﻿Duration 
  of 
  Life 
  in 
  the 
  Honey 
  Bee. 
  161 
  

  

  that 
  i;o 
  bee 
  living 
  in 
  tlie 
  hive 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  January 
  can 
  have 
  sur- 
  

   vived 
  later 
  than 
  the 
  1st 
  September, 
  except 
  it 
  is 
  existing 
  either 
  

   in 
  the 
  swarm 
  or 
  the 
  cast 
  ; 
  this, 
  therefore, 
  fixes 
  the 
  maximum 
  

   duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  worker 
  bee 
  at 
  eight 
  months 
  at 
  this 
  period 
  of 
  

   the 
  year 
  (we 
  use 
  the 
  expression 
  "at 
  this 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  year," 
  because 
  

   we 
  sliall 
  presently 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  worker 
  bee 
  

   is 
  not 
  uniform). 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  further 
  examine 
  how 
  far 
  our 
  figures 
  carry 
  us 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  

   rem:;inder 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  On 
  reference 
  again 
  to 
  our 
  table, 
  we 
  shall 
  

   find 
  th.nt 
  12,960 
  bees 
  are 
  produced 
  subsequently 
  to 
  the 
  1st 
  July 
  ; 
  

   and 
  as 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  from 
  our 
  last 
  calculation 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  bees 
  

   produced 
  previously 
  to 
  the 
  1st 
  July 
  are 
  absorbed 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  

   missing 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  September, 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  these 
  12,960 
  bees 
  

   will 
  form 
  the 
  population 
  with 
  which 
  our 
  stock 
  is 
  to 
  brave 
  the 
  

   dangers 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  season, 
  and 
  from 
  natural 
  death 
  and 
  other 
  

   causes 
  it 
  will 
  even 
  be 
  reduced 
  to 
  6,000 
  or 
  8,000 
  by 
  the 
  succeeding 
  

   January, 
  thus 
  bringing 
  us 
  again 
  to 
  our 
  starting 
  point 
  : 
  taking 
  

   eight 
  months 
  as 
  the 
  maximum 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  worker 
  bee, 
  the 
  

   whole 
  of 
  these 
  12,960 
  bees 
  will 
  die 
  by 
  the 
  1st 
  May, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  

   large 
  proportion 
  of 
  these 
  bees 
  will 
  be 
  eight 
  months 
  old 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  

   April, 
  previously 
  to 
  which 
  time 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  bees 
  will 
  

   have 
  been 
  produced 
  to 
  supply 
  their 
  loss, 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  March 
  may 
  

   well 
  be 
  termed 
  a 
  critical 
  period 
  for 
  a 
  stock 
  of 
  bees, 
  simply 
  for 
  the 
  

   reason 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  breeding 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  sufficient 
  

   vigour 
  to 
  replace 
  the 
  bees 
  dying 
  off 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  so 
  

   great 
  a 
  diminution 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  will 
  take 
  place 
  that 
  the 
  stock 
  

   will 
  be 
  in 
  danger 
  of 
  death 
  on 
  that 
  account; 
  and 
  even 
  if 
  it 
  survive 
  

   it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  until 
  the 
  weather 
  becon)es 
  mild 
  and 
  genial 
  in 
  M«y 
  

   and 
  June, 
  that 
  the 
  stock 
  will 
  be 
  able 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  to 
  recruit 
  its 
  

   strength. 
  Loss 
  of 
  stocks 
  at 
  this 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  need 
  not 
  

   therefore 
  surprise 
  us. 
  

  

  Although 
  we 
  have 
  demonstrated 
  that 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  worker 
  bee 
  

   does 
  not 
  exceed 
  eight 
  months, 
  yet 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  shown 
  that 
  it 
  

   reaches 
  that 
  period 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  we 
  can 
  assert 
  as 
  a 
  fact, 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  6,000 
  bees 
  existing 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  January 
  all 
  were 
  dead 
  on 
  

   the 
  1st 
  September, 
  yet 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  ascertained 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   their 
  deaths, 
  and 
  as 
  those 
  bees 
  were 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  six 
  and 
  some 
  

   four 
  months 
  old 
  when 
  we 
  commenced 
  our 
  investigation 
  (having 
  

   been 
  produced 
  between 
  the 
  1st 
  July 
  and 
  the 
  1st 
  September 
  

   in 
  the 
  preceding 
  year), 
  we 
  must 
  inquire 
  when 
  they 
  die, 
  in 
  order 
  

   to 
  state 
  their 
  age. 
  Now 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  4,320 
  bees 
  are 
  produced 
  in 
  

   the 
  months 
  of 
  January 
  and 
  February, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  course 
  

   these 
  young 
  bees 
  will 
  form 
  a 
  great 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  

  

  VOL. 
  II. 
  N. 
  S. 
  PART 
  v. 
  JtiNE, 
  1853. 
  M 
  

  

  