and Us Economic Management. 29 



larvse then undergo much the same process of change as does the 

 worker, though each condition is more prolonged, and it is not 

 until the 2Sth day that the perfect insect begins to bite a way 

 out from its cradle. Nearly every one has heard of these burly 

 fellows, but people generally appear to consider that a drone is so 

 called simply because he will not work ; but the fact is that he 

 cannot work, and has nothing in common with the worker, the 

 latter being a neuter and its whole organism so constituted as to 

 fit it for work alone, while the drone is exactly the reverse, and 

 being the male its sole occupation is that of fertilising the young 

 queens brought to life during the swarming season. It is therefore 

 in view of this colonising instinct that the drones are now brought 

 forward ; this being the first indication that a stock is expecting 

 to swarm at no distant date. If we 



Suppress the production of Drones 



then, by allowing no drone comb, one step is taken towards the 

 prevention of swarming ; it being well known that those colonies 

 having few or no drones are the least inclined to swarm. 



Royal Cells. 



The next and more important step taken by the bees, is to 

 build special cells, either on the surface of the combs, or more 

 often around the edges, something in the shape of an acorn ; 

 indeed in their first stage, they are almost an exact counterpart of 

 the cup. They may remain in this state, as they often do, for 

 many days if the weather is not quite favourable ; but in due 

 course the queen deposits in each an egg, and as soon as the tiny 

 larvae hatch from these they are fed excessively upon what is 

 called " Royal Jelly," a substance much thicker than that given 

 to the common larvse. From the sixth to the seventh day the 

 developing insect has its cell capped over ; it then spins a cocoon 

 which does not completely surround itself, as the abdomen is not 

 covered, and strange though it may seem it is just there that the 

 cell is torn open by the bees and the immature queen stung to 



