CHAPTER XIX THE MIND IN THE HIVE

 Students of the ways of the honey-bee find many things to marvel¹ at, but little to excite their wonder more than the unique system of ventilation established in the hive.

 

Under natural conditions it is a moot² point whether bees concern themselves at all with the ventilation of their nests.  Wild bees usually fix upon a site for their dwelling³ where there is ample space for all possible developments; and the ventilation of the home—as with most human tenements—is left pretty much to chance causes.  At least, in the course of many years’ observation, the writer has never seen the fanners at work in the entrance of a natural bee-settlement.

 

Probably this remarkable⁴ fanning system originated in a new want felt by the bees, when, in remote ages, their domestication⁵ began, and they found themselves cooped up in impervious⁶ hives which, in their very earliest form, were possibly roughly-plaited baskets, daubed over with clay, or earthen pots baked dry in the sun.  This form, originally adopted by the bee-keeper as a protection against honey-thieves of all sorts, as well as against the weather, brought about a new order of things in bee-life.  The free circulation of air which would obtain when the bee-colony was established naturally in a cleft⁷ of a rock or in a hollow tree became no longer possible.  And so—as they have been proved to have done in many modern instances—the bees set to work to evolve new methods to meet new necessities, and the present ventilation-system gradually became an established habit of the race.

 

Watching a hive of bees on any hot summer’s day, one very curious, not to say startling, fact must strike the most superficial observer.  If the fanning bees were stationed round the flight-hole in a merely casual, irregular way, their obvious employment would be surprising enough.  But it is at once seen that each fanner forms part in an ingenious and carefully thought-out plan.  Outwardly, the fanners are arranged in regular rows, one behind the other, all with their heads pointed⁹ towards the hive, and all working their wings so fast that their incessant¹⁰ movement becomes nearly invisible.  These rows of bees extend sometimes for several inches over the alighting-board, and on very hot days there may be as many as seven or eight ranks.  The ventilating army never covers the whole available space.  It is always at one side or the other; or, where the entrance is a wide one, it may be divided into two wings, leaving a centre space free.  The fanning bees, moreover, do not keep close together, but stand in open order, so that the continual coming and going of the nectar-gatherers is in no wise impeded¹¹.  There is a constant flow of worker-bees through the ranks in both directions; yet the fanning goes on uninterruptedly, and, under certain conditions, the current of air thus set up may be strong enough to blow out the flame of a candle held at the edge of the flight-board.

 

In all study of the ways of the honey-bee, the safer plan is to begin with the assumption that a reasoning creature is under observation, and then to work back to the surer, well-beaten tracks of thought concerning the lower creation—that is, if the observed facts warrant it.  But this question of the ventilation of the modern beehive—only one of many other problems equally astounding—helps the orthodox naturalist¹² of the old school very little on his comfortable way.  We know that the wild bee generally chooses a situation for her nest which is neither cramped¹³ nor confined, but has in most cases ample space available for the future growth of the colony.  Security from storm or flood seems to be the first consideration.  The fact that the interior of a bee-nest is more or less in darkness appears to be mainly accidental.  Bees have no particular liking¹⁴ for absolute darkness, nor, in fact, is any hive perfectly¹⁵ free from light.  Experiment will prove that a very small aperture¹⁶ is sufficient to admit a considerable amount of reflected and diffused¹⁷ light, quite enough for the needs of the hive.  It may be supposed, therefore, that the bees would have no objection to building in broad daylight, or even sunlight, if, in conjunction with the first necessities of shelter, security, and equable temperature, such a location were easily obtainable under natural conditions.  It would only be another instance of their unique adaptability¹⁸ to circumstances forced upon them.

 

In the matter of ventilation, however, they seem to make a very determined¹⁹ and highly successful stand against imposed conditions.  Bee-keeping cannot be made a profitable occupation unless the work of the bees is kept strictly²⁰ within certain sharply-defined limits, and probably the modern movable comb hive is the best means to this end.  That it leaves the necessity of ventilation wholly unprovided for is not the fault of the bee-master, but of the bees themselves.  They refuse pointblank to have anything to do with human notions of hygiene²¹.  Many devices have been tried, in the form of vent-shafts and the like, to carry off the vitiated air of the hive, but all have failed, because the bees insist on stopping up every crack or crevice²² left in walls, roof, or floor.  For some inscrutable reason they will have only the one opening, which must serve for all purposes, and the hive-maker has had to learn by hard-won experience that the bees are right.

 

Perhaps, in any attempt to follow the reasoning of the bees in this matter, it is well first of all to get rid of the word “fanning” altogether.  The wing-action of the ventilating bees is more that of a screw-propeller than a fan.  The air is not beaten to and fro, as a fan would beat it, but is driven backwards²³, and thus the ventilating squadron on the flight-board really sets up an exhaust-current, which draws the contaminated air out of the hive.  This implies an equally strong current of fresh air passing into the hive, and explains why the bees work at the side of the entrance only, the central, unoccupied space being obviously the course of the intake²⁴.  Thus the bees’ system of ventilation can be described as a swiftly-flowing loop of air, having both extremities²⁵ outside the hive, much as a rope moves over a pulley, and it can be readily understood that any supplementary²⁶ inlet or outlet—such as the bee-master would instal, if he were permitted—would be rather a hindrance²⁷ to the system than a help.  Probably the actual main current keeps to the walls of the hive throughout, the ventilation between the brood-combs being more slowly effected.  This would fulfil a double purpose.  The air supplied to the central portion, or brood-nest proper, would be thoroughly²⁸ warmed before it reached the young larva, while the outer and upper combs, where the stores of new honey are maturing, would lie in the full stream.

 

It must be remembered that a constant supply of fresh air of the right temperature is as necessary for the brewing²⁹ honey as it is for the bees and young brood.  The nectar, as gathered from the flowers, needs to be deprived of the greater part of its moisture before it becomes honey.  Thus, in the course of the season, many gallons of water must pass out of the hive in the form of vapour, and the removal of this water constitutes an important part of the work of the ventilating army.  Here, again, the wisdom of the bees in insisting on a mechanical, as opposed to an automatic, system of air-renewal, becomes evident.  If the warm, moisture-laden air were left to discharge itself from the hive by its own buoyancy, condensation³⁰ of this moisture would take place on the cooler surfaces of the hive-walls, and the lower regions of the hive would speedily become a quagmire³¹.  But by setting up a mechanically-driven current the air is drawn³² out before condensation can take place, and thus, in one operation, forming a veritable triumph in economics, the hive interior is rendered both dry and salutary, while its temperature is sustained at the necessary hatching-point for the young brood.

 

A reflection which will occur to most thinking minds is, why should the domesticated³³ honey-bee be constrained³⁴ to resort to all these devices, when the wild bee seems to lead a happy-go-lucky existence, comparatively free, so far as we know, from such complicated cares?  The answer to this is that the science of apiculture has wrought³⁵ a change in the bees’ normal environment which is probably without parallel in the whole history of the domestication of the lower creatures.  In a modern hive the honey-bee lives on a vastly elaborated scale, and the ancient rules of bee-life are no longer applicable.  Much the same sort of thing has happened as in the case of a village which has grown to a city.  It is useless to deal with the new order of things as a mere⁸ question of arithmetic.  Abnormal growth in a community involves change not only in scale but in principle; and it is the same with a hive of bees as with a hive of men.

1 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

2 moot   

v.提出；adj.未决议的；n.大会；辩论会

参考例句：

• The question mooted in the board meeting is still a moot point.那个在董事会上提出讨论的问题仍未决的。
• The oil versus nuclear equation is largely moot.石油和核能之间的关系还很有争议。

3 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

4 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

5 domestication   

n.驯养，驯化

参考例句：

• The first was the domestication of animals. 第一个阶段是驯养动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In northwestern China, there is no evidence for endemic domestication of any animals. 在中国西北，没有任何当地动物驯化的迹象。 来自辞典例句

6 impervious   

adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的

参考例句：

• He was completely impervious to criticism.他对批评毫不在乎。
• This material is impervious to gases and liquids.气体和液体都透不过这种物质。

7 cleft   

n.裂缝；adj.裂开的

参考例句：

• I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
• He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

8 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 incessant   

adj.不停的，连续的

参考例句：

• We have had incessant snowfall since yesterday afternoon.从昨天下午开始就持续不断地下雪。
• She is tired of his incessant demands for affection.她厌倦了他对感情的不断索取。

11 impeded   

阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Work on the building was impeded by severe weather. 楼房的施工因天气恶劣而停了下来。
• He was impeded in his work. 他的工作受阻。

12 naturalist   

n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)

参考例句：

• He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
• The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。

13 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

14 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

15 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

16 aperture   

n.孔，隙，窄的缺口

参考例句：

• The only light came through a narrow aperture.仅有的光亮来自一个小孔。
• We saw light through a small aperture in the wall.我们透过墙上的小孔看到了亮光。

17 diffused   

散布的，普及的，扩散的

参考例句：

• A drop of milk diffused in the water. 一滴牛奶在水中扩散开来。
• Gases and liquids diffused. 气体和液体慢慢混合了。

18 adaptability   

n.适应性

参考例句：

• It has a wide range of adaptability.它的应用性广。

19 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

20 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

21 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

22 crevice   

n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口

参考例句：

• I saw a plant growing out of a crevice in the wall.我看到墙缝里长出一棵草来。
• He edged the tool into the crevice.他把刀具插进裂缝里。

23 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

24 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

25 extremities   

n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地

参考例句：

• She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities. 我觉得她那副穷极可怜的样子实在太惹人注目。 来自辞典例句
• Winters may be quite cool at the northwestern extremities. 西北边区的冬天也可能会相当凉。 来自辞典例句

26 supplementary   

adj.补充的，附加的

参考例句：

• There is a supplementary water supply in case the rain supply fails.万一主水源断了，我们另外有供水的地方。
• A supplementary volume has been published containing the index.附有索引的增补卷已经出版。

27 hindrance   

n.妨碍，障碍

参考例句：

• Now they can construct tunnel systems without hindrance.现在他们可以顺利地建造隧道系统了。
• The heavy baggage was a great hindrance to me.那件行李成了我的大累赘。

28 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

29 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

30 condensation   

n.压缩，浓缩；凝结的水珠

参考例句：

• A cloud is a condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere.云是由大气中的水蒸气凝结成的。
• He used his sleeve to wipe the condensation off the glass.他用袖子擦掉玻璃上凝结的水珠。

31 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

32 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

33 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

35 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。