The Germans have done much original work on this subject
and Mr. Morland at Rothamsted has been working on their theories, which on the whole, though with qualifications, he corroborates ; and the Rothamsted work should prove of practical value to beekeepers. Although, of course, bee. keepers have a very thorough knowledge of the best ways of preventing swarming, it is of practical value to have proved and tested the inner cause of an instinct that has been a wonder of the world for thousands of years. This problem is only one of many problems being studied. Light has been thrown on the behaviour of bees in winter, of their method of maintaining an equable warmth and,. incidentally, of the importance of the external colour of the hive to the winter behaviour. A reflecting colour is perhapS better than an absorptive : white is superior to black.
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