NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HONEY BEE. 65 



sands. It seems, at first, very difficult to understand why 

 there should be so many, especially since it has been ascer- 

 tained, that a single one will impregnate a Queen for life. 

 But as intercourse always takes place high in the air, the 

 young Queens are obliged to leave the hive for this purpose ; 

 and it is exceedingly important to their safety, . that they 

 should be- sure of finding one, without being^ compelled to 

 make frequent excursions. Being larger than a worker, and 

 less active on the wing, they are more exposed to be caught by 

 birds, or blown down and destroyed by sudden gusts of wind. 



In a large Apiary, a few drones in each hive, or the num- 

 ber usually found in one, might be amply sutficient. But it 

 must be borne in mind, that under these circumstances, bees 

 are not in a state of nature, when a colony living in a forest, 

 often had no neighbors, for miles. A good stock, even in 

 our climate, sometimes sends out three or more swarms, and 

 in the tropical climates, of which the bee is probably a native, 

 they increase with astonishing rapidity.* All the new 

 swarms, except the first, are led off by a young Queen, and 

 as she is never impregnated, until after she has been estab- 

 lished as the head of a separate family, it is important that 

 they should all be accompanied by a goodly number of 

 drones ; and this renders it necessary that a large number 

 should be produced in the parent hive. 



As this necessity no longer exists when the bee is domes- 

 ticated, the production of so many drones should be dis- 

 couraged. Traps have been invented to destroy them, but 

 it is much better to save the bees the labor and expense of 

 rearing such a host of useless consumers. This can readily 

 be done, when we have the control of the combs. The 

 drone comb may be taken out, to have its place supplied 



* At Sydney, in Australia, a single colony is stated to have multi- 

 plied to 300 in three years. 



