THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST SUPPLEMENT. 



is surrounded by high mountains. It 

 is very cold there and there is but Ht- 

 tle vegetation. For centuries this 

 race of bees has been in existence 

 there and it is now considered the 

 most hardy, prolific and gentle bee 

 in the world. 



For three different generations the 

 Pratts have raised bees, and Eugene 

 becomes naturally enough an enthu- 

 siast on the bee question. Of this 

 particular race of bees there are but 

 few breeders in this country, and he 

 is the largest in point of produ6l. He 

 is also importing all the time. The 

 average lite of ordinary bees during 

 the busy season is 40 days ; this race 

 being more hardy will live half as 

 long again. The bees that go into 

 winter quarters remain dormant all 

 through that season, and their life is 

 preserved until the working season 

 opens, when they take to the field, 

 but live only a very few days. 



When a queen bee is about five 

 days old she emerges from the hive 

 for the first time. The first day she 

 flies back and forth just m front of 

 the entrance to her home, but each 

 succeeding day she flies farther and 

 farther away. The workers, which 

 are imperfe6l females, will not recog- 

 nize her as a queen until she has 

 mated, and when she starts forth it is 

 for the purpose of finding her mate 

 or affinity. The male bees or drones 

 are somewhere in a swarm about the 

 apiary. After she has mated with 



the drone of her choice she returns to 

 the hive and is then recognized as the 

 queen of that hive. When this queen 

 is shipped away the same process is 

 gone through for yet another queen 

 for that hive. 



A queen bee will live from three 

 to four years, and has the power to 

 lay thousands of eggs. It is optional 

 with the mother to bring forth work- 

 ers or drones, and the workers decide 

 whether an impregnated &^^ shall 

 produce a worker or a queen bee by 

 the food given. 



A queen bee never will sting any- 

 thing but another queen when in 

 mortal combat to see which shall rule 

 the hive, and she never stings then 

 until she can do so effedlively and 

 without injury to herself. Two 

 queens at war will clinch like wrest 

 lers. Where there are two or more 

 queens in the same hive, only one 

 will live, and that must be the victor 

 in a series of battles with her rivals. 

 Often a queen will tear cells apart to 

 attack the young queens and sting them 

 to death, thus killing them in their 

 cradle, as it were. When this is done 

 the workers tear down the cell and 

 carry oft' the dead. When all the 

 queens in a hive are killed the colony 

 is gone if there is no young brood left 

 in the hive from which to rear an- 

 other. 



The above article was taken from 

 "The Boston Daily Globe."— [Ed. 



