54 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



would eventually have " run out." By the present arrange- 

 ment, the young queens when they leave the hive, often 

 find the air swarming with drones, many of which belong 

 to other colonies, and thus by crossing the breed pro- 

 vision is constantly made to prevent deterioration. 



Experience has proved that impregnation may be 

 effected not only when there are no drones in the colony 

 of the young queen, but even when there are none in her 

 immediate neighborhood. Intercourse takes place very 

 high in the air (perhaps that less risk may be incurred 

 from birds), and this favors the crossing of stocks. 



I am strongly persuaded that the decay of many flour- 

 ishing stocks, even when managed with great care, may be 

 attributed to the fact that they have become enfeebled by 

 " close breeding," and are thus unable to resist injurious 

 influences, which were comparatively harmless when the 

 bees were in a state of high physical vigor. When a cul- 

 tivator has but few colonies, or is remote from other 

 Apiaries, he should guard against this evil by occasionally 

 changing his stocks. 



THE WORKERS, or common bees, compose 

 the bulk of the population of a hive. A good 

 swarm ought to contain at least 20,000 ; and 

 in large hives, strong colonies which are not 

 reduced by swarming, frequently number two 

 or three times as many during the height of the breeding 

 season. We are informed by Mr. Dobrogost Chylinski, 

 that from the Polish hives, which often hold several bushels, 

 swarms regularly issue so powerful that " they resemble 

 a little cloud in the air," 



It has already been stated, that the workers are all 

 females whose ovaries are too imperfectly developed to 

 admit of their laying eggs. Being for a long time 



