DRONES OK MALES. 25 



CHAPTEE II. 



DKONES OE MALES. 



These are atout tlie most idle and unfortunate crea- 

 tures in existence. Tkey are generally hatclied in drone- 

 combs ; that is to say, in cells larger, considerably larger, 

 tban tbose of common workers. These large cells, buUt 

 up together, are called drone-comb. The less drone-comb 

 there is in a hive, the better it is for breeding purposes ; 

 for though the bees can rear drones in worker-cells, they 

 never rear workers in drone-cells. When a hive has much 

 drone-comb in it, there wiU. be produced a superabundance 

 of idle feUows, which wUl consume a great deal of honey. 

 Drone-combs are generally situated on the extreme out- 

 sides of the worker-combs, but sometimes they are found 

 near the centre of the hive. It is the position and num- 

 ber of drone-ceUs in a hive that determines the number of 

 drones reared. If such cells are near the centre, drones 

 win put in an appearance long before the hive is ready 

 for swarming ; and if on the outside of the combs, the 

 hive will be ready for swarmiug about the time drones 

 are first hatched. The appearance of drones is therefore . 

 no safe guide as to the ripeness of a hive for swarming. 



The drones are twenty-four days in being hatched from 

 eggs ; that is, they come to perfection in twenty-four 

 days, being three days longer in their cells than workers, 

 and ten days longer than queens. 



