DZIERZON THEORY 
295 
known as the “Dzierzon Theory,” and thus 
in reality laid the foundation for much of 
our scientific and practical knowledge of 
bees. While he was not original in the 
discovery of parthenogenesis, he threw a 
great deal of light on the subject. (See 
Parthenogenesis, elsewhere, and sketch 
of his life just preceding.) That the reader 
may know just what the theory was, the 
several propositions as given by Dzierzon 
are as follows: 
I. A colony of bees, in its normal condi¬ 
tion, consists of three characteristically dif¬ 
ferent kinds of individuals—the queen, the 
workers, and (at certain periods) the drones. 
II. In the normal condition of a colony, 
the queen is the only perfect female present 
in the hive, and lays all the eggs found 
therein. These eggs are male and female. 
From the former proceed the drones; from 
the latter, if laid in narrow cells, proceed 
the workers, or undeveloped females; and 
from them also, if laid in wider acorn- 
sliaped and vertically suspended so-called 
royal cells, lavishly supplied with a peculiar 
pabulum or jelly, proceed the queens. 
III. The queen possesses the ability to 
lay male or female eggs at pleasure, as the 
particular cells she is at any time supplying 
may require. 
1Y. In order to become qualified to lay 
both male and female eggs, the queen must 
be fecundated by a drone or male bee. 
V. The fecundation of the queen is always 
effected outside of the hive, in the open air, 
and while on the wing. Consequently, in 
order to become fully fertile, that is, capa¬ 
ble of laying both male and female eggs, 
the queen must leave her hive at least once. 
VI. In the act of copulation the genitals 
of the drone enter the vulva of the queen, 
are there retained, and the drone simulta¬ 
neously perishes. 
VII. The fecundation of the queen, once 
accomplished, is efficacious during her life, 
or so long as she remains healthy and vigor¬ 
ous; and, when once become fertile, she 
never afterward leaves her hive except 
when accompanying a swarm. 
VIII. The ovaries of the queen are not 
impregnated in copulation; but a small ves¬ 
icle or sac which is situated near the termi¬ 
nation of the oviduct, and' communicating 
therewith, becomes charged with the semen 
of the drone. 
IX. All eggs germinated in the ovary of 
the queen develop as males, unless impreg¬ 
nated by the male sperm while passing the 
mouth of the seminal sac or spermatheca, 
when descending the oviduct. If they be 
thus impregnated in their downward pass¬ 
age (which impregnation the queen can ef¬ 
fect or omit at pleasure), they develop as 
females. 
X. If a queen remain unfecundated, she 
ordinarily does not lay eggs. Still, excep¬ 
tional cases do sometimes occur; and the 
eggs then laid produce drones only. 
XI. If, in consequence of superannuation, 
the contents of the spermatheca of a fee- 
undated queen become exhausted; or, if 
from enervation or accident, she lose the 
power of using the muscles connected with 
that organ, so as to be unable to impregnate 
the passing egg, she will thenceforward lay 
drone eggs only, if she lay at all. 
XII. As some unfecundated queens occa¬ 
sionally lay drone eggs, so also in queenless 
colonies, no longer having the requisite 
means of rearing a queen, common workers 
are sometimes found that lay eggs from 
which drones only proceed. These workers 
are likewise unfecundated, and the eggs are 
uniformly laid by some individual bee, re¬ 
garded and treated more or less by her com¬ 
panions as their queen. 
XIII. So long as a fertile queen is present 
in the hive, the bees do not tolerate a fertile 
worker. Nor do they tolerate one while 
cherishing the hope of being able to rear a 
queen. In rare instances, however, excep¬ 
tional cases occur. Fertile workers are 
sometimes found in the hive immediately 
after the death or removal of the queen, 
and even in the presence of a young queen, 
so long as she has not herself become fer¬ 
tile. 
When this was put out originally in the 
Bienenzeitung, it called forth most strenu¬ 
ous opposition. Even the Baron von Ber- 
lepscli opposed it; but later on, when Ital¬ 
ian bees were introduced, and the theory 
could be demonstrated, Berlepsch became 
its most staunch supporter. Indeed, he 
published a series of articles defending it; 
but there has been more or less opposition 
to it ever since. In 1895 M. Dickel made 
a violent attack on the theory, stating that 
all eggs laid by the queens were fecundated, 
and that the bees themselves determined 
the sex of the eggs by means of a secretion 
from the glands. For a number of years 
the European journals were filled with dis¬ 
cussion, some supporting Dickel and some 
Dzierzon. Finally, in 1898 the Dickel the¬ 
ory was shown to be untenable. 
Those who desire to see the original argu¬ 
ments in support of the theory will be 
interested in reading the booklet entitled 
“The Dzierzon Theory,” by the Baron von 
Berlepsch, published by The A. I. Root Co. 
In the mean time the reader is referred to 
Parthenogenesis, where more information 
is given on the subject. Some recent work 
by Nachtsheim seems to make Dzierzon’s 
position still stronger. 
