94 OCCUPANTS OF THE HIVE 



try their wings and to learn something of the location of the hive 

 and surroundings. The first trip to the honey field will not be 

 taken until later. 



Fertile Workers. — Occasionally, in a queenless colony, a 

 worker will develop to the point of laying eggs. As she is incapa- 

 ble of mating, her offspring will all be drones, which are of no 

 value to the hive and the colony will soon perish. Fertile workers 

 lay here and there over the comb with little regularity. Some- 

 times several eggs will be found in the same cell, and the 

 next cells will be empty. That the offspring are drones will be 

 evidenced by the high arched cappings, like rifle bullets, which 

 are peculiar to drone brood. 



Much has been written about methods of saving colonies 

 with fertile workers, but the prodiictive bee-keeper will have little 

 time to bother with them. As a rule, the best plan is to unite 

 the colony at once with another which has a good queen and 

 thus save what bees are left. If fertile workers are present, 

 several are usually to be found in the same hive. 



When the worker has served her purpose in life and can no 

 longer render a service to the community, she will still persist 

 in going to the field until she dies, or if she refuse to do so 

 will be dragged from the hive in the most merciless manner by 

 the busy sisters, whose only thought is for the prosperity of the 

 community. With the social insects, such as the honey-bee, the 

 community is everything, while the individual receives little 

 consideration. 



Under normal conditions, a colony of bees will consist of per- 

 haps 20,000 workers, a single queen, and a few dozen or possibly 

 a few hundred drones. The number of drones will depend largely 

 upon the kind of bee-keeper in whose apiary they reside. A very 

 prolific queen with plenty of room, and otherwise favorable con- 

 ditions, will produce such large numbers of eggs that possibly 

 50,000 or more bees may be present at one time. Under unfavor- 

 able conditions the colony may be reduced down to the point 



