bee-keeper's manual. 41 



great decrease of bees thus: — the fall months of the 

 season were a perfect blank in the increase of this family ; 

 hence, when spring came, as a matter of course, we find 

 but a very few bees alive, for the majority of all bees 

 existing in the spring of the year, are brought into being 

 during the fall months previous. 



FERTILE WORKERS NEVER EXIST, EXCEPT IN CASES OT A 

 FAILURE TO PRODUCE A aUEEN. 



Another circumstance attending the existence of fer- 

 tile workers is, that thei/ never do exist, only in cases in 

 which the bees have been unsuccessful in rearing a 

 queen. 



When a queen comes into existence, her natural aver- 

 sion, and unrelenting animosity towards any thing like 

 rivalry, cause her to rush on all other queens yet in 

 embryo, and such workers as have had the misfortune 

 to take a sip of royal jelly, are scented out for immedi- 

 ate slaughter. But when a failure in raising a queen 

 takes place, these poor royal pap workers are allowed 

 to exist so long as no queen is present to immolate them. 

 Thus it will be seen, that the chances of such fertile 

 workers coming under the observation of apiarians, is 

 quite limited. 



There is much interesting, information concerning 

 the habits and economy of this class of bees, that can- 

 not well be embraced in an especial chapter devoted to 

 workers ; but such matter will be unfolded, through the 

 various subjects that I shall consider essential to dis- 

 cuss hereafter, in succeeding chapters. The same 



