250 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



mediate cause of the corrosion of the intes- 

 tiaes, yet the predisposing source of indiges- 

 tion, as set forth by the theories quoted 

 from the Leipziger Bieneuzeituug, should 

 perhaps be regarded as the real cause of the 

 disease. 

 Denver, Colo. July 28, 1896. 



Drones as a Factor in Swarming. 



L. A. ASPINWALL. 



TJEIEND Hutch- 

 l*- inson : — This 

 subject referred to 

 in your last issue, 

 although lightly 

 touched upon here- 

 tofore, is receiving 

 more considera- 

 tion of late. My 

 experiments in this 

 line have now ex- 

 tended over a peri- 

 od of eight or nine 

 years. Drones being necessary to the per- 

 manence of the colony, a logical deduction 

 would be, that the entire absence of them 

 would delay the further preparations for 

 swarming. I here assume that the rearing 

 of drones is the first preparation which 

 leads to the building of queen cells, which, 

 when sealed, constitute the completed prep- 

 arations. In treating this sul>ject, a pass- 

 ing notice of the other factors which induce 

 swarming will afford us a more intelligent 

 understanding relative thereto. As long ago 

 as 18r)2 Mr. Quinby named three causes 

 which induce swarming, and to-day they 

 are recognized as the prime factors. I can- 

 not refrain from referring to the wonderful 

 accuracy of Mr. Quinby's investigations. 

 These factors, a crowded hive, a large 

 brood, and a good yield of honey, are 

 usually sufficient to induce swarming. An- 

 other factor, tliat of temperature will hasten 

 or retard the preparation. What is known 

 as the swarming fever, (more properly 

 styled the swarming impulse) is a strong 

 factor when the other conditions are com- 

 bined. I might name other and more tech- 

 nical causes which induce swarming, but 

 the detail would be rather lengthy and be- 

 yond the province of this article. 



With these facts let us consider whether 

 the absence of drones is sufficient to over- 



come the preparations which usually accom- 

 pany the three prime factors. Although 

 many of the recognized leaders in bee cul- 

 ture assert that bees are possessed of erratic 

 tendencies, I have never found them to de- 

 viate from a single law of their nature. 

 When I first constructed artificial comb, 

 during the year 1887, I based the theory of 

 my experiment upon the unerring instinct 

 of the bee ; and let me state, as further evi- 

 dence in support of success in all lines of 

 invention, that we depend upon nature and 

 natural law from the lowest to the highest 

 order as unerring. We find this unerring 

 instinct displayed by the bee at all seasons 

 of the year and under all circumstances. 

 Prudence of the colony conserves its stores 

 for future use, so when the forage begins to 

 fail, brood rearing is proportionally cur- 

 tailed. Drone comb placed in the brood 

 nest previous to or after the season designed 

 for their existence, will receive no attention 

 from the queen. This seems to point to a 

 high order of instinct and volition on the 

 part of the (]ueen or workers, or both. The 

 determination to construct patches of drone 

 cells in natural combs containing worker 

 cells exclusively, previous to the completed 

 preparations for swarming, points strongly 

 to a preconcerted plan. 



After constructing sufficient wooden comb 

 containing worker cells exclusively I sub- 

 stituted them for the natural combs of two 

 colonies which I had in my sitting room 

 when living at Three Rivers, Michigan. 

 Having been out of the bee business for a 

 time previous to and since my return from 

 Europe in 1880 1 obtained these for study 

 and research. The acceptance of these 

 combs by the bees was a great delight to 

 me, more especially because so much had 

 been written unfavorably to the success of 

 anything artificial in that line ; also, that 

 bees would rear drones in worker cells, 

 (which is in support of absolute volition on 

 the pari of the queen.) The reader will ob- 

 serve that these colonies were sufficiently 

 isolated to exclude neighboring drones — the 

 nearest colony being about one-eighth of a 

 mile distant. These two colonies occupied 

 two windows in my room for a period of 

 three years summer and winter, without 

 casting a single swarm. One colony was 

 Italian and the other Carniolan. The two 

 stored a surplus of 14011)S. of comb honey in 

 one season, it being the best of the three. I 

 felt so well assured of the success of arti- 



