MR. DABLING ON THE HONE 7 BEE. 205 



Instance of a singular Anomaly in the History of the Honey Bee. 

 By George Darling, Esq. 



Mona. Huber, in his wonderful and accurate researches into 

 the History of the Honey Bee, discovered that, if a young 

 queen passes the 21st day without intercourse with the drone, 

 she will be only partially fertile, laying nothing but the eggs 

 of drone brood, nor does she lay these eggs in the appropri- 

 ate comb, but in the comb proper for workers. This curious 

 fact I have seen proved several times; but one not noticed by the 

 careful Frenchman came under my observation this summer. I 

 had placed a young queen in a small experimental hive; she was 

 very soon impregnated, and filled a sheet of comb with eggs. 

 I removed her to another hive, and, in the usual time, the bees 

 turned out several young brood for queens to make up for her 

 loss. One of these, at the proper time, emerged from the 

 cell, and destroyed the others. Three days after hatching she 

 began to lay eggs, and as I supposed all right, but about a 

 week after, when I examined the hive, I found the queen 

 thrown out, and three cells converted into royal ones ; but to 

 my surprise, I found that all the grubs were drones, both 

 those in the forced royal cells, and those through the combs ; 

 and I have no doubt that the bees had, on finding their queen 

 imperfect in her functions, killed and thrown her out ; but 

 here their instinct had not been sufficient to teach them that 

 a drone grub could not be converted into a queen, for they sealed 

 up the grubs and waited patiently the time for their hatching, 

 Tlie young drones never hatched, but shrivelled in the cells, 

 which would lead to the conclusion that the food suitable for 

 a young queen is not adapted to bring a drone to perfection. 



The comb shown is where the drones were bred. 



ObeerwUioM and Notes made during the year 1846 ; Ofi the oc- 

 currence of Insects, c^-c. By P. J. Selbt, Esq., of Twizell 

 House. 



The year 1846, memorable for the deficiency of the har- 

 vest tliroughout the greater part of Northern Europe, as well 



