HOW TO KEEP BEES. 



19 



THE QUEEN, 



The " queen, " so-called, is merely 

 the mother bee, and there is normally 

 but one in a colony. She lays all the 

 eggs from which the bees of the col- 

 ony are produced. Upon her vigor and 

 the virtues of her blood and mating 

 depend the thrift of the colony. If she 

 is old or failing, the colony dwindles. If 

 her " blood " is not good her offspring can- 

 not be expected to accomplish the results 

 of offspring from a better bred queen. 

 (See Figure 14). 



A queen lives for several years, but as a rule is past her prime and 

 period of greatest usefulness after her second summer. There are 

 exceptions to this, but the rule is a safe one to go bj-, and all queens 

 should be replaced by young ones after the second summer. j\Iany 

 successful beekeepers re-queen all colonies each year. 



Fig. H. — Queen. 



THE WORKERS. 



These are the most numerous members of 

 the colony. They are females, but with the 

 reproductive organs not fully developed and 

 only under some abnormal conditions do any 

 of them lay eggs, such layers being termed 

 "laying workers" and their eggs produce only 

 drones (males). 



The workers gather all the honey, pollen and 

 propolis, secrete the wax, build the comb, 

 maintam the heat of the colony, feed the larvae and do all the 

 work of the hive. They are also the ones which do the stinging. 

 (See Figure 15). 



Fig. 15. — Worker. 



