ToKlTA: SUDIK-; 'IN- 11 IK HONJV Bi-K, UTIH Si'KClAI. RkI-KKKNCI-: ro IE IK JAI'ANKSK IIONKY BkE. I 3 



as a cliaractcristic of the Japanese bees and shows a similarity to the Intlian 

 bees, as Ghosh (1920?) j^ivcs on the bees of Ceylon; he says: "These bees 

 are very prone to swarming and are found to migrate as well tp some extent." 

 Our bees cast only 2 or 3 swarms a year, though they Build often lO or more 

 queen cells. The absconding is \-ery often caused h)- tlic wax moths which 

 attack almost alwaj's the hive of our bees. 



As to the mode of ventilation, our bees differ from mellifica. W'hilst 

 the latter fan at the alighting board facing inwardly, our bees sit likewise at 

 the entrance, hut their heads are turned away from it (Fig. 6). This has been 

 well known in our country, and recently the sanic habit of indica in Ceylon is 

 reported by Dkikukkg (1922). According to my observation, the fanning bees 

 are resting, howe\'cr, rather more in number on the upper vertical wall of the 

 hive boily than on the bottom board in front of the entrance, as shown in 

 Fig. 6. In addition to tliis, those of tiie outside from unbroken rows together 

 Avith those of inside which are likewise fanning, scattered on the bottom and 

 combs. 



Another contrast of the Japanese bee to mellifica consists in that in the 

 case destitute of their queen the workers are not capable to rear a queen from 

 a worker eggor larva. It is not long after departure of the queen that many 

 fertile workers lay eggs in cells (especially, soon the bees from Fukuoka) 

 which produce always the drone bees. If fertilized eggs or larvae are ex- 

 perimentall}' put in cells before fertile wokers appear, they are not cared. -But I 

 have met with several cases of queen cells which are built on the drone larvae 

 layed by the fertile worlcers. If the introduction of a queen is done in a 

 queen cage, she is usually abandoned without regards. It follows that a colony 

 t)nce left by the queen is connected with a great difficulty to recover its previous 

 normal condition. .Some one reports on the other hand on indica of Ceylon 

 that the bees "are able to raise queens from eggs or larvae when suddenly 

 deprived of the reigning queen. "^^ If this is proved true, our bees diverge in 

 this respect from those of Ceylon. The union of the Japanese bee with iiuilifica 

 in a colony, whether the latter is introducetl in the former or inversed, is 

 likewise bj- no means easy, althougli sometimes a few of ca.ses of success are 



11 Keffer to Drii.hkrc (1922) 



