Insect architecture / [Anon].

  • James Rennie
Date:
1830
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Insect architecture / [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    took place in the evening; the bees appeared to be in a delirium; we set them at liberty, and order was restored on their return. Their captivity having _ endured five days, we thought it needless to protract it farther; besides, we were desirous of knowing, whether the brood was in a suitable condition, and if it had made the usual ‘progress ;. and we’wished also to try to discover what might be the cause of the Periodical agitation of the bees. M.-Burnens, (the assistant of Huber) having exposed the two brood combs, the royal cells were immediately recognised ; but it was obvious that they had not been enlarged. Why should they! Neither eges, grubs, nor that kind of paste peculiar to the individuals of their species were there! The other cells were vacant like- wise; no brood, not an atom of paste was in them. Thus, the worms had died of hunger. Had we pre- cluded the bees from all means of sustenance by removing the farina? To decide this point, it was necessary to confide other brood to the care of the same insects, now giving them abundance of pollen. They had not been enabled to make any collections while we examined their combs. On this occasion they escaped in an apartment where the windows were shut; and after substituting young worms for those they had allowed to perish, we returned them to their prison. Next. day we remarked that they had resumed courage ; they had consolidated the combs, and remained on the brood, They were then provided with fragments of combs, where other workers had stored up farina; ‘and to be able to observe what they did with it, we took this substance from. some of their cells, and spread it on the board of the hive. The bees soon discovered both the farina in the combs and what we had exposed to them. They crowded to the cells, and also descending to the bottom of the hives, took the pollen grain by grain in their teeth, —
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