126 THE bee-keeper's guide ; 



It was discovered by Dzierzon in 1845, that the drones 

 hatch from unimpregnat'ed eggs. This strange phenomenon, 

 seemingly so incredible, is, as has been shown in speaking of 

 the queen, easily proved and beyond question. These eggs 

 may come from an unimpregnated queen, a laying worker— 

 which will soon be described — or an impregnated queen which 

 may voluntarily prevent impregnation. It is asserted by some 

 that the workers can change a worker-egg to a drone-egg at 

 will. When the workers are able to abstract the sperm-cells, 

 which are so small that we can see them only by using a high- 

 power microscope, then we may expect to see wheat turn to 

 chess. Such eggs will usually be placed in the larger horizon- 

 tal cells (Fig. 78, a), in manner already described. 



The drone-cells are one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and 

 project beyond the worker-cells, so they are a little more than 

 one-half an inch long. Very rarely drones are produced in 

 worker-cells. Such drones are diminutive, and undesirable in 

 the apiary. As stated by Bevan, the drone feeds six and a 

 half days as a larva before the cell is capped. As the micro- 

 scope shows, undigested pollen is given to the drone-larvae 

 after the fourth day, which is not true of either the queen or 

 worker. The capping of the drone-cells is very convex, and 

 projects beyond the plane of the same in worker-cells, so that 

 the drone-brood is easily distinguished from worker, and from 

 the darker color — the wax being thicker and less pure — the 

 capping of both drone and worker brood-cells enables us easily 

 to distinguish them from honey-cells. In twenty-four days 

 from the laying of the eggs, the drones come forth from the 

 cells. Of course, variation of temperature and other condi- 

 tions, as variable amount of diet, may slightly retard or ad- 

 vance the development of any brood, in the different stages. 

 The drones — in fact all bees — when they first emerge from the 

 cells, are gray, and are easily distinguished from the mature 

 bee. 



Just what the longevity of the male bee is, I am unable to 

 state. It is probable, judging from analogy, that they live 

 till accident, the worker-bees, or the performance of their 

 natural function, cause their death. The worker-bees may 

 kill off the drones at any time, which they do by constantly 



