D o
Drones. The drones are unquestionably the males. It seems difficult at first to
see why there should be so many in a hive, especially as it has been satisfactorily established
that one impregnation makes the queen fertile for life. As the impregnation of the young queen always
takes place on the wing, it is of the utmost importance that the queen when making her excursion
to meet the drones should be sure of finding one. [Inserted: If she has to make many excursions she may be lost] This she might be literally sure of in
a large apiary even if each hive contained but few drones, but in a state of
nature bees live in forests and a colony may have no neighbors for miles. 
A good stock sometimes sends off three or more swarms, especially in the hot climates
of which the bee is a native. The queens of all these except the first which contains an old
and fertile queen, will need drones. These and other divers considerations show the
necessity of their being produced in large numbers. As we have by domesticating the bees and
keeping [crossed out: them] numerous colonies in a small compass taken away the necessity for so large
a supply of males, we ought to do all that we can to limit their production. 
If a hive contains a very large amount of drone comb it will be sure to disappoint
its owner. In hives constructed with movable bars such combs can be
cut out, so that the bees may replace them with worker cells. In the profitable management
of an apiary, the fewer drones the better. A very large number as useless as a
very large number of cocks or bulls in the farmyard, The farmer who should resolve to
allow the proportion of the sexes to remain undisturbed, on the plea that it is best to follow
Nature (forgetting entirely that his stock are not in a state of nature) would be as wise
as the apiarian who refuses to do all that he can to discourage the breeding of drones. 
Number of. The very fact that many young queens are lost when they go out for impregnation
shows what would be the result if drones were not quite so numerous. 
In Sydney, New South Wales, one colony is said to have increased to 300 in three
years! 
Drones early. A hive might have early artificial warmth to breed the
drones sooner, so that artificial swarms may be impregnated earlier than otherwise. 
Destruction of drones desirable, but very limited production of the great thing.