From Thomas Belt   28 July 1874

My Dear Sir,

I send you the following as it may possibly add something to your facts about bees. The pole beans (P. multiflorus)¹ in my garden have been today visited by some Humble bees which instead of getting at the nectar in the regular way have bored holes through the base of the flowers— I did not notice them doing this until this afternoon and they cannot have been practising it more than a day or two at the most. I know this is nothing unusual and was recorded by you many years ago—² But the remarkable fact is that the Hive bees which are very numerous were until today getting at the nectar with difficulty by the regular channel but the whole of them this afternoon have discovered the holes made by the humble bees and although not one half the flowers have yet been perforated by the humble bees the hive bees are entirely neglecting the perfect flowers and are spending the whole of their time looking for the flowers that have been perforated at the base by the humble bees—

Of the latter more than one half probably about two thirds are visiting the flowers in the regular way but if the practice spreads and becomes general most of the flowers by & bye will be I should think sterile. I learn from a friend that some pole beans grown in the City where no bees frequent them are invariably sterile

I ought to have said that the humble bees that are making the holes at the base of the flowers are doing so to every flower they visit— If this habit were to become general the cultivation of the pole bean might be rendered unprofitable but I expect there is some check to the practice spreading—³

I hope you are enjoying better health than when I last heard from you

I am Dear Sir | Yours very truly | Thomas Belt