Bees Watering How To Find Them

As soon as the bees begin to stir in the spring they go searching

around for water, for this is one essential element in

brood-rearing. Early in the season the ground is generally so full

of water that bees are not confined to any certain place in order

to get the amount needed. But later in the season, when the ground

has dried off and wet weather springs have dried up, if we go into

the woods along the mountain and v sit the never-failing springs

sure to be found in the hollows and low flat places, we will be

pretty sure to find bees at some of these places.



It is not often that bees are numerous enough at these springs to

make what would be termed a strong course, but by following the

plan which I here give, you can, in a short space of time, have all

the bees necessary, with no danger of having bees from other trees

or from our neighbors' stands, which would make a mix-up, and make

it much harder for us to follow the bee that is watering. When we

go on a trip of this kind first we will provide ourselves with a

small glass tumbler; a cover, made of some dark heavy material,

long enough so that when slipped over the glass it will come within

one-fourth of an inch of the open end. Then we will take a few

drops of honey in a small vial, the scent, cloth, and bait of sugar

and water mentioned previously. When we find the bees watering we

take the glass, without cover, and place it over the bee, which

will immediately try to fly and finding himself a prisoner, will

crawl around the upper part of the glass. Previous to this a few

drops of the honey were placed on a piece of cardboard or large

leaf. Then we lift the glass and place the hand under to prevent

the bee escaping and place it on the cardboard or leaf. Now place

the black hood over it and watch the result. There is but one place

for light to enter and this is the narrow opening at lower end of

cover. In a moment the bee can be seen crawling around the bottom,

sometimes reaching down to the cardboard. Now he has found a drop

of the honey and seemingly forgets his sad plight of a moment ago

and proceeds to take a meal. The glass is lifted gently off, the

dark thick cover preventing him from seeing our hand. As soon as he

is loaded he starts and circles many times and then goes home, and

in some manner that we can't explain, tells others of what

delicious sweets he has found. No more water for that bee; he is

bound to come back and search for more honey.



We can go and catch as many bees as we think it necessary, but

generally five or six would be ample. Then the scented cloth is

placed on the ground, a bunch of green bushes laid on the spot

where the cardboard had been sprinkled freely with sweetened water,

and we are soon ready to start on the course, following the

instructions given in previous chapter.