The Drone i 35 



some remaining nymphs of this species from the combs ; 

 they greedily sucked all the fluid from the abdomen, and 

 then carried them away. The following day no drones 

 remained in the hives." 



Often the bee-keeper anticipates the onslaught by 

 the workers ; and when the drones go forth for an hour 

 in the sunshine he narrows the entrance to the hive so 

 that the workers can pass, but the drones, being larger, 

 cannot return. When the banished ones have collected 

 disconsolately on the outside of the hive, they are swept 

 into a vessel of water, and to put the crown upon their 

 misfortunes — ignominiously fed to the chickens ! 



The ancients also excluded the drones by narrowing the 

 entrance to the hive, as we learn was done as far back as 

 the time of Aristotle. 



The edict of banishment by the bees themselves goes 

 forth early or late in the season according to the condition 

 of the storehouse. In a successful season the drones are 

 tolerated longer than in a poor one. If the colony is weak 

 or the honey flow slight, the drones may be cast out early 

 in the summer, but under better circumstances they may be 

 allowed to remain even as late as November. In a pros- 

 perous colony, however, they are sooner or later destroyed, 

 excepting that occasionally a few will be tolerated through 

 the winter. 



The bee-life is in the strictest sense communal, and the 

 death of the drones is necessary to the welfare of the 

 community. 



With the exception of their one function, they are worse 

 than useless, supplying many mouths to consume the pre- 

 cious stores. 



Idle members are a menace to the safety of the com- 

 munity, hence even such workers as become incapacitated 

 are said to be ejected, and even the queen grown old or 



