SEPTEMBER l.",, 191(i 



(lie full-fledged males and females. The 

 mated females live thru the winter and start 

 the new colonies the nest spring. They 

 must do all the work at first; but soon they 

 have six or eight workers to help, and then 

 the "old lady" stays at Iwme. As the 

 season advances the workers grow smaller 

 and smaller. Unlike the honeybee, the 

 bumblebee has not reached a definite type 

 of worker bee. Hornets and certain wasps 

 iiavc a life-history much like that of the 

 bumblebee. 



Let us now make a jump away back in 

 time. One of the earliest of all recorded 

 forms of life on the earth is that of the 

 bee. It came down to us imbedded in 

 amber, preserved for our edification. We 

 know that the bee has had a tremendous 

 lapse of time in which to develop the won- 

 derful traits that never cease to arouse our 

 interest. There was plenty of time to allow 

 for the honeybee to exist thru centuries 

 without the worker-bee. The queens were 

 the workers — possibly living solitary at 

 first, later becoming social. Then there 

 sprang up a jealousy, let us suiajjose, 

 among those equal females. One was suf- 

 ficieat for the colony ; why such waste of 

 economy? The next step then was the un- 

 developed female, brought into existence 

 simply because there was no call for so 

 manv egg-lavers. but there was a call for 



laborers. Wonderful and difficult to ex- 

 plain, but it must have happened. We 

 have them with us, and they must have 

 come about in some way. 



At first queens alone lived thru tha 

 season of dearth, as the queen bumblebee 

 jloes today. Then workers acquired that 

 power. Possibly they did not have to ax?- 

 quire it, since they could easily retain it, 

 having been once in their life-history regu- 

 lar queens. It is not difficult to surmise 

 how the honeybee struggled up to its pres- 

 ent perfected system of life. It is wonder- 

 ful, and almost inexplicable, but not at all 

 difficult to picture for one who is willing to 

 let his reason have a little freer rein. 



Now for one last statement. The queen 

 does not possess the power to transmit to 

 Iier offspring that which she never possess- 

 ed. She once performed all the functions 

 of the worker. Doubtless there was a time 

 when the queen possessed a longer tongue, 

 a stronger sting, wax-producing organs, etc. 

 In the long lapse of time these functions 

 have become abortive in her, but not lost, 

 for she gives them to her worker offspring. 

 And the hand of God is here just as strong- 

 ly as tho the whole wonderful bee-colony 

 was brought into instant existence instead 

 of having to *' climb " from a lowly start 

 to the dizzy heights it now holds. 



Norwichtown, Ct. 



A HONEY-FOR-SALE BANNER CLEAR ACROSS THE ROAD 



r,v s. pow7.i!s 



T am sending a picture of a sign which I ons this sign moves as much as 1200 sec- 

 put up as soon as I secure surplus, and tions, and often the demand is for much 

 take down as soon as sold out. Some sea- more than I produce. This year our comb 



honey from our early 

 flow was almost a fail- 

 ure on account of bad 

 weather. Four to five 

 days frequently went 

 by when bees flew on- 

 ly enough to secure 

 water; but when it 

 was possible for them 

 io fly they found it. 



This sign, which, of 

 course, is home-made, 

 cost 46 ets., hangs 

 across the main road 

 from Philadelphia to, 

 Heaeh Haven, N. J., 

 and to .several popular 

 fshing-points. We oft- 

 en liave 600 cars pass 

 us in one day Satur- 

 day or Sunday. 



My extr acting-yard 



Can't help seeing u sign like this. 



