FARMERS' BULLETIN, No. 129. 



Drone-laying Queens. 



A drone-laying queen is one that has not been successfully mated, or (on 

 som'e occasions) a queen that has lost the power to fertilise her eggs. The 

 former state is usually brought about by some abnormal condition of the 

 queen, or an unfavourable condition of the weather during mating time. 

 For instance, a queen will at times issue from a cell with damaged wings, 

 being thus prevented from taking the wedding flight. This queen would 

 naturally be a drone-layer. At other times unfavourable weather may 

 prevent mating, and after a fair period the queen will lay, but the issue 

 win, in such case, be drones. A novice will often clip a virgin queen, 

 causing her to become a drone- layer. Others 'sometimes leave an excluder 

 on the entrance for an unlimited period, which has a similar effect if there 

 is a young queen in the hive during the time. 



A drone-laying queen can be detected by the appearance of the brood, the 

 caps pf the worker cells being abnormally bulged, and having practically the 

 shape of a •22-rifle bullet. Her eggs are usually laid irregularly, and their 

 condition and appearance are quite abnormal when compared with the 

 brood of a good queen. Drone-laying queens should be destroyed, about 

 two frames of her brood being then removed and replaced with about the 

 same quantity of normal brood obtained from good Italian stock. This 

 brood should contain at least some eggs and larvas. After twenty-four hours 

 a ripe queen cell should be placed with the colony, or a queen introduced 

 that is not considered valuable. In case neither cells nor queen are obtain- 

 able, all the brood should be rpnioved in the first instance, and the bees 

 allowed to raise cells from the brood introduced until a cell or queen raised 

 under better conditions is available to give them. A good method is to 

 unite a nucleus containing a laying queen if one is on hand. 



The brood of a drone-laying queen is similar in appearance to that of 

 laying worker's, and it will therefore be necessary to note the distinguishing 

 features of each case. The apiarist usually has a knowledge that a queen 

 was, or should be, in the hive, whereas in the case of laying workers the 

 colony must have been queenless for a considerable time. This knowledge, 

 combined with diligent search, will place the apiarist on the right track. 



Worker Bees. 



The name " worker'' is self-explanatory, and their wonderful organisation 

 is clearly apparent when it is seen how smoothly a colony will progress in 

 normal times with a population of probably 20,000 of them. Among a few 

 of the duties performed by them daily during normal times are the gathering 

 of nectar, pollen and water, the feeding and attending of the larvie, and the 

 cleaning of the hi\-e. Besides these things, they circulate the air through 

 the hive, guard the entrance from attack, and secrete wax and build comb. 



Remarkable self-sacrifice is shown by the bee. When crippled, she will 

 throw herself over the alighting board ; and when swarming, the colony 

 which worked' so hard to build its comfortable home, sallies bravely forth to 

 start all over again, leaving its hard-earned stores for the younger generation. 

 It would be impossible to find greater energy, organisation, self-sacrifice or 

 love of home than that which marks the worker bee. 



Nectar, the liquid gathered from the flowers which undergoes a change in 

 the honey stomach of the worker bees, is subsequently stored in the comb 

 and becomes " honey." Pollen is the nutritious food which is gathered from 

 the flowers and carried on the legs of the bee. It is stored in the cells and 

 IS principally used, after being mixed with honey and water, and partially 

 digested in the chyle stomach of the worker bee, for feeding larvae. 



