Several chimneys in my locality with disused
flues are taken possession of by colonies of bees nearly every season.
One day, while bee-hunting, I developed a line that went toward a
farm-house where I had reason to believe no bees were kept. I followed
it up and questioned the farmer about his bees. He said he kept no
bees, but that a swarm had taken possession of his chimney, and another
had gone under the clapboards in the gable end of his house. He had
taken a large lot of honey out of both places the year before. Another
farmer told me that one day his family had seen a number of bees
examining a knot-hole in the side of his house; the next day as they
were sitting down to dinner their attention was attracted by a loud
humming noise, when they discovered a swarm of bees settling upon the
side of the house and pouring into the knot-hole. In subsequent years
other swarms came to the same place.
Apparently, every swarm of bees before it leaves the parent hive sends
out exploring parties to look up the future home. The woods and groves
are searched through and through, and no doubt the privacy of many a
squirrel and many a wood mouse is intruded upon.
Pages:
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92