348 



October. 1913. 



Why Do Drones Go With a 

 Swarm ? 



BY EDWARD F. BIGELOVV. 



FROM time immemorial it has been 

 the common saying with bee- 

 Iseepers and with apiarian books, 

 that the old queen leads the 

 swarm and leaves in the hive 

 several unhatched queens that will in 

 the future emerge and provide for the 

 continuance of the colony. 



That Nature should do this has al- 

 ways seemed strange to me. That one 

 queen should lead the body in llight 

 and several queens remain to provide 

 for the continued existence of the col- 

 ony has suggested questions. It seems 

 remarkable that Nature should send 

 out say 80,000 bees, and suspend the 

 life of ^all upon the life of one. If a 

 kingbird flies into that swarm when in 

 mid-air and swallows the queen, the 

 bird has unquestionably destroyed the 

 entire colony, if there is only the one 

 queen. But it has been maintained 

 that Nature leaves several unhatched 

 queens within the hive to provide for 

 similar dangers, in which case if one 

 or more are killed several are still left. 

 It seems strange that several queens 

 should be provided where there is the 

 least danger, and only one lead the 

 flight for many miles where there are 

 many dangers. In my own mind I 

 have questioned many times whether it 

 is true that Nature entrusts the con- 

 tinuance of the flying swarm entirely 

 to the life of one bee. 



I have from time to time heard it 

 rumored, and even discussed by pro- 

 fessional bee-keepers, that when the 

 weather is unfavorable the old queen is 

 delayed in her flight with her following 

 until several of the virgin queens with- 

 in the hive had hatched out ; and that 

 sometimes these queens hatched dur- 

 ing the delay, accompanying the flying 

 colony. But the question that puzzles 

 me is, why do these virgin queens go, 

 and especially why does the mated old 

 queen take with her not only some 

 workers, but a large number of drones ? 

 If there are no virgin queens in the 

 swarm, then Nature is doing a super- 

 fluous thing, when she sends on a 

 swarming flight these heavy, clumsy, 

 slow flying drones. 



It has long been my hypothesis that 

 these drones have a purpose at such 

 times, and that when more than one 

 queen is found in the flying or cluster- 

 ing swarm, there is a purpose of extra 

 drones in view of the exigencies and 

 dangers of the flight. If the old mated 

 queen is killed then there is the safe- 

 guard that one of these " extra " virgin 

 queens will mate and take up duties of 

 increase. If this hypothesis is not 

 tenable, then will some one explain 

 why the drones go with the mated 

 queens ? Back in the hive from which 

 they came they had a possible use for 

 several of the warmer months, but 

 Nature kills them off when they be- 

 come useless. Does it seem reasonable 

 that a flying swarm with very limited 



American Hae Journal 



supplies of food would take along the 

 drones if there is no possibility of their 

 use ? 



If the duties of increase fall upon a 

 virgin queen, then the drones have a 

 decided use. Does Nature provide 

 against accidents to the old queen ? 

 There are some things that set me to 

 thinking along that line, although I do 

 not yet wish to announce positive con- 

 clusions. I may be mistaken, but the 

 circumstantial evidences are worth 

 considering. 



With that hypothesis in mind I have 

 made some careful studies, and thus 

 far I have found that almost invariably 

 there are several queens in the swarm- 

 ing cluster, and a large number of 

 drones. It is the presence of these 

 drones, more than anything else, that 

 makes me think that it is not mere 

 chance that sends out the slowly hatch- 

 ing virgin queens. I recognize the 



fact that I am here on dangerous 

 ground, and may bring down on my 

 pate antagonistic verbal blows from 

 veteran and well-informed bee-keepers, 

 when I venture to propound the theory 

 that Nature, at swarming time, pro- 

 vides several queens for the flying bees 

 as well as for the colony left at home. 

 It is my opinion that there is no war 

 between the queens of a colony so long 

 as the colony is in flight or in a cluster- 

 ing condition, but when the bees have 

 settled upon a home, then comes the 

 war of the queens, and only one sur- 

 vives. If by chance it should be the 

 old queen that is superseded or killed 

 by one of the virgin queens, then the 

 drones are present and ready to cope 

 with the emergency. 



Practically the same thing takes 

 place in the colony left behind. Sev- 

 eral queens are hatched, and plenty of 

 drones are present for mating. I am 



Yor Can Kind a Queen in Each of the Four Clusters. 



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