Bee-keeping for profit

by W. S. Morley

Tracheæ.—Bees have no lungs, but in place of them have air-sacs, connected up by air-tubes or tracheæ which run throughout the body, varying in size much as do the "veins" of a leaf, until they are minute enough to serve the extremities of the insect, the antennae and sting. This arrangement of the air-supplying organs, general throughout the insect world, may have something to do with the hibernation, to which most are subject in a greater or less degree, in cold weather.

The worker-bee is extremely sensitive to cold, but the queen seems far less susceptible, and often causes perceptible anxiety in a hive by wandering out of the cluster in cold weather. I know of one instance which came under my notice where the queen was very much alive in a hive in which all the workers were dead, or dying from starvation in cold weather, and although it is a recognised fact that queens which have been injured by frost become drone-breeders it was not so in this case.

The Antennæ.—The antennae of the bee must be accounted among the most marvellous of its organs. They are made up of a number of joints and chambers, and, though they are conjectured to be the organs of the senses of hearing, feeling, and smelling they are not definitely so known to be. As in the case of many other insects the antennæ of the male bee are much longer than those of the female.

The Tongue.—From the bee-keeper's point of view the tongue of the bee is one of its most important organs, for by means of it the bee secures the nectar from the flowers. When the nectar is in abundance the tongue serves as a trunk or proboscis through which it can be drawn, and when the supply is scanty the spoon-like end of the proboscis serves to lap it up. From the tongue the nectar passes into the "honey stomach" from which it is regurgitated and stored in the hive.

The Legs.—The six legs of the bee serve for manifold purposes other than walking, and are so wonderfully adapted to them as to be worthy of close study. They serve as hands, as combs and brushes for cleansing purposes, they are provided with claws which are available for climbing rough surfaces, or for clinging in the swarm: between the claws is a pad which secretes a substance which enables the bee to walk comfortably on smooth surfaces whether upside down or normally. On the thighs of the hind legs are the pollen baskets in which are carried the burden of pollen gathered from the flowers and taken to the hive for storage.

The Eyes.—Three eyes, one simple and two compound, form the complement for each bee. The single eye, the smallest, is placed in the centre of the crown of the head, and the two compound on either side of the head. Each compound eye consists of hundreds of facets each of which has a perfect vision. Much argument has been made as to the reason for all this sight-power, but without arriving at any satisfactory conclusion. It is certain, however, that although the bee can move about freely and work in the darkness of the hive, yet it cannot see in the dark, for who among those who have worked bees has not heard the plaintive wail of a bee that has been overtaken by the night before gaining its hive—and this with the hives within easy range?

The Jaws.—The jaws are used in much of the work of the hive—kneading wax, cutting and reducing the combs, capping the cells, for clearing away refuse, and particularly for carrying dead bees from the hive. They serve as weapons, too, for fighting, and in ejecting the useless drones when their season is ended. Then the jaws are used as nippers to cut the wings of the bulky drone and so render him helpless.

The Wings.—Each wing consists of two parts, an arrangement which allows the bee to close, or fold them up when she alights. On the adjoining edge of each part is a row of minute hooks, and when the wings are expanded these hooks become attached and thus provide a strong and reliable flying surface. In addition to providing the means of flight, the wings of the bee serve as fans for the ventilation of the hive, a certain number of the community, who also act as sentries, often being engaged in such duty. Should a bee-keeper see any of the "fanners" at work on the alighting board at the entrance of the hive he may know at once that the hive is too warm, and if he be wise will open the entrance a little wider. Should the bees continue their ventilating work after that, then he may surely know that something is wrong and open the hive to investigate. The bees do not so work without urgent need. It may be that the stores of food are fermenting, or that wet has penetrated to the combs: mice may have entered the hive, or, worst of all, foul brood may be rampant. All these would cause bad odours, and the bees should be helped as speedily as possible to remove the evil.

The Sting.—This weapon of offence and defence is usually the last in the equipment of the bee to be used, for its discharge generally means loss of life to its owner. To the enemy against whom it is launched, it becomes a source of irritation and annoyance and sometimes of danger. The sting is a fine lance, with incisions down one side which act as barbs when the flesh is pierced by it, sinking the lance deeper at each convulsion of the stinger or the stung. So soon as a barb is fixed it is impossible for the bee to withdraw the sting, and in its struggle to be free the whole of the stinging organs—including the poison sac—are dragged from it, and the poison enters the wound. For this reason it is necessary that the sting should be extracted as soon as possible, for the longer it remains in the flesh the greater will be the irritation. Should the sting be inflicted near a hive it will be wise to remove oneself from the neighbourhood without loss of time, for it is a well-known fact that the scent of the sting attracts other bees and arouses their anger against the presumed enemy of their kind.

The best remedy for a sting from a bee is methylated spirit, applied immediately the sting has been extracted—though it is well to remember that bees have an abhorrence of spirit, so that all trace of it should be removed before venturing near a hive, or further stings may be induced. There are many popular remedies for stings, such as the application of ammonia, washing soda, the blue bag, an onion—all of which have the same object—to nullify the effects of the irritant poison, of which formic acid is one of the principal constituents.