160 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



workers or drones ; her abdomen is 

 longer and larger (when fertile) than 

 that of the worker, but not so large 

 as that of the drone ; the head and 

 thorax of the queen are larger than 

 that of the worker, while they are 

 smaller than those of the drone. 



The wings of the queen are short 

 in proportion to the body, this being, 

 quite likely, because she seldom needs 

 to use them. When moving about 

 on the combs the queen does really 

 appear dignified and majestic, and it 

 is not at all strange that one who has 

 a poetical mind or a vivid imagina- 

 tion should call her queen. Her 

 movements are generally slow and 

 matronly, but when necessary, she 

 can move about quite rapidly. 



In color the queens are, as a rule, 

 rather darker on the upper side of 

 the body than the workers, and the 

 two posterior legs and under portion 

 are of a golden yellow. Her abdo- 

 men is generally devoid of the hair 

 coloring which is found on the 

 workers and drones. The queens, 

 even of the same race, differ greatly 

 in color, some being much darker 

 than others. 



The conduct of the worker bees 

 in their treatment of their mother is 

 most touching ; while attending to 

 her duties she is constantly sur- 

 rounded by a circle of her loving 

 offspring who testify in various ways 

 their affection and regard ; some 

 lovingly fondle and embrace her 

 with their antennae, while others ap- 

 proach her and offer her honey from 

 time to time. 



Could these same evidences of 

 love and affection be carried into 

 and made a part of every home cir- 

 cle, social life would prove more as 

 our Heavenly Father wishes it to 

 be. 



Should the queen be removed 

 or lost, excitement and despair 

 seem to reign supreme for a time ; " 

 the laborers abandon their work and 

 join in the search for their queen, 

 running excitedly about the combs 



and even leaving the hive in their 

 efforts to find her. If they are un- 

 successful they return disconsolate 

 to their home thus made desolate, 

 and in mournful tones give expres- 

 sion to their deep grief. 



The experienced apiarist as he 

 passes by his hives can easily detect 

 any of the queenless colonies, as the 

 tone of the bees at such times is pe- 

 culiarly mournful, and cannot possi- 

 bly be mistaken for the happy hum 

 that comes from a contented colony. 



After the bees realize that they 

 must replace the missing queen and 

 commence to build cells, this tone is 

 diminished somewhat and is not so 

 easily detected. 



On an average tlie queen will de- 

 posit from i,ooo to 1,200, and 

 sometimes 2,000 eggs, in twenty-four 

 hours. 



When five days old the queen 

 leaves the hive for fertilization, pro- 

 vided the weather is pleasant. 



Quite frequently our visitors ask 

 us where we are likely to find the 

 queen when we open the hive, and 

 as this is a matter which will interest 

 our readers, we quote from the" Bee- 

 keepers' Handy Book :" 



"During the brooding she wanders 

 about from comb to comb depositing 

 eggs wherever she may find cells pre- 

 pared for them, and occupying no 

 particular portion of the brood-nest : 

 when the season's work is completed 

 and breeding has ceased, she may be 

 found in the centre of the brood-nest 

 surrounded by the cluster." We also 

 quote from the same source the fol- 

 lowing foot-note : "When examining 

 a colony for the queen, bear in mind 

 that her ladyship is usually found, at 

 noon time near the centre of the 

 brood-nest, when, after depositing an 

 egg in each prepared empty cell, she 

 will gradually work back to the combs 

 at one side of the hive, and during 

 each twenty-four hours she will visit 

 twice, all parts of the hive while brood 

 rearing is going on." 



The queen is provided with a sting 



