CHAPTER XXIII SUMMER LIFE IN A BEE-HIVE

 If you go to the bee-garden early of a fine summer’s morning you will be struck by the singular quiet of the place.  All the woods and hedgerows are ringing with busy life.  The rooks are cawing homeward with already hours of strenuous¹ work behind them.  The cattle in the meadows are well through their first cud.  But as yet the bee-city is as still as the sleeping village around it.  Now and again a bee drops down from the sky on a deserted² hive-threshold with sleepy hum, and runs past the guards at the gate.  But these are bees that have wandered too far afield overnight, tempted³ by the sunny warmth of the evening.  The dusk has caught them, and obliterated⁴ their flying-marks.  They have perforce camped out under some broad leaf, to be wakened by the earliest light of morning and hurry home with their belated loads.

 

The sun is well up over the hillbrow before the visible life of the bee-garden begins to rouse in earnest.  The water-seekers are the first to appear.  Every hive has its traditional dipping-place, generally the oozy⁵ margin⁶ of some neighbouring pond, where the house-martins have been wheeling and crying since the first grey of dawn.  Now the bees’ clear undertone begins to mingle⁷ with the chippering chorus.  In a little while there is a thin straight line of humming music stretched between the hives and the pond: it could not be straighter if a surveyor had made it with his level.  Again a little while, and this long searchlight of melody thrown out by the bee-garden veers⁸ to the north.  You may track it straight over copse and meadow, seeing not a bee overhead, but guided unerringly by the arrow-flight of music, until, on the far hillside, it is lost in a perfect roar of sound.  Here the white-clover is in almost full blossom again: in southern England at least it is always the second crop of clover that yields the most plentiful⁹ harvest to the hives.

 

It must be a disturbing thing to those kindergarten moralists who hold the bee up to youth for an example of industry and prudence¹⁰ to learn that she is by no means an early riser; though, at this time of year, she is undoubtedly¹¹ both wealthy and wise.  For it is her very wisdom that now makes her a lie-abed.  When the iron is hot, she will not be slow in striking.  But it is nectar, not dewdrops, from which she makes her honey.  Very wisely she waits until the sun has drunk up the dew from the clover-bells, and then she hurries forth¹² to garner¹³ their undiluted sweets.  Even then, perhaps, three-fourths of her burden will be carried uselessly.  In the brewing¹⁴-vats of the hive the nectar must stand and steam until three parts of its original bulk has evaporated, and its sugar has been inverted¹⁵ into grape-sugar.  Then it is honey, but not before.  When we see the fanning-army at work by the entrance of a hive, it is not alone an undoubted passion for pure air that moves the bees to such ingenious activity.  In the height of the honey season many pints¹⁶ of vaporised liquid must be given off by the maturing stores in the course of a day and night, and all this water must be got rid of.  Herein is shown the wisdom of the bee-master who makes the walls of his hives of a material that is a bad conductor of heat.  It is a first necessity of health to the bees that the moisture in the air, which they are incessantly¹⁷ fanning out at this time, should not condense until it is safely wafted¹⁸ from the hive.  A cold-walled hive can easily become a quagmire¹⁹.

 

The bee-garden is quiet now in the sweet virgin²⁰ light of the summer’s morning; but the thought of it as containing so many houses of sleep, true of the village with its thatched human dwellings²¹, could not well be farther from the truth in regard to the village of hives.  There is little sleep in a bee-hive in summer.  Of any common period of rest, of any quiet night when all but the sentinels at the gate are slumbering²², of any general time of relaxation²³, there is absolutely none.  Each individual bee—forager or nurse, comb-builder or storekeeper—works until she can work no more, and then stops by the way, or crawls into the nearest empty cell for a brief siesta²⁴.  But the life of the hive itself never halts, never wavers in summertime, night or day.  Go to it morning, noon, or night in the hot July season, and you will always find it driving onward²⁵ unremittingly.  The crowd is surging to and fro.  There is ever the busy deep labour-note.  Its people are building, brewing, wax-making, scavenging, wet-nursing, being born and dying: it is all going on without pause or break inside those four reverberating²⁶ walls, while you stand without in the dew-soaked grass and level sunbeams wondering how it is that all the world can be at full flood-tide of merry life and music while these mysterious hive people give scarce a sign.

 

It is at night chiefly that the combs are built.  The wax, that is a secretion²⁷ from the bees’ own bodies, will generate only under great heat, and the temperature of the hive is naturally greatest when all the family is at home.  In the night also such works as transferring a large mass of honey from one comb to another are undertaken.  It is curious to note that at night time the drones get together in the remotest parts of the hive, apparently²⁸ to keep up the heat in these distant quarters, which are away from the main cluster of worker-bees.  There is hardly another thing in creation, perhaps, with a worse name than the drone-bee.  But like all bad things he is not so bad as he is represented.  Apart from his main and obvious use, the drone fulfils at least one very important office.  His habit is not to leave his snug²⁹ corner until close upon midday.  Thus, when every able-bodied worker bee is out foraging³⁰, the temperature of the hive is sustained by the presence of the drones, and the young bee-brood is in no danger of chilling.

 

Though the supreme³¹ direction of all affairs in a bee-hive falls to the lot of the worker-bees, the queen-mother is second to none in industry.  At this time of year she goes about her task with a dogged patience and assiduity pathetic to witness.  She may have to supply from two thousand to three thousand brood-cells with eggs in the course of a single day, and she is for ever wandering through the crowded corridors of the hive looking for empty cradles.  The old bee-masters believed that the queen was always accompanied in these unending promenades³² by exactly a dozen bees, whom they called the Twelve Apostles.  It is true that whenever the queen stops in her march she is immediately surrounded by a number of bees, who form themselves into a ring, keeping their heads ceremoniously towards her.  But close observation reveals the fact that the queen-bee is never followed about by a permanent retinue³³.  When she moves to go on, the ring breaks and disperses³⁴ before her; but the bees who gather round her on her next halt are those who happen to occupy the space of comb she has then reached.

 

The truth seems to be that she is passed from “hand to hand” over the combs of the brood-nest, and is stopped wherever a cell requires replenishing.  Each bee that she encounters on her path turns front and touches her gently with her antenna³⁵.  The queen constantly returns these salutes³⁶ as she moves, and it looks exactly as if she were going the rounds of her domain³⁷ and collecting information.  Often she is stopped by half a dozen bees in a solid phalanx, and carefully headed off in a new direction.  She looks into every cell as she goes, and when she has lowered her body into a cell, the Apostles instantly gather about her, with strokings and caresses³⁸.  But their number is seldom twelve.  It varies according to the bulk and length of the queen herself, and is more often sixteen than a dozen.

1 strenuous   

adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的

参考例句：

• He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading. 他奋发努力提高阅读能力。
• You may run yourself down in this strenuous week.你可能会在这紧张的一周透支掉自己。

2 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

3 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

4 obliterated   

v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 oozy   

adj.软泥的

参考例句：

• What calls erythema oozy sex gastritis? 什么叫红斑渗出性胃炎？ 来自互联网

6 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

7 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

8 veers   

v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的第三人称单数 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• The car veers out of control. 这辆车失去了控制。 来自辞典例句
• His fondness for his characters sometimes veers towards the sentimental. 他对那位主人公的偏爱有时也稍显矫情。 来自互联网

9 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

10 prudence   

n.谨慎，精明，节俭

参考例句：

• A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
• The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。

11 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

12 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

13 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

14 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。

15 inverted   

adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Only direct speech should go inside inverted commas. 只有直接引语应放在引号内。
• Inverted flight is an acrobatic manoeuvre of the plane. 倒飞是飞机的一种特技动作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 pints   

n.品脱( pint的名词复数 )；一品脱啤酒

参考例句：

• I drew off three pints of beer from the barrel. 我从酒桶里抽出三品脱啤酒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Two pints today, please. 今天请来两品脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 incessantly   

ad.不停地

参考例句：

• The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight. 机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。
• It rained incessantly for the whole two weeks. 雨不间断地下了整整两个星期。

18 wafted   

v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The sound of their voices wafted across the lake. 他们的声音飘过湖面传到了另一边。
• A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. 花园中飘过一股刚出炉面包的香味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 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。

20 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

21 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 slumbering   

微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• It was quiet. All the other inhabitants of the slums were slumbering. 贫民窟里的人已经睡眠静了。
• Then soft music filled the air and soothed the slumbering heroes. 接着，空中响起了柔和的乐声，抚慰着安睡的英雄。

23 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

24 siesta   

n.午睡

参考例句：

• Lots of people were taking a short siesta in the shade.午后很多人在阴凉处小睡。
• He had acquired the knack of snatching his siesta in the most unfavourable circumstance.他学会了在最喧闹的场合下抓紧时间睡觉的诀窍。

25 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

26 reverberating   

回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射

参考例句：

• The words are still ringing [reverberating] in one's ears. 言犹在耳。
• I heard a voice reverberating: "Crawl out! I give you liberty!" 我听到一个声音在回荡：“爬出来吧，我给你自由！”

27 secretion   

n.分泌

参考例句：

• Is there much secretion from your eyes?你眼里的分泌物多吗？
• In addition,excessive secretion of oil,water scarcity are also major factors.除此之外，油脂分泌过盛、缺水也都是主要因素。

28 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

29 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

30 foraging   

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）

参考例句：

• They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps. 他们靠在垃圾场捡垃圾维持着朝不保夕的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The campers went foraging for wood to make a fire. 露营者去搜寻柴木点火。 来自辞典例句

31 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

32 promenades   

n.人行道( promenade的名词复数 )；散步场所；闲逛v.兜风( promenade的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He often promenades his wife along the Thames Embankment. 他常常带太太沿着泰晤士河堤防散步。 来自辞典例句
• Stoas lined marketplaces and sanctuaries and formed places of Business and public promenades. 柱廊围绕在市场和神庙的四周，是交易和公众散步的场所。 来自互联网

33 retinue   

n.侍从；随员

参考例句：

• The duchess arrived,surrounded by her retinue of servants.公爵夫人在大批随从人马的簇拥下到达了。
• The king's retinue accompanied him on the journey.国王的侍从在旅途上陪伴着他。

34 disperses   

v.（使）分散( disperse的第三人称单数 )；疏散；驱散；散布

参考例句：

• With controlled pace and sequence of construction, excess heat disperses. 在对施工进度和程序加以控制之后，多余的热量就能散掉。 来自辞典例句
• Normally, turbulence disperses such pollutants quickly. 正常情况下，湍流将迅速驱散这类污染物。 来自辞典例句

35 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

36 salutes   

n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• Poulengey salutes, and stands at the door awaiting orders. 波仑日行礼，站在门口听侯命令。 来自辞典例句
• A giant of the world salutes you. 一位世界的伟人向你敬礼呢。 来自辞典例句

37 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

38 caresses   

爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A breeze caresses the cheeks. 微风拂面。
• Hetty was not sufficiently familiar with caresses or outward demonstrations of fondness. 海蒂不习惯于拥抱之类过于外露地表现自己的感情。