﻿Duration 
  of 
  Life 
  in 
  the 
  Honey 
  Bee. 
  157 
  

  

  shall 
  not 
  be 
  assuming 
  too 
  much 
  in 
  concluding, 
  that 
  the 
  natural 
  

   duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  drone 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  worker 
  bee. 
  

  

  Age 
  of 
  the 
  Worker 
  Bee. 
  

  

  Here 
  again 
  we 
  are 
  beset 
  with 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  individual 
  iden- 
  

   tification, 
  and 
  the 
  worker 
  bees 
  are 
  so 
  numerous 
  that 
  any 
  marking 
  

   of 
  the 
  whole 
  number 
  existing 
  at 
  any 
  one 
  period 
  in 
  a 
  hive 
  is 
  almost 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  question. 
  The 
  marking 
  of 
  a 
  portion 
  would 
  not 
  help 
  us 
  

   in 
  any 
  great 
  degree 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  were 
  a 
  worker 
  bee 
  to 
  be 
  marked 
  by 
  

   any 
  substance 
  being 
  attached 
  to 
  its 
  body, 
  or 
  by 
  a 
  dot 
  of 
  varnish, 
  

   paint, 
  or 
  any 
  thing 
  of 
  that 
  kind, 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  it 
  would 
  lead 
  to 
  

   its 
  untimely 
  end 
  in 
  one 
  shape 
  or 
  another, 
  so 
  that 
  an 
  experiment 
  

   of 
  that 
  kind 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  depended 
  upon 
  ; 
  and 
  were 
  the 
  marking 
  

   not 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  permanent 
  character, 
  tlie 
  extreme 
  cleanly 
  habits 
  of 
  

   the 
  bee 
  would 
  speedily 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  obliteration 
  of 
  the 
  mark. 
  We 
  

   cannot 
  therefore 
  obtain 
  assistance 
  in 
  our 
  research 
  by 
  any 
  mecha- 
  

   nical 
  means 
  of 
  this 
  nature. 
  

  

  Worker 
  bees 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  hive 
  or 
  stock 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  

   year 
  ; 
  but 
  whether 
  they 
  are 
  the 
  same 
  bees 
  is 
  the 
  question 
  more 
  

   particularly 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  discussed. 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  enter 
  into 
  a 
  calculation 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  bees 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  in 
  a 
  hive 
  at 
  various 
  periods 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  though 
  

   seemingly 
  impossible, 
  when 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  system 
  is 
  rendered 
  

   simple, 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  accurate. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  well-known 
  fact, 
  that 
  in 
  

   the 
  month 
  of 
  January, 
  from 
  some 
  cause 
  or 
  another, 
  whether 
  na- 
  

   tural 
  or 
  otherwise 
  will 
  hereafter 
  be 
  seen, 
  the 
  worker 
  bees 
  are 
  

   reduced 
  to 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  number, 
  though 
  that 
  month 
  is 
  

   not 
  always 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  smallest 
  number 
  of 
  bees 
  are 
  

   present 
  in 
  the 
  hive. 
  This 
  number 
  must 
  be 
  estimated, 
  and 
  it 
  

   will 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  quantity 
  which 
  cannot 
  be 
  determined 
  by 
  actual 
  

   calculation. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  we 
  might 
  by 
  fumigation 
  determine 
  the 
  

   real 
  number 
  ; 
  but 
  such 
  a 
  proceeding 
  at 
  this 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   would 
  very 
  likely 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  stock. 
  We 
  may 
  safely 
  

   take 
  the 
  number 
  in 
  a 
  fair 
  stock 
  at 
  from 
  GOOO 
  to 
  8000 
  ; 
  on 
  fumi- 
  

   gation 
  the 
  stock 
  would 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  about 
  three 
  pints 
  of 
  

   bees 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  2000 
  bees 
  are 
  contained 
  in 
  a 
  pint, 
  this 
  estimate 
  of 
  

   6000 
  is 
  as 
  nearly 
  accurate 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  commences 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  January, 
  and 
  we 
  should 
  

   find 
  on 
  examination 
  that 
  the 
  space 
  of 
  comb 
  occupied 
  by 
  brood 
  at 
  

   that 
  season 
  will 
  be 
  about 
  six 
  inches 
  in 
  width 
  and 
  four 
  inches 
  in 
  

   depth, 
  giving 
  a 
  superficial 
  surface 
  of 
  twenty-four 
  square 
  inches. 
  

  

  