■21 



TllK W(}HKEKS. 



'I'lie wurkrr-liefS aiv uiiduxeldped females. They are liatobecl fnim a fcitilised egg 

 just like a queen, Init at the end of the tliird day of the larval stage they are put upon 

 a less nutritious diet which retards the deveh)pment of the sex organs, hence they are 

 untit to become mothers. Their business is to carry in nectar, pollen and water, 

 incubate the eggs, feed the larvic, do the scavenger-work of the eomnnmity, ventilate 

 the apartment ; in faot, do anything usefid that happens to be ncces.sary at the time. 

 In the period of tliglit they live about six weeks, their short career being due to their 

 intense industry, but those hatched in September and October generally last until 

 April, when their successors appear on the scene. Broadly speaking, the main elfort of 

 the eommunitj' is to have as man}' producers as possible during the honey-ilow, and as 

 few consumers as will keep tlie community going during tlie pieriod of dearth. 



The Drones. 



The drones are the male nieml:)ers of the colony. 'They are calletl into existence in 

 late spring in preparation for the mating season, and are mercilessly externjinated at 

 the end of the hoiiey-tlow. From their structure tiiey are untit to gather nectar or 

 pollen from l)lossoms, so the becdteeper considers them as nunxdy consumers, and rather 

 cosily ones at that ; therefore, he limits their number as closelj' as possiljle to the 

 actual needs of his apiary. By the use of wax foundation in the lirood-frames he 

 prevents the building of drone-cells ; should the liecs outwit him, he cuts the drone- 

 comb out of the frames. 



The mating of a (^ueen with a drone occurs usually only once, when she is but a few 

 days old, the event taking place in the air. When she makes her marriage flight, slie 

 flies swiftly away from the hive pursued by thousands of drones, the swiftest of them 

 being the winner of the race ; but he pays tor his success with his life, tor she deprives 

 him of the sex organs, rupturing his abdomen so completely that he expires almost 

 immediately. As the result of the intercourse, she is able to fertilise the hundreds of 

 thousands of eggs she may lay in the course of her life, wliich may endure from a few 

 weeks to several jears. 



Worker-bees are produced from eggs that have been fertilised, but drones are 

 raised frrjm eggs that have not been impregnated. These, therefore, have no father ; 

 consequently, any (^ueen that has failed to mate, and this is not very unusual, will be 

 the mother of drones only, t^uch an one is known as a drone-laying queen. 



Develop-me>t T.\r.LE. 



The following table shows the duration in days of the various stages of develop- 

 ment of ciueen, worker, and drone : — „ „, . , ro' 



^ E^-^'. Lar\ a. Pupa. Total Time. 



Queen '^ 5i 7 ISA 



Worker 3 ■> Jf "[ 



Drone 3 6 l-> 24 



From the start the novice will know the workers, as in suitable weather they are 

 continually moving in and out of the hive. Drones appear about the 1st of May. 

 They are bigger than the workers, fly generally in the heat of the day, making a loud 

 hum, from which their name is derived. The queen never leaves the hive excepting to 

 mate or with a swarm ; therefore, to be seen she must be looked for on the frames. 

 She is easily found in the spring months when the colony is weak in numbers, but 

 rather difficult to find in the height of the summer. Once seen she will be readdy 

 recognised, as her abdomen is very much longer than that of the bees that surround her. 

 Also, .she moves very slowly, especially when she is laying freely, as she is then heavy 

 with eggs. There is but one queen to a hive. 



