. [Articles about birds from National geographic magazine]. Birds. MAN'S WINGED ALLY, THE BUSY HONEYBEE 403. mi m A LANDLORD OUSTS HIS TENANTS, rii t ^rap h r urtf BUT PROVIDES A J I S Dcfartn nt I \ MODERN HOME Lulture He puffed smoke into the old hive, then broke it open. Lifting out chunks of comb and honey, he brushes off the clinging bees near the door of the new hive (right), which they occupy readily. The keeper may destroy the old hybrid queen and give the colony a prolific young Italian (see text, page 425 and Color Plate VII). The exposed brood combs are thick and black, indicating t
. [Articles about birds from National geographic magazine]. Birds. MAN'S WINGED ALLY, THE BUSY HONEYBEE 403. mi m A LANDLORD OUSTS HIS TENANTS, rii t ^rap h r urtf BUT PROVIDES A J I S Dcfartn nt I \ MODERN HOME Lulture He puffed smoke into the old hive, then broke it open. Lifting out chunks of comb and honey, he brushes off the clinging bees near the door of the new hive (right), which they occupy readily. The keeper may destroy the old hybrid queen and give the colony a prolific young Italian (see text, page 425 and Color Plate VII). The exposed brood combs are thick and black, indicating that many generations of larvae have been reared in them. to the Grimes Golden. When all pollen except its own is excluded, the Grimes Golden produces little or no fruit. "the PRIESTS OF THE FLOWERS" "The priests of the flowers" honeybees have been called, since they perform the marriage ceremony of the plants. Although the honeybee is by no means domesticated, it is easily controlled. Con- sequently, millions already are being moved from one section of the country to another and placed in orchards and on farms. Bee men in the South even offer for sale a polli- nation package, a wire cage filled with bees. The grower distributes the requisite number throughout his orchards, opens the cages, and leaves the rest to the bees. Hundreds of full colonies are rented to orchardists during the peak of the blooming period. The bee has also largely replaced the camel's-hair brush in poHinating cucum- bers under glass. Were it not for the work of the honeybee, most of our apple, pear, plum, and cherry orchards would bear poor crops, the grow- ing of certain forage crops would be un- profitable, and the variety and quantity of our vegetables would be materially reduced. BEE CITIZENS OF MANY LANDS Honey and beeswax are produced over a wider geographical range than any other agricultural crop. There is scarcely a coun- try in which honeybees are not kept. They inhabit the T
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