40 



GLEAXINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



desirable. Since the introduction of the 

 fdn., however, it is quite an easy matter to 

 make almost every cell in the hive a worker 

 cell. On the other hand, if we choose, we can 

 have a hive filled entirely with drone comb, 

 and a good queen could, I think, be induced 

 to raise nearly, if not quite, a full peck of 

 drones at one time. By this means we can 

 have our drones raised from such stock as 

 we choose, and we can save the vast amount 

 of honey that has so long been wasted by 

 rearing and feeding drones that we do not 

 need. While extracting, I have found as 

 many as several pounds of drone larvae in a 

 single hive, and to save the honey they 

 would consume as soon as hatched, we used 

 to shave their heads off with a very sharp 

 knife. This is certainly rather expensive 

 business, for it must take more than a pound 

 of honey, to say nothing of the value of the 

 IwUen, t<i get up a pound of sealed brood. If 

 all this labor and material had been utilized 

 in the production of worker brood, it would 

 doubtless have been equivalent to a swarm 

 of bees. All worker comb, would have in- 

 sured this without trouble. 



It is quite probable, that all the drones 

 will be raised that can usually be required, 

 without making any special provision for 

 them ; but still, it may be a good idea to 

 devote one hive, in an apiary of .50 or a hun- 

 dred colonies, to the production of choice 

 drones. 



REARING DROXES OUT OF SEASON. 



This is quite a difficult matter to accom- 

 plish, especially in the spring ; and although 

 we have many times fed colonies with this 

 end in view, we have always found some 

 other colony that would have drones flying 

 just as soon, without any artificial aid. 

 Drones may be kept almost any length of 

 time, by making the colonies containing 

 them queenless, or by putting them into 

 queenless colonies. During warm dry weath- 

 er in the summer or fall, drones may be pro- 

 cured by feeding, but the feeding must be 

 regular, and given evei'y day for several 

 days or weeks. By feeding one colony a 

 barrel of sugar in the fall, I succeeded in 

 getting a nice lot of drones in October. Of 

 course their combs were taken away and 

 empty ones given them, to give the queen 

 room. Before we can get drones, we must 

 get worker brood under good headway, and 

 then if we put a drone comb right in the 

 centre of the brood nest, the queen will, if 

 all things are favorable, begin at once to fill 

 it with eggs. The feeding must be kept up, 

 however, for bees are very easily discour- 



aged, and if a stoppage occurs in the daily 

 supplies, they will not hesitate to pull the 

 yoxmg drones out of their cells and sacrifice 

 them without mercy. 



DESTRUCTION OF DRONES IN THE FALL. 



This does not ne<;essarily occur in the fall, 

 but may take place at any time in the sum- 

 mer ; and I have several times known the 

 drones killed off between apple bloom and 

 white clover, only because supplies ceased, 

 causing the bees to become discouraged and 

 give up swarming for the time being. I 

 know of no way in which you can tell so 

 well that the yield of honey has ceased, as 

 by the behaviour of the bees to their drones. 

 When in the midst of the honey season, you 

 see a worker buzzing along on the back of a 

 drone who seems to be "•scratching gravel'^ 

 to get away from the hive, you may take 

 warning that the yield of honey is failing, 

 and that you had better stop making artifi- 

 cial swarms and prepare for feeding, if it is 

 your intention so to do. I do not know that 

 I ever saw bees sting drones, but they some- 

 times pretend to do so ; I rather think it is 

 only a feint to drive them away. The poor 

 drone at such times, after vainly trying to 

 go back into the hive, will sometimes take 

 wing, and soar away off in the air, only to 

 return aft-er a time to be repulsed again, un- 

 til he, perhaps through weakness and want 

 of food, fluttei's hopelessly in the dust, and 

 so submits to the fate that seems to be a 

 part of the inexorable law of nature, and his 

 being. 



To preserve drones for late queen rearing, 

 I have been in the habit of carrying all 

 frames containing drone brood, to some 

 queenless hive, knowing they would be safe 

 there as long as wanted, even if it were all 

 winter. I believe drones have been, under 

 such circumstances, wintered over ; but 

 whether they are of any value in the spring 

 or not, I am unable to say ; I should fear 

 they would not be by the time queens could 

 be reared. We usually have drones in some 

 of our colonies, as soon as April, and that is 

 as early as I should care to undertake to 

 rear queens, ordinary seasons. I have sev- 

 eral seasons reared queens and had them 

 successfully fertilized, even after all the 

 drones had been gone some time, so far as I 

 could discover, and as they proved to be 

 purely fertilized, I have been not a little 

 perplexed. Is there a possibility that by 

 some otJier strange exception to the rule, a 

 queen may lay eggs that will produce 

 workers as well as drones, witliout being 

 fertilized V If such is the case, it will ac- 



