166 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



DRONE-BEES AND THEIR WAYS 



The drone-bee is not so much looked 

 upon ucuv as formerly as an idler in 

 the hive. From pulpit and pew, from 

 wayside and home, he has been the 

 remark of indolence. Recently a 

 Presiding Elder in the West issued a 

 call through a leading periodical, for 

 some preachers to till vacancies on his 

 District, and concluded his request by 

 saying, ''No drone need apply." 



To my mind, I helieve that the 

 drone-bee fills its sphere in life, and 

 and is jusl as industrious in his miss- 

 ion here, as any other creature. The 

 intelligent apiarist has noticed again 

 and again that a hive of bees with 

 hundreds of drones has rolled the hon- 

 ey into the sections, while a sister 

 colony equal in numbers of workers, 

 without drones, has yielded almost 

 nothing. I now usually aim to keep 

 some drone comb in every hive. If 

 I only wish drones from desirable col- 

 onies, then I keep drone-brood shaved 

 down, and pick by hand a few dozen 

 drones for each colony. During the 

 honey season, or flow of nectar, drones 

 may be shaken into any colony, and 

 are almost always received. 



The life of the drone is very short — 

 much shorter than that of the workers. 

 1 believe that many of the drones are 

 caught by birds and enemies of bees. 

 Drones are more clumsy and less rapid 

 in their flight than worker-bees which 

 renders them a better prey for their 

 enemies in the air. It is fortunate for 



the neuters that they can fly so fast. 

 The drones aid in keeping up ani- 

 mal heat in the hive. They a>sist in 

 stimulating activity. I have also 

 some faith that they aid in carrying 

 honey from one ceil to another, and 

 ripening the same. If we place a 

 feeder with syrup in front of the hive, 

 we will usually find drones in this 

 feeder at all hours of the day. aiding 

 as best they can to remove the contents 

 to the cells of their combs. 



llow To KEEP DRONES DURING A DROUGHT 



A correspondent from the East 

 wishes me to give a method "for 

 keeping droiies when the honey sea- 

 son i> past." This I willingly do. 



Always aim to have some choice 

 drones creeping out of their cells at 

 the close of the honey harvest. Then 

 make one or more colonies queenless, 

 and give the-e emerging drones to the 

 queenless colony, or colonics. Brood 

 and eggs may he added once in a week 

 or two, but look over every comb now 

 and then to be -ore that no ijueen 

 gets into this hive, or hives, made 

 queenless. Keep all queen-cells cut 

 out before their content.- emerge into 

 virgins. Feed this colony, or colonies, 

 well, and always feed about noon ; the 

 colonies you wish drones to fly from 

 about the time you expect virgins to 

 come o it (lithe wing. When there 

 is no nectar in the lipids, you will thus 

 create activity amougthe workers and. 

 drones of such colonies. 



At any time should you run short 

 of drones, you can real - drones by 

 giving a good colony nothing but 

 drone-comb so that the queen will be 

 compelled to lay vgg^ in drone-cells. 

 All eggs layed in drone-cells produce 

 only drone-bees. Ii'we remove worker- 



