THE DRONE.. 59 



selected by his own powers of flight, etc. Weak drones, whatever 

 may be the cause thereof, can only perpetuate weakness. 



Drones are tolerated in the hive and admitted from others as 

 long as there is a probability of a queen requiring fecundation. 

 But let the honey-flow suddenly cease, and in a few days every 

 one in the hive is banished. 



As soon as the honey-flow is no longer abundant the edict is 

 sent forth for the destruction of all the males; of the household. 

 There is no mercy shown. The old and the young, egg, larvae, and 

 ■chrysalides, must all suffer the same fate. The only crime for 

 which they have to suffer is they are masculine. Those males, 

 that a few weeks before were so active and strong on the wing, 

 when the general order has gone forth for their destruction, offer 

 no resistance. They readily submit to be slaughtered, and those 

 very nurse bees that were so watchful of their well-being at once 

 become their executioners, until the whole of the male sex of that 

 hive is exterminated. 



As queen bees mate but once during life, the drones that are 

 required for the following season are the progeny from the same 

 mother, and are full brothers of the slaughtered victims of the 

 previous year. 



How often has the question been asked, "Why are there so 

 many drones?" and what queer answers have been given to it. 

 To produce extra heat, to aid in the ripening of the honey, food 

 for birds, etc., are the answers that have been given. It mu:»t 

 be remembered, as stated above, that conjunction between the 

 queen and one drone takes place but once during the former's 

 lifetime, and such conjunction must take place when the queen 

 is about six days old, although cases have arisen where queens 

 have successfully mated for some time after that period. If there 

 ■were a scarcity of drones the queen may fail to meet her mate and 

 become a drone-layer. The superabundant number of male bees 

 to one female is analogous to the great number of stamens and 

 anthers in a peach "blossom" or other bloom to the one or few 

 ■carpels in the flower. One grain of pollen from one stamen is 

 sufficient to fertilise one ovule, then why so many stamens and 

 pollen grains is a question the answer to which has never been 

 doubted. Undoubtedly the same answer as it regards the exces- 

 sive number of drones applies in this case. 



To my mind an excess of useless drones is an argument against 

 the ability of the bee-keeper, or a want of knowledge of the age 

 of his queens. Drone over-production can be minimised by judic- 



