees without resorting
to the old methods of killing the entire colony; we can
raise queens at pleasure, and in any number, by bring-
ing about artificially the conditions under which queens
are produced; we can extract the honey from the
combs by centrifugal force, and return the combs to
be refilled; and numerous other operations almost in-
definite in number are possible as a result of the care-
ful work of practical beekeepers. A. diseussion of
these methods is just as interesting as the account of
the natural instincts of the bee, but is out of place in

24. The Habits of the Honeybee

an article of this size. he veader is referred to any
one of the numerous books on practical apiculture for
full details concering these methods.

Nor must it be supposed that the natural actions of
the bee have been exhausted in what has beer: written.
As stated in the first paragraph, volumes have been
written on bees and their habits, and tlis is but a
skeleton outline on which far more interesting facts
can be built. The senses of bees, especially the sense
of smell, the structure of the different individuals, and
the adaptations of the parts to the work required of
each, the natural enemies of bees, and their methods
of defense—these are but a few of the subjects which
might be discussed with profit, to say nothing of fuller
discussions of subjects which have been merely sug-
gested in the preceding outline. It is a noteworthy
fact that every person who studies or works with bees
becomes enthusiastic on the subject; and in this brief
article should induce some one to take up this line of
work the object of the article will be fulfilled, and the
new aplarist may be assured that he is entering into a
most entrancing field of work.

And, finally, there still remains much to be learned
about the bee from careful and painstaking observa-
tion; and by such work the cause of apiculture and
science at large will be much benefited. In several
places mention has been made of unsettled problems;
but the number could be extended very greatly, and
each new discovery epens up new fields of work. Here,
then, is work for those who wish to add to the sum of
human knowledge in a line of woik which ean be of
the greatest piretical use fo mankind at large.

Publications on Bee Culture

The pamphlets and booklets listed below are
of more than ordinary interest. Look over the
list, check the ones you want and we will send
them at once. Of course you will include remit-
tance for those for which there is a charge.

MY FIRST SEASON’S EXPERIENCE WITH THE
HONEYBEE. By the ‘‘ Spectator” of the Outlook,
New York. A ten-page leaflet detailing the expe-
riences of this well-known writer. You will read it
it through before you lay ‘t down. Free.

THE BEEKEEPER AND FRU1T-GROWER.—A booklet
giving actual facts regarding the value of bees to
fruit, and showing how beekeeping may be doubly
profitable to the fruit-grower. Free.

BEEKEEPING FOR SEDENTARY FOLK. Recites the
actual experiences of an amateur beekeeper. Free.

TRANSFERRING BEES. A booklet which gives instruc-
tions and illustrates appliances. If your bees are
in old box-hives you are not getting half that you
could out of them, and this booklet will tell you just
how to transfer them to modern hives. 10 cts.

THE A BC OF BEE CULTURE. A complete text book
of over 500 pages, giving iull information on every
question relating to bees. Valuable to the beginner
and indispensable to every beekeeper. Price $2.00
postpaid.

CATALOG OF BEEKEEPERS’ SUPPLIES, with com-
plete information, mailed free to any address.

Tlease send me the items checked above. I

CICIOSE OD. os nen eine to cover the cost.
NITE EN er eR ithe cabins Cua leveals, SoMa: « WS ies ae, Mal ree
| OEE AR os 8 1 a ee AOS RR Rn AE EM AC at

The Root Observatory Hive

To meet the increasing demand for a moderate-priced Observa-
tory Hive, for use in schools and homes, we have decided to man-
ufacture the style illustrated herewith. This hive is identical with
our regular, with the exception of the body and super sides, which
are fitted with glass, together with wooden shutters for closing the
hive while not observing. This hive permits the keeping of a
regular colony of bees in a normal condition so that every phase
of beekeeping may be studied.

PRICES.
Full-size L. hive, nailed, varnished, glass—no bees...... $ 9 OO
Same ready for use, Italian bees, brood, queen........ 20 00
One-frame hive, no super, nailed, varnished, glass—no bees 3 50
Same ready for use, Italian bees, brood, queen....... 9 00
One-frame hive and super, nailed, varnished, glass—no bees 4 00
Same ready for use, Italian bees, brood, queen....... 10 00

The A. |, Root Company, Medina, Ohio

Factory and Main Office

The above engraving shows the various parts of the Root
Observatory Hive. The sections for honey are of the most ap-
proved pattern. The frames in the brood-chamber are the Hoff-
man, which are the easiest handled. The glass is of the best
grade, allowing an unobstructed view of the inside of the hive.
The panels have handles and catches. The cover, super, body,
and bottom-board can be securely fastened with catches, which
prevents any accidents.

Testimonial

Our observation hive and bees arrived in fine condition, and
we transferred the bees in the yard, with the whole room of forty
boys and girls standing around them. The day was cool and
many bees dropped to the ground, apparently dead, but the
children found if they held them in their hands and breathed on
them that they would revive, so it ended by boys and girls having
hands full of crawling bees. The bees were gentle as could pe.
and now the children are not afraid of them, and if one gets on
the window in the room, a boy will pick it off and put it out.
To say that we are pleased is putting it mildly; we are delighted.

Very truly, Miss OBERHOLTZER,

Cleveland, Ohio. Teacher Lakewood Central School.

How to
Keep Bees

By
Anna Botsford Comstock

beekeeping? This is one of the most

frequent questions we have. We ean

answer most effectually by referring our
friends to the above-mentioned book by Anna
Botsford Comsteck. Mrs. Comstock is a writer
of merit, anything she has to say is worth read-
ing. Her own experiences as a beekeeper are
most interesting, and she has told them in such a
way that the beginner gets a great deal of valu-
able information by reading her book.

It is not a technical treatise on the subject,
but a simple story of the triumphs and defeats
of the author. You may profit by her successes
and avoid her mistakes. Whether you have bees,
expect to keep them, or are merely interested,
we are sure you will enjoy reading this book.
Price $1.00 postpaid. Or you ean get it in con-
nection with a year’s subseription to GLEANINGS
IN BEE CuutTurE for $1.50. See opposite page
for particulars regarding GLEANINGS.

FT are the requirements for beginniag

THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY
MEDINA, OHIO

Gleanings in
Bee Culture

Every beekeeper, large or small, ought to read one good
bee-paper regularly, and, of course, he will want GLEAN-
INGS. It is the largest bee-paper in the world, and pub-
lishes the latest and best of everything pertaining to bee-
keeping from all parts of this country and from foreign
fields as well. Well-known beekeepers of long experience
are regular contributors, and any thing new in the bee-
keeping world receives careful attention from our editorial
staff. Different methods are discussed and new appliances
exploited, so the beekeeper who would be really up to date
must read GLEANINGS.

There is a great deal of interest, too, in our Poultry,
Garden, and Home Departments, edited by our Mr. A. I.
Root. Mr. Root is pretty well known to beekeepers all
over the world. He spends a great deal of time now in
making experiments with different poultry appliances and
systems, and gives the readers of GLEANINGS the benefit of
his findings. Many of our readers consider his Home
Department the most valuable part of our paper, and
subscribe to it for that alone. ‘There is something of 1n-
terest for every one. ‘The subscription rate is $1.00 per
year or 25 cents for a six-months’ trial.

Enclosed find remittance for $........ for

POR CRT Ss: Soe, MER mRNA Cate Seti P ene) aha oars ole aa ane

ROOT’S GOODS

The name of “ Root,’ when applied to
bee-supplies, means as much as “ Elgin”
when apphed to watches.

When you buy “ Root’s goods” you are
sure of goods made by skilled workmen,
from the best material. You are never
disappointed by receiving goods inaccu-
rately cut, roughly made from inferior
stock.

There is nothing that an apiarist needs
that we cannot furnish, from a complete
outfit to the smallest single article.

We began the manufacture of bee-sup-
plies forty years ago, with an increasing
trade each year, until now we are the lare-
est concern of the kind in the world.

Our prices are right. You can buy our
eoods near at home. Write for catalog
and name of agent nearest you.

THE A. |. ROOT COMPANY, Medina, 0.

New York Chicago Washington Des Moines

Lessons in _,,
Beekeeping ™

There is now, and has been for years, a greater demand for
experienced bee-help than there are men ready for these places.
Each winter and spring we are obliged to disappoint many large
apiarists by telling them we do not know where suitable help can
be found. We have found that many who take our course in
bee culture by correspondence prefer to go into business for
themselves, so we still need active young men who have a fair
knowledge of the subject—men whom we know something about
—who can be recommended for the places frequently offered. We
have, therefore, determined to offer a liberal course in

Beekeeping by Mail

We shall designate this as course No. 2. The lessons are
identical with lessons in course No. 1. The time, however, is
limited to one year from enrollment. The course may be easily
completed in three to four months. The following is the

Outline of Course No. 2

Seventeen Lessons

IL

10 Definitions of Terms. IX. Rendering Normal.

Il. Inmates of the Hive. x Preparing for Winter.
III. Comb. XG Wintering.

TV. Handling Bees. XII. Spring Management.
We Transferring. XIII. Bee-diseases, Symptoms.
VI. Building up Colonies. XIV. Enemies of Bees.

VII. The Honey-flow. XV. Establishing an Apiary.
VIII. Swarming. XVI. Queen-rearing.

XVII. General Examination.

Terms of Course

Complete course, as outlined, -essons, personal answers to all
questions, including the A B C of Bee Culture (720 pages), and
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE (semimonthly) for one year, $5.

With either the A B OC or GLEANINGS omitted in case you
have one, $4.00.

With both omitted in case you have both $3.00.

Satisfaction guaranteed.

Use form on following page.

The A. I. Root Company, Medina, Ohio

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“From ane Other Side of the: World

Ma « / “Will you kindly bring my thanks to Mr...
Beene tig es Rul. Root’ for the sending of two. dasheen

bulbs, which arrived in perfect order? -As
: we are going into winter just now, I will
§ try to keep the bulbs till early spring, which
: comes in the first days of August. -
Serta . H.W, Kehrer.
py silos 3 ~ Rushenburg, es April 19.
A These Talons are a dakohe: Paes is
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icant house so far. Roe 3
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