BEES. 891 



hatched, unless one will go to work sooner than the other. This stand contained nothing but 

 black bees when the black queen was destroyed, and on the 1 8th of July, just forty-nine days 

 from the time the black queen was destroyed, there was not a black bee to be seen about the 

 hive. I opened it. Not one was to be seen inside. Now I know that the bees will live 

 longer at any other season of the year, and thought this would be a good chance to test the 

 height of the working season. The hive was examined every day during the whole time, so 

 that no mistake might be made.&quot; 



Prolific Workers, etc. A few prolific workers are occasionally seen in a hive, but 

 this circumstance is rare, and is accounted for by Huber from such having passed their larva 

 state in cells contiguous to the royal cells, or those from which the queen bees were hatched, 

 and that they may at some early period have eaten a portion of the jelly that was the especial 

 food of the royal brood, their ovaries thus receiving a partial development. This accounts 

 for the production of eggs in a hive that is destitute of a queen a circumstance that some 

 times occurs, and which is thus readily explained. Such eggs as are hatched from workers 

 always produce drones. The number of workers in a hive will range from 1,500 to 4,000 or 

 more, a good, strong colony generally averaging about 3,500 in number. 



Drones. The drones are the male bees of the hive, and seem to have no other duty 

 except that of impregnating the queen once, thus rendering a large portion of her eggs fertile 

 during her life. This impregnation takes place in the air never in the hive the drone 

 being at the time always mutilated, falls to the ground, and dies. Huber states that the 

 probable reason for so large a number of drones in every hive is the necessity of the 

 aerial impregnation, and that there may be a sufficient opportunity of the queen meeting some 

 one of the number when she makes her aerial flight for this purpose. After the impregnation 

 of the queen takes place, she returns to the hive, which she never leaves again except with a 

 young swarm; the workers then destroy all the drones in the hive, and carry from it every 

 dead body that remains after the conflict. They even destroy, at the same time, all the male 

 eggs and larva?, tearing open the cocoons for this purpose. This usually occurs in June, July, 

 or August. &quot;When, however, a hive is deprived of its queen, the drones are permitted to live 

 frequently through the winter. After getting rid of the drones, which consumed a large 

 portion of their provisions, the working bees busily employ themselves in collecting a supply 

 of honey and pollen for winter use, they seeming to realize that the feeding of the useless 

 mouths of the lazy drones was attended with more needless expense than advantage to the 

 bee public. The usual number of drones in a hive is from 200 to 300, but it is quite safe for 

 the bee keeper to leave less than half that number to insure the impregnation of the young 

 queens. An unimpregnated queen will lay eggs producing all drones, but after impregnation 

 she can lay eggs that will produce either working bees or drones, seemingly at will, although 

 various theories are entertained respecting the real cause of this phenomenon. 



Varieties of Bees. The domestic honey bee (Apis mellifica) is supposed to be a 

 native of the Eastern Hemisphere, although it is now found in nearly all parts of North 

 America. It was not, however, known here until introduced from that source. It is easy to 

 see how readily this insect would escape domestication, and rapidly spread throughout the 

 entire continent by the natural process of swarming. The honey bee is doubtless modified 

 more or less by the climate of the regions where carried, yet how far this modification may 

 be extended remains an unsolved problem. If, as is the case with domesticated animals, 

 important modifications may be secured, and a honey bee produced that shall not only possess 

 qualities of prolificacy and vigor even beyond what we now have, but also with such an 

 increased length of tongue as to reach to the hitherto sealed sweets of the red clover, the 

 possibilities of the honey harvest would be doubled. The varieties of the honey bee best 

 known are the Black or German, the Italian or Ligurian, the Cyprian, and the Syrian. 



The Black or German Bee. This variety, as well as the Italian, was known in 

 the time of Aristotle, 400 years before Christ. It was introduced into this country at an 

 early period of its history, is of medium size, and about the same color throughout that of 

 a grayish black. 



The Italian variety is so called from the fact that the first importation of it was 

 from Italy. When pure-bred it is distinguished by three bright yellow bands at the base of 

 the abdomen. When mixed with other varieties, these bands are not generally very pro 

 nounced. The principal characteristic of this breed is mildness of disposition and great 

 vigor; hence they are easy of management, and will protect their hives from robbing-bees 



