THE HUMBLE BEE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3707, 10 January 1891, Page 2

THE HUMBLE BEE.

Hitherto we have heard very little about the humble bee, except its good qualities in fertilising red clover j but Mr G. M. Thomson, in the iV«u> Zealand Journal of Science— which we are glad to see has been re established —expresses a fear' whether' in time they may not prove a serious nuia- 1 ance • It appears that here the humble „<■' bees have very few natural enemies;* In England they have several.' Field mice destroy their combs and-nests, and it is estimated by one auMibrity that two-thirds of the bees are thusjjjp™ destroyed. Another remarkable mentioned by Mr Thomson is that irt many parts of the colony the liumbl© bees do not hibernate at all. " The rate of increase of the humble bee," adds the writer, "has been so great in this colony chat the question has arisen in my mind whether they will not prove as serious a nuisance,' as far as honey iB concerned,' as the - rabbit has proved to the farmer and squatter. This may seem to'.be! an' improbability to many persons who have never considered the matter, 1 especially as humble bees do not visit many of the flowers which supply neotar to the hive bee. But the fact remains that in those districts where the former have been very abundant, the supply of honey has enormously diminished daring the last two 'sea- ' sons, and many skilled beekoepera ... are beginning to attribute a considerable share of this falling oft to the humble bees."— Christchurch Press.