. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. 1917 AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 265 g;ir<lc<l ;is hiiiicy plants, anil are so listed in the Honey I'laiits of Ne- braska, Init 1 have never seen a honeybee ol)taiii the nectar in the normal way. But in order to get the nectar more quickly, bumblebees bite holes in the spurs, and then many honeybees resort to the flow- ers and suck the nectar through these punctures. Our wild columbine has scarlet tlowers which are yellow inside, or rarely all over. It is vis- ited by hunmiing-birds as well as by bumblebees. (.Fig. 3). The snapdragon, with its many col
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. 1917 AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 265 g;ir<lc<l ;is hiiiicy plants, anil are so listed in the Honey I'laiits of Ne- braska, Init 1 have never seen a honeybee ol)taiii the nectar in the normal way. But in order to get the nectar more quickly, bumblebees bite holes in the spurs, and then many honeybees resort to the flow- ers and suck the nectar through these punctures. Our wild columbine has scarlet tlowers which are yellow inside, or rarely all over. It is vis- ited by hunmiing-birds as well as by bumblebees. (.Fig. 3). The snapdragon, with its many col- ored varieties, is anotlier bumblebee flower widely cultivated in gardens. So firmly are tlie lips closed together that the smaller bees cannot force them apart, and thus the nectar is protected for the rightful guests. But as the flowers grow older the lips often part slightly, and then the smaller bees can gain an entrance. The great size of the corolla permits the largest bumblebee to creep whol- ly within it. Another common bumblebee flower is the garden nasturtium. The lower part of each petal is marked with red, which serves as a guide to the honey; while the claws of the lovver petals are fringed with hairs, which prevent w-ater running into the spur. Honeybees cannot reach the nectar,- although they sometimes attempt to do so. Occasionally they gather pol- len from the anthers, which are fully exposed and dehisce or open one at a time, rising successively before the mouth of the flower. Only bumble- bees with the longest tongues can reach all of the nectar; and here it may be added that the tongues of the various species of bumblebees vary from 5-16 to 13-16 of an inch in length. The spur is so tough that bees cannot perforate it, although they apparently sometimes make the attempt. Frequent references may be found in bee literature to the spotted ? "touch-me-not," or Impatiens bi- flora, which covers acres of damp land and blooms profusely. The flower is sh
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
