THE PROBLEM OF THE BEES.
[TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—Having regard to the seriousness of the Bee question, if disease among them continues to spread, and noticing how very fond are our bees of the lavender bush, I was led to make experiments with some of them on my own account. The results having been somewhat successful, I pass them on to you and those of your readers who may be interested in such a vital subject.
First, I prepared an isolation hospital in the shape of a glass-covered frame and stood it on a piece of white card- board. I then persuaded a couple of crawling, sickly bees to walk on to some lavender in full bloom, and watched them, first in my hands and finally under the glass. With great avidity every tiny blossom was searched for nectar and apparently drained. The next performance was a walk round, a meeting with the neighbour bee, and a vigorous " how-de- do," with shaking of hands—or feelers ! I could never make out whether this was carried on in a friendly or a fighting spirit. However, it did not last long, and they parted to engage in a good wash and brush-up. This took quite a long time, and the next thing was a rest, when they appeared to be sleeping with half-closed eyes. After some time, the duration of which varied with the degrees of sickness, they would bestir themselves again, stretch and plume their wings, and would even attempt to fly across the case. At this juncture in the proceedings I would let them out, and in two instances had the intense satisfaction of seeing them soar upwards to the sky instead of dropping helplessly downwards, as had been their wont before.
The conclusions to be drawn from this are obvious. " Grow lavender and possibly save your bees " would be my recommendation to all who are interested. It is certainly a plea for allowing our lavender to bloom to the full instead of cutting it all, as is, I believe, usually done, before the flowers are barely open. It is quite probable that bees go to lavender for medicine, just as our domestic friend, the cat, will some-
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