20 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION 



tined to become a queen, however, is continued upon this glandular 

 secretion or royal jelly, as it is called, and the cell enlarged and built 

 down to permit the proper growth of the inmate. A large quantity 

 of the royal jelly is then deposited in the cell and the cell is sealed 

 up. In seven days, under this rich" food the queen emerges. After 

 scvera! days, usually not longer than a week, the young virgin 

 queen flies out to meet the drone and returns fertilized for life and 

 soon begins to deposit eggs. 



The male or drone bees, as has been said, come from unfertilized 

 eggs and so can be produced by a virgin queen or at will by a fer- 

 tilized queen. The egg hatches in three days and, after three days 

 of feeding upon the royal jelly, the larva is fed honey and pollen for 

 three more days when it pupates. After fifteen days in the quies- 

 cent or pupal stage the grown bee emerges. Drones are usually 

 only to be found during the spring and early summer months when 

 there are young queens to be fertilized. Late in the summer, when 

 the honey harvest wanes, the workers drive out the proverbially 

 lazy drones and worry and 'starve them to death. 



It is not to be inferred from the fact of the workers being class- 

 ed as undeveloped females, that they are ir any sense, except in re- 

 productive powers, the inferior of the queen. In fact, they are much 

 more highly developed in almost all other directions, of necessity, 

 in order to perform their manifold duties. The drones are believed 

 to excel the queen in powers of sight and scent. This is found to 

 be in keeping with the fact that they have to seek out the virgin 

 queens upon their bridal flight. 



Each colony normally swarms each spring. Queen cells are 

 started as described, usually about a dozen or so according to the 

 strength of the colony. When the first cell is sealed, the swarm 

 composed of all the bees that can fly, together with the old queen, 

 issue forth. This usually takes place between nine o'clock and noon, 

 a swarm rarely issuing after one o'clock unless unfavorable weather 

 has kept the bees in. Just previous to swarming the bees gorge 

 themselves with honey and are not inclined in the least to sting. 

 The swarming note is a peculiar resonant one and, if there are any 

 other colonies in the vicinity ready to swarm, they are liable to 

 take up the note, and running excitedly about the entrance, begin 

 to pile out like beans poured from a peck measure. After circling; 

 about in the air a very few minutes, the queen lights and the bees 



