22 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jannarj 6, 1878. 



man may easily snpply guides to a hundred frames in an honr.- 

 JoHN Hunter, Eaton Rise, Ealing. 



THE "WONDEKS OP A BEE HIVE.— No. 2. 

 Mt first letter on this subject touched the fact that both the 

 sovereign and subjects of a bee hive are produced and producible 

 from the same kind of eggs. Though both are hatched from 

 one kind of eggs they are not treated alike, or hatched in the 

 same kind of cells. The cells in which queens are reared are 

 indeed regal palaces compared to the cells of working bees. 

 Royal cells occupy much more space, are very diilereutJy con- 

 structed, and with a great expenditure of was. Koyal cells are 

 vertical in form, and, therefore, queens are reared and hatched 

 with their heads towards the floor-board, whereas workers are 

 reared and hatched in horizontal cells built closely together, 

 with the smallest possible expenditure of wax. 



Eggs in royal cells become worms (very small maggots) in 

 three days, when they may be easily seen floating in a milk-like 

 substance at the bottom of the cells. The royal infants grow 

 uncommonly fast for five days, completely filling their cradles 

 by the end of that time, when the bees put beaiitiful lids over 

 them, thus sealing them up. In about six or seven days more 

 {fourteen altogether) they come to maturity. But before they 

 are born the tragedy of their life begins, and a wonderful tragedy 

 it is. When an old queen dies or goes away with a swarm the 

 bees invariably rear more than one queen ; generally speaking 

 they rear from three to five queens, and sometimes more. They 

 come to perfection about the same time, and with dispositions 

 to fight and murder one another. These princesses have no 

 sisterly feelings, and can brook no rivals. The one first matured 

 in her cell gives distinct intimation before she is born that she 

 will claim the throne of the hive by uttering some strange and 

 peculiar sounds. She calls "off, off, off," again and again, and 

 as her calls and claim remain unchallenged she pushes the 

 coverlet of her cradle-cell aside, and with a dignity becoming 

 royalty asserts herself the queen of the hive. She is heartily 

 welcomed by the community, and is received and recognised as 

 their rightful sovereign. The sister princesses speedily come to 

 maturity, and begin to call " off, off," in their cells. These 

 sounds indicate rivalship and opposition, which much provokes 

 the reigning queen, and makes her run to and fro and up and 

 down the hive with unquenchable deadly hate and murderous 

 intentions. She now calls " peep, peep," first in one place and 

 then at another ; meanwhile her sisters accept her challenge by 

 repeating their "off, oft," from their cells. This "piping "of 

 the queen and princesses is a wonderful feature in the history 

 of bees. What is it for? Who can explain or understand it? 

 It is doubtless a wise and necessary arrangement in the economy 

 of bees, though its mysteries are too deep for the limited powers 

 and perception of men. 



The piping of queens, if continued, heralds the departure of 

 second and third swarms from hives. The queen is often called 

 "the sovereign," and the bees "the subjects;" but it should be 

 known that the monarchy of a bee hive is a very limited one, 

 for the working bees sit in the highest council chamber and 

 there decide the destinies of the community, including even the 

 birth, life, and death of queens. Very well ; when the bees 

 decide that second swarms will not be sent off they speedily 

 stop the piping. The princesses are killed in their cells and cast 

 out of the hive. If swarming be decided on in the high council 

 the piping is continued for three days and nights, when, weather 

 permitting, a second swarm issues from the hive. "We have 

 known a case of continued piping for seven days. The queen 

 and princesses kept answering one another constantly for a 

 whole week, night and day. The bees kept the reigning queen 

 from attacking the princesses (unborn), and they were secured, 

 watched, and confined to their cells like dogs to their kennels. 

 And never did dogs bark so continuously as did these confined 

 queens. Just one word in passing on the fact that these young 

 creatures found no time for sleep during the whole week. Sleep 

 is impossible to qaeens during the piping season. If they can 

 do without sleep then when are they more likely to require it ? 



The interesting incidents — the fuss and pageantry connected 

 with the introduction of queens to the world — are numerous and 

 difficult to describe. Queens have stings, blunt and curved, 

 which they never use but in royal battles. No amount of pro- 

 vocation or pressure by human hands ever cause them to use 

 their stings. Human breath is most offensive to working bees, 

 but queens may be safely rolled under the tongue and held in 

 the mouth of any person. I shall leave this part of my subject 

 by giving the reader an account of a royal battle seen and 

 described by a lady. " The bees had built six queen cells, and 

 in about twelve days the first queen was hatched. As soon as 

 she was fairly born she marched rapidly, and in the most 

 energetic manner, over the combs, visited the other cells in 

 which were the embryo queens, and seemed at times furious to 

 destroy them. The workers, however, surrounded her, and 

 prevented such wholesale murder. For two days she was intent 

 upon her fell purpose, kept in almost continuous motion to 



effect it. On the fourteenth day the second queen was ready to 

 come out, piping and making noises to attract attention. A part 

 of the bees then seemed to conclude that it was time to take the 

 first queen with them and swarm, but by some mistake she 

 remained in the hive after the swarm had left. The second queen 

 left her cell soon after the swarm had gone, and now there were 

 two hatched queens in the hive. The workers were in a state 

 of great uneasiness and commotion, seeming impatient for the 

 destruction of one of them. The queens met, and the combat 

 commenced in which one was to gain her laurels and the other 

 to die. The battle was fierce and sanguinary. They grappled 

 each other, and, like expert wrestlers, strove to inflict the fatal 

 blow. For some moments the parties seemed equally matched. 

 The bees stood looking calmly on the dreadful struggle. The 

 battle, like all others, had its close; one fell on the field, and was 

 immediately taken by the workers and carried out of the hive. 

 The swarm was hived, but being without a queen, came rushing 

 back, but was not in time to witness the fatal straggle." 



The life of a queen bee to the community is of inestimable 

 value. See what care and labour are bestowed in constructing 

 royal cells ; what a short time is required to hatch princesses ; 

 what peace and joy reign in a hive possessing a healthy queen ; 

 what affection is mauif-sted for her by the bees — their uneasi- 

 ness when she is out of their sight — their wail of lamentation 

 when she is lost — their utter hopelessness, ruin and collapse 

 when they have no eggs wherefrom to raise a successor! — 

 A. Pettigbew. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Cauden Sqoabe, Londok. 



Lat. Bl° 83' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8- 0" W. ; Altitnde, 111 feet. 



REMAKKg. 

 29th. — Fine morning, but no Bun ; overcast at night. 

 30th.— DqII and overcast throughout the day; very cahn. 

 3lBt. — Generally dul], but bright Bun at intervals ; cloudy at night. On the 

 whole the liuest day in the week. 

 lat. — Dark, damp, and thick all day, with rain at and after 11 a.m. The 



temperature nnuanally steady. 

 2nd. — Raiu at intervals all day, and at times very dark ; rain also during 



the night. 

 3rd. — A little rain before 9 a.m. A warm damp day, a fine sunset, and star- 

 light night. 

 4th. — Very dark early; rather bright for a short time about noon; damp 

 and thick till 6 p.m., and then much finer. 

 The most remarkable feature of the week is the equability of the air 

 temperature. From 9 a.m. on 26th to 9 p.m. on the Ist it only varied from 

 40.5'^ to 47.8^.— G. J. Ssuon3. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— January 5. 



No recovery from last week, with the exception of late Borta of Pears, for 



which a good demand is now being felt. Some very fine samples of 



St. Michael Pines are now to he seen in the market, completely spoiling the 



Bale of English ones. 



B. d. B. d. 



Applee i sieve 1 0to2 



CbestnutQ bushel 12 20 



Figa doz. 



Filberts. Coba lb. 5 9 



Grapes, hothouHO lb. ^ 6 



Lemons ^^100 6 12 



Oranges ^100 G 12 



Peaches doz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 



dessert doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts \y\m 



ditto bushel 



. d. B. d. 

 OtoO 

 



TEOETABLES, 



Artichokes dozen 



Asparagus 1^ ICO 10 



French bundle 18 



Beaoi, Kidney i sieve 



Beet, Red dozen 1 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts i sieve 2 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



Capsicums ** lUi) 1 



t'aulillawer dozen 2 



Celery bundle 1 



Colewort-a.. doz. bunches 2 

 Cucumbers each 1 



pickling dozen 1 



Endive dozen 1 



Ft-nufcl bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 4 



Leeka bunch 



d. 8. d. 

 OtoO 

 12 





 

 

 



1 6 

 



2 

 8 

 2 

 6 

 2 

 4 



2 



3 

 2 



e 



















Lettuce dozen 



French Cabbage .... 



Maahrooms pottle 



Mustard &. CresB puonet 



Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley.... doz. bunches 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney du... 



Radishes., doz, bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bund e 



Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes dozen 



Turnips bun h 



Vegetable Marrows 



B. d. 8. d 



etoi 



10 16 



1 



