34 PHYSIOLOGY AinO BEEEDING. 



WHEN QUEENS AMD DRONES ARE DESTROYED BEFORE SWARMINO. 



If from any cause, honey fails so far as to make the ex- 

 istence of a swarm in any way hazardous, the preparations 

 are abandoned, and these young queens destroyed, in all 

 stages from the egg to maturity. When an occurrence 

 like this takes place, the drones next fall victims to the 

 failure of honey. A brief existence only is theirs ; such 

 as are perfect, are destroyed without mercy, and those in 

 the chrysalis state are often dragged out and sacrificed to 

 the necessities of the colony. Such as are allowed to 

 hatch, instead of being fed and protected as they would 

 be if honey were abundant, are permitted while yet 

 weak from the effects of hunger, to wander from the hive, 

 and fall to the earth by hundi'eds.* 



These results attend only a scarcity in the early part 

 of the season. The massacre of July and September is 

 quite different. The drones then have age and strength ; 

 an effort is apparently first made by the workers to drive 

 them out without proceeding to extremes ; they are ha- 

 rassed sometimes for several days, the workers feigning 

 only to sting, but very few are dispatched in that way ; 

 yet there is evidence proving beyond doubt that the sting 

 is sometimes used. Hundreds will often be collected to- 

 gether in a compact body at the bottom of the hive ; this 

 mutual protection affording a few hours' respite- from their 

 tormenters, who do not cease to worry them. In a few 

 days they are gone, and it is difficult to tell what has be- 

 come of them. If the hive is well supplied with honey 

 in September, some of the drones have a longer lease of 

 life given them. I have seen them as late as December. 

 When the best hives are poorly supplied with stores, the 

 bees will rear no drones the ensuing spring, until the 



*The destruction of drones at this time does not prove that there -AiH not be 

 any swarms, as some have asserted ; but it shows that there is a scarcity of 

 honey, and that swarming is put off indeflnilely. if not altogether. 



