FERTILE WORKERS. 69 



CHAPTER XI. 



FERTILE WORKERS. 



It is not an uncommon thing, from some as vet unknown 

 cause, for a working bee to become procreative. They are usually 

 termed fertile workers. These fertile workers assume all the 

 functions of queens. The workers treat them as such, but I think 

 always with a certain amount of misgiving. They lay eggs, but 

 from these eggs drones are always evolved. Is this power of 

 laying the result of the copulation of the previous generation, or 

 is it a case of parthenogenesis ? If parthenogenesis, how is it 

 that it so rai'ely shows itself? If a virgin queen, through Home 

 accident to her wings or any other cause, looses the power of 

 flight, thus preventing her consorting with a mate, she becomes, 

 in bee-keepers' phraseology, a drone-layer. In this respect she 

 stands exactly on the same plane with fertile workers. All un- 

 mated queens are always drone-layers ; but drone-laying workers 

 (fertile workers) are of rare occurrence. In the case of drone- 

 laying queens, through the loss of the power of flight, she ceases 

 to be procreatively receptive. A fertile worker has, and has 

 always had, the power of flight, but, procreatively, she was never 

 receptive. Yet a drone-laying queen and fertile worker stand 

 exactly upon the pame footing. 



Tlie mysteries of the bee-hive, what an interesting subject! 

 The rea.son of this is full of wisdom ! In this it is seen no 



working bee has a brother of full blood. It may appear to be 

 paradoxical. It may even appear to be absurd, seeing that the 

 same mother produced both the males and females of the family; 

 yet, as abs-urd as it may appear, it is true in fact. It may be 

 asked what relationship exists between the mother bee and the 

 drone she produces, seeing that the father of her own son was 

 the consort of her own mother — a relationship that is not cata- 

 logued in the tables of consanguinity ? ■'"SKHgf^ 

 Thus, if the influence of the drone, both in traits of tem- 

 perament and working energy (although the drone works not, the 

 energy for slUcIi is transmitted by means of the life-germ), is it 

 not of paramount importance tiiat as much, if not more, care 

 should be taken to jjioduce drones of high physique and energetic 



