[C42]

Beans

May 24th 1862

Noticed all lower flowers of Bean bitten by Bees, those lately opened above cut so, marked place of separation with white bobbin; covered with web & moved the upper flowers as if visited by Bees.— Also left 3 bitten stems uncovered & gathered all the upper flowers not opened & not bitten. As far as I have observed heretofore, it the later flowers above that have been bitten: I have noticed this early summer an extraordinary no' of Queen Bees of several species; & my former observations make me think it is rivalry which makes Bee bite, or when working together in numbers; for instance, this year, 2 or 3 stalks growing by accident separately have not one flower bitten. Hence though Bean requires Bees; yet

[C42v]

too many bees injurious!! But this will always be a cheque to Bees too habitually biting holes, for if they did plant wd become extinct & Bees would suffer. Of course Bees never bite holes in open flowers. Honeysuckle—Corydalis — Leguminosæ Snap-dragon (?) Salvia Penstemon

June 14th I find that the bitten Beans have set as many pods as the others.— ⸮ abort Beans?

(It is all rubbish the Bean-flowers which were bitten by Bees have produced just as good pods as the others!!!)

May have been visited before

Dichogamy