18 BEES. 
combs, the queen begins laying, and in a short time the swarm 
becomes a normal colony. 
The colony on the old stand (parent colony) is increased by 
the bees emerging from the brood. After a time (usually about 
seven or eight days) the queens in their 
cells are ready to emerge. If the colony 
is only moderately strong the first queen 
to emerge is allowed by the workers to 
tear down the other queen cells and kill 
the queens not yet emerged, but if a “‘sec- 
ond swarm” is to be given off the queen 
cells are protected. 
If the weather permits, when from 5 to 
8 days old, the young queen flies from 
the hive to mate with a drone. Mating 
usually occurs but once during the life of 
the queen and always takes place on the 
wing. In mating she receives enough 
Fig. 12—The honey bee: a, Egg; 6, spermatozoa (male sex cells) to last 
ee ee =. throughout her lifes, Sheweturms to sane 
hive after mating, and in about two days 
begins egg laying. The queen never leaves the hive except at mating 
time or with a swarm, and her sole duty in the colony is to lay eggs 
to keep up the population. 
When the flowers which furnish most nectar are in bloom, the bees 
usually gather more honey than they need 
for their own use, and this the bee keeper 
can safely remove. They continue the 
collection of honey and other activities 
until cold weather comes on in the fall, 
when brood rearing ceases; they then be- 
come relatively quiet, remaining in the 
hive all winter, except for short flights on 
warm days. When the main honey flow 
is over, the drones are usually driven from 
the hive. By that time the virgin queens 
have been mated and drones are of no 
further use. They are not usually stung 
to death, but are merely carried or driven 
from the hive by the workers and starve. 
A colony of bees which for any reason is 
without a queen does not expel the drones. 
Many abnormal conditions may arise in 
the activity of a colony, and it is therefore necessary for the bee 
keeper to understand most of these,so that when they occur he may 
overcome them. If a virgin queen is prevented from mating she 
447 
Fig. 13.—Queen cells. Natural size. 
