As a matter of fact, the pollen in its raw condition is given only to the drone-larva, and this only towards the end of its life as a grub. For the first three days of the drone-larva’s existence, and in the case of the young worker-bee for the whole five days of the larval period, the pollen is administered by the nurse-bees in a pre-digested state. After partial assimilation, both the pollen and the nectar are regurgitated by these nurse-bees, and form together a pearly-white fluid—veritable bee-milk—on which the young grubs thrive in an extraordinary way.
There are few things more fascinating than to watch a hive of bees at work on a fine June morning, and to note how the pollen is carried in. With a prosperous stock, thousands of bees must pass within the space of a few minutes, each bee dragging behind her a double load of this substance. Very often, in addition to the half-globes of pollen which she carries on her thighs4, the bee will be smothered5 in it from head to foot, as in gold-dust. If you track her into the hive, one curious point will be noted6. No matter how fast she may go, or what frantic7 spirit of labour may possess the entire colony, the pollen-laden8 bee is never in a hurry to get rid of her load. She will waste precious time wandering over the crowded combs, continually shaking herself, as though showing off her finery to her admiring relatives; and it may be some minutes before she finally selects a half-filled pollen-cell and proceeds to kick off her load. The different kinds of pollen are packed into the cells indiscriminately, the bee using her head as a ram9 to press each pellet home. When the cell is full it is never sealed over with a waxen capping, as in the case of the honey-stores, but is left open or covered with a thin film of honey, apparently10 to preserve it from the air. The nurse-bees, who are the young workers under a fortnight old, help themselves from these pollen-bins. They also frequently stop a pollen-bearer as she hurries through the crowd, and nibble11 the pollen from her thighs.
Throughout the season there is hardly an imaginable colour or shade of colour which is not represented in the pollen carried into a beehive; and with the aid of a microscope it is not difficult to identify the source of each kind. In May, before the great field-crops have come into bloom, the pollen is almost entirely12 gathered from wild flowers, and consists of various rich shades of yellow and brown. By far the heaviest burdens at this time are obtained from the dandelion. The pollen from this flower is a peculiarly bright orange, and is easily recognised under a strong glass by its grains, which are in the form of regular dodecahedrons, thickly covered all over with short spikes13.
It is well known that the honey-bee confines herself during each journey to one species of flower, and this is proved by the microscope. It is not easy to intercept14 a homing bee laden with pollen. On alighting before the hive she runs in so quickly that the keenest eye and deftest15 hand are necessary to effect her capture. But with the aid of a miniature butterfly-net and a little practice it can generally be done; and then the pellet of pollen will be found to consist almost invariably of one kind of grain. But it is not always so. The honey-bee, as a reasoning creature, does not and cannot be expected to do anything invariably. Among some hundreds of these pollen-lumps examined under the microscope I have occasionally found grains of pollen differing from the bulk. Perhaps there are no two species of flower which have pollen-grains exactly alike in colour, shape, and size, and in most the differences are very striking. In the cases mentioned the bulk of the pollen was made up of long oval yellow grains divided lengthwise into three lobes3 or gores16, which were easily identifiable as coming from the figwort. The isolated17 grains were very minute spheres thickly studded with blunt spikes—obviously from the daisy. The figwort is a famous source of bee-provender in spring time, and its pollen can be seen flowing into the hives at that time in an almost unbroken stream of brilliant chrome-yellow. The brownish-gold masses that are also being constantly carried in are from the willow18; and where the hives are near woodlands the bluebells19 yield the bees enormous quantities of pollen of a dull yellowish white.
It is interesting that all these various materials, so carefully kept asunder20 when gathered, are for the most part inextricably mingled21 within the hive. Obviously the system of visiting only one species of flower on each foraging22 journey can have no relation to pollen-gathering; nor does it seem to apply to the nectar obtained at the same time. It cannot be inferred that the contents of each honey-cell are brewed23 from only one source, because it has been proved that bees do blend the various nectars together when several crops are simultaneously24 in flower. A honey-judge can easily detect the flavours of heather and white-clover in the same sample of honey by taste alone. But there is another and much more conclusive25 way of deciding the source from which a particular sample of honey has been obtained. In the purest and most mature honeys there are always a few accidental grains of pollen, invisible to the eye, yet easily detected under a strong glass. And these may be taken as almost infallible guides to the species of flowers visited by the foraging bees. The only explanation which seems possible, therefore, of the honey-bee’s care to visit only one kind of blossom on each journey is that it is done for the sake of the plant itself, cross-fertilisation being thus rendered extremely improbable.
When once the bee-man has succumbed26 to the fascination27 of the microscope, there is very little chance that he will ever return to his old panoramic28 view of things. He goes on from wonder to wonder, and the horizon of the new world he has entered continually broadens with each marvelling29 step. To the old rule-of-thumb bee-keepers pollen was mere30 bee-bread; and the fact that the bees preferred one kind to another did not greatly concern them. But at a time when the small-holder is beginning to feel his feet, and the question of the feasibility of planting for bee-forage is certain to arise, it is necessary to know why bees gather this important part of their diet from particular kinds of flowers, while leaving severely31 alone others which appear to be equally attractive. To this question the microscope supplies a sufficient answer.
Chemists have determined32 that nectar is the heat and force-producer in the food of the bee, while pollen supplies its nitrogenous tissue-building qualities. It is evident that bees select certain pollens33 for their superior nutritive powers, just as in bread-making we prefer wheat to any other species of grain. In the kinds of pollen most in favour with bees a good microscope will reveal the fact that the pollen-grains are often accompanied by a certain amount of true farina, as well as essential oils, which must greatly enhance their food-value. And in those crops generally neglected by bees, such as daisies and buttercups, those accompaniments appear to be absent. The dandelion is especially rich in a thick yellow oil, which the bees carry away with the pollen; while two plants in particular of which the bees are especially fond—the crocus and the box—have a large amount of this farina mingled with the true pollen.
It is interesting that all these various materials, so carefully kept asunder20 when gathered, are for the most part inextricably mingled21 within the hive. Obviously the system of visiting only one species of flower on each foraging22 journey can have no relation to pollen-gathering; nor does it seem to apply to the nectar obtained at the same time. It cannot be inferred that the contents of each honey-cell are brewed23 from only one source, because it has been proved that bees do blend the various nectars together when several crops are simultaneously24 in flower. A honey-judge can easily detect the flavours of heather and white-clover in the same sample of honey by taste alone. But there is another and much more conclusive25 way of deciding the source from which a particular sample of honey has been obtained. In the purest and most mature honeys there are always a few accidental grains of pollen, invisible to the eye, yet easily detected under a strong glass. And these may be taken as almost infallible guides to the species of flowers visited by the foraging bees. The only explanation which seems possible, therefore, of the honey-bee’s care to visit only one kind of blossom on each journey is that it is done for the sake of the plant itself, cross-fertilisation being thus rendered extremely improbable.
When once the bee-man has succumbed26 to the fascination27 of the microscope, there is very little chance that he will ever return to his old panoramic28 view of things. He goes on from wonder to wonder, and the horizon of the new world he has entered continually broadens with each marvelling29 step. To the old rule-of-thumb bee-keepers pollen was mere30 bee-bread; and the fact that the bees preferred one kind to another did not greatly concern them. But at a time when the small-holder is beginning to feel his feet, and the question of the feasibility of planting for bee-forage is certain to arise, it is necessary to know why bees gather this important part of their diet from particular kinds of flowers, while leaving severely31 alone others which appear to be equally attractive. To this question the microscope supplies a sufficient answer.
Chemists have determined32 that nectar is the heat and force-producer in the food of the bee, while pollen supplies its nitrogenous tissue-building qualities. It is evident that bees select certain pollens33 for their superior nutritive powers, just as in bread-making we prefer wheat to any other species of grain. In the kinds of pollen most in favour with bees a good microscope will reveal the fact that the pollen-grains are often accompanied by a certain amount of true farina, as well as essential oils, which must greatly enhance their food-value. And in those crops generally neglected by bees, such as daisies and buttercups, those accompaniments appear to be absent. The dandelion is especially rich in a thick yellow oil, which the bees carry away with the pollen; while two plants in particular of which the bees are especially fond—the crocus and the box—have a large amount of this farina mingled with the true pollen.
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1
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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pollen
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| n.[植]花粉 | |
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3
lobes
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| n.耳垂( lobe的名词复数 )；（器官的）叶；肺叶；脑叶 | |
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thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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8
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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9
ram
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| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
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10
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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11
nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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12
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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13
spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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14
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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15
deftest
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| adj.熟练的，灵巧的( deft的最高级 ) | |
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16
gores
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| n.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破( gore的名词复数 )v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破( gore的第三人称单数 ) | |
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17
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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bluebells
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| n.圆叶风铃草( bluebell的名词复数 ) | |
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asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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22
foraging
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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23
brewed
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| 调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 )； 酝酿； 沏（茶）； 煮（咖啡） | |
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24
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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25
conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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27
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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28
panoramic
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| adj. 全景的 | |
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29
marvelling
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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30
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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32
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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33
pollens
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| n.花粉( pollen的名词复数 ) | |
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