38 HOW TO KEEP BEES 



crawls out into a hazardous world. After a fortnight 

 or so of moving about the combs and eating his fill 

 he goes out of the hive and tries his wings. This 

 he does on some pleasant day, about noon or a little 

 after. As soon as he is sure of himself, he makes 

 his flight longer, and the length of his journeys may 

 only be guessed at. When he meets the queen they 

 unite at once in the air, and after this they fall to the 

 ground and she frees herself by tearing off and hold- 

 ing within herself the generative appendages of her 

 dying consort. 



In every hive are developed thousands of these 

 princes royal, who are maintained at the expense of 

 the colony until the dawn of that fatal day when the 

 honey crop runs short; and then an unhappy ex- 

 perience lies before these useless brothers of the 

 reigning house. Then their sisters chase them 

 out of the hive apparently attempting to sting 

 them, and, changed to furies, bite off their 

 wings and harry them until they give up, great 

 helpless creatures that they are, and fulfil their 

 final destiny, which is to die for the sake of the 

 colony. 



Even the drone eggs, larvae, and pupae are not 

 exempt on this appointed day of execution, but are 

 ruthlessly killed, and their remains thrust forth 

 from the hive. If conditions should change and 

 more honey be made, a reprieve to the unhappy 

 drone may be granted, for the length of his life is 

 measured by the food supply. Any time during the 

 summer when the bee-keeper finds the workers 



