Cheri Swanson, age 11, of Indianapolis, Indiana, for her question:

How do bees keep ants out of their nests?

Ants can be very bothersome to beehives. Like every creature fn creation, they love the sweet flavor of honey. But the bees have been coping with bandits for ages and most of the time they succeed in protecting their supplies. These furry insects are well armed and they get very annoyed when robbers try to steal their honey. After all, they worked very hard to create it. It is meant to feed the family and the bees are firmly set against sharing it with outsiders.

The insects live in a world of their own, with the same sort of problems that pester the larger animals. Some insects are victims of other insects, some are predators of other insects. In this world of small creatures, honey is as precious as gold    and just about all of them may be tempted to steal it. The worst pests often are tiny ants, scurrying around in search of groceries and various other items that may be useful inside their nests. '

When an ant finds her way into a beehive, a long string of her sisters is sure to follow. If the bees do not notice them, they find the combs sad start to feast on the honey. But almost always the bees do notice them    and take ferocious action. In a thriving hive of perhaps 85,000 bees, the ants do not stand a chance, As a rule, the first explorers are driven away by the soldier bees guarding the entrances. Those that manage to sneak inside are attacked by angry teams of nursemaid and worker bees. A few of the ants may get fatal bee stings, though usually this is not necessary. Each bee has a pair of fierce mandibles and most of the ants get fatally bitten.

Beekeepers are aware of the ant problem and take precautions to protect their hives. Ants are talented climbers, but climbing straight up a smooth slippery surface tends to be too much for them. For this reason, beekeepers perch their hives securely on top of sturdy posts, well above the ground. In addition, they daub the posts with tanglefoot or some other slippery substance that does no harm to the environment.

A determined team of foraging ants just might get through these defenses and bother the bees. So just to make sure, a bookeeper adds an extra booby trap. He sets out pans of tacky oil, just where the. ants have to cross to enter the hive. This completes the defense program and leaves the busy bees free to lay in their stores of honey. They are given every inducement to produce all the supplies needed to support the reduced hive during the coming winter    plus a generous surplus for certain smart humans who know this secret. Honey just happens to be one of those rare foods that is good for us and also tastes delicious.

Wild bees have greater problems with ants and other predators. But a large, thriving colony usually copes with them. Small colonies are less fortunate. Hordes of ants may overrun the limited bee population and steal the honey. Then, when winter comes, the bees run short of supplies and the whole colony may starve before spring returns with more flowers.