34 A Modem Bee-Farm 



Presuming that the colony we have had under considera- 

 tion, has plenty of stores of both kinds, and a good queen at 

 its head, at the approach of May some of the large cells have 

 eggs deposited in them : these also hatph on the third day, 

 and the larvae then undergo much the same process of change 

 as does the worker, though each condition is more prolonged, 

 and it is not until the 25th day that the perfect insect begins 

 to bite a way out from its cradle. Nearly every one has 

 heard of these burly fellows, but people generally appear to 

 consider that a drone is so called simply because he will 

 not work ; but the fact is he cannot work, and has nothing in 

 common with the worker, the latter being a neuter and its 

 whole organism so constituted as to fit it for work alone, 

 while the drone is exactly the reverse, and being the male 

 its sole occupation is that of fertilising the young queens 

 brought to life during the swarming season. It is therefore in 

 view of this colonising instinct that the drones are now 

 brought forward ; this being the first indication that a stock 

 is expecting to swarm at no distant date. If we suppress the 

 production of drones then, by allowing no drone comb, one 

 step is taken towards the prevention of swarming ; it being 

 well known that those colonies having few or no drones are 

 the least inclined to swarm. 



Royal Cells. 



The next and more important step taken by the bees, is to 

 build special cells, either on the surface of the combs, or more 

 often around the edges, something in the shape of an acorn ; 

 indeed in their first stage, they are almost an exact counterpart 

 of the cup. They may remain in this state, as they often do, 

 for many days if the weather is not quite favourable ; but in 

 due course the queen deposits in each an egg, and as soon as 

 the tiny larvae hatch from these they are fed excessively upon 

 what is called " Royal Jelly," a substance much thicker than 

 that given to the, common larvae. From the sixth to the 



