The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1851-05-21
I The Honoy Bse.
TiiE DRoNE, AND THE QUEEN.

Some persons have spent their DAYS in
observing these little busy animals.
Every association Of bees has three
kInds-lhe queen, the droncs, and the
workers. 1t is estimated that hive
usually contains from six to twelve
thousand bees. In some small hives.
however, the number is much less than
six thousand, while lnrgc ones have
been known 10 have rs many rs TWEEN.
~ Thousand. a,...
There is only ono queen bee in cnch
swarm, whether large or small. The
average proportion Of droncs is about
f'tly 10 ench thousand working bees.
llcnce, about ninctccn-twenlir,hs Of lIlc
bees. in every hive arc workers.
a9 THE pRoNE.
The droncs are the largest bees in
The family. Their bodies arc thick,
short, and clumsy, and they arc about
tic size Of two working bees. Their
wings arc large and long, and they
uinkc Il loud, buzzing noise when nv
ing. They have no sting aud may be
banded without harm.
The droncs arc the male bccs.-
They live n life Of idlcncss. taking no
part in the labor Of tho hive. Indeed,
they have not tho power to collect ho-
neY, or 10 provide themselves with food.
They have neither honey. bags, such as
workers have, 10 contain collected
sweets, nor cavities upon their legs for
tho opollcn.
2 Were a dronc deprived Of the privi-
lcgcs of feeding on the stores Of The
hive it would die. la one rcspcc, they
have moro liberty than the workers, for
they are permitted TO enter any hive, and
live in tho same manner rs in lhcr own
The droncs appear in The hives dur.
ring the Inter par, Of May, and arc
usually killed or driven on, 10 s,arvc in
the month Of July. Sometimes II few
nre permitted to remain much later in
the season.
TIE QUEEN nEE.
The queen bee is The mother OF The
family, and governs the hive. She is
longer and more slender than the dronc,
but not as large, and is larger in ever,
respect linn the worker. Ter legs arc
longer, but her wings are shorter in
proportion than those Of the dronc or
worker.
The queen is very seldom seen
Sometimes she may be observed during
afhe time fswarming. She may occa.
.sionally be found in her royal cell. when
the bees have been destroyed with
smoke ior,he purpose Of obtaining their
honey sl.,5 35s ~ Z ~ 81.
Fhc5ancqnis majestic isssshrr move.
!. ,ssinls, mid is accompanied bya guard
/ mposed of sswelyesw WORKERS.. This AL
siendaHoe ken irlS d md mover
,tlsgIarletl. sis hefesa siio goes ihc
sAsssiar rtis cleals patllsa always. turning
She IS armed with a sting tu, sci.
don, llscs it4cxcept against rival queens.
sSIespiny be takcn4i III the bare hand,
and will seldom. sting when handled
carefully. A worker, taken in The
sarne Kramer, would DC dropped like a
piece ofi,o, iron,
The chici office oflhc queen is 10 lay
eggs, one OF which she deposits in each
cell. These eggs are of Two kinds
drone-eggs and worker eggs. When
n worker egg is deposited ina .oyal ceN
il becomes n queen bee. There arc
seldom more than five or ten of these
cells in one hive.
ROYAL CELL.
The queen usually commences as soon
I'M ,tSV l. r
About tho first of May her great laying"
takes place, when she dcpositcs IRON, one
TO two hundred eggs per day. In warm
climates this period may take place earlier
At first she derosites only workcr-cggs,
then she lays dronc eggs for a few days,
and after this again produces worker.crrs.
During The time of laying The dronc eggs
the royal cells arc built; and when the queen
commences laying worker eggs for The
second time, shc deposi,cs every few davs,
oncjof these eggs in Il royal CELL and ron.
these the queen arc produced.
The droncs are produced from the cyrs
IN tweniy-lonr days, The workers in twenty
days, and tho queens III sixteen days.
Though young queen bee has attained
ITS growth, the workers will not alloy it 10
come out of the cell as long az the old
1HGc' Ie'iiaIIS In inc hITC. Should the
young queen effect her escape from Tho
cell, the old one would seize and Kill her
Immediately.
when The young queen has attained l.or
growth, and hrglns to say "pcrp perp,' the
old one, knowing it to be the cry Of n rival
for Ibcrty,is aroused, and attempts to ec,
NJ Tie royal cell 10 destroy its inmate. Bu,
The workers prevent her from doing ,his:
and now, finding that she no longer has
absolute authority in the family, she com
mences n sudden vibration of her wnus,
runs over every part of The comb io.owcA hv
herasubjccts, and great comnolion en-
sues.
q When notice hns thus been fairly com
lmunlcatcd otl'e whole family, the queen
rnstcs toward the outlet, The word is niven
: TO swarm. and away go the workers, as #
pursued by ten thousand foes.
! While swarming they cluster around
the quean,. and wherever she aligh;s, there
tho whole company Immediately scttlc-
The Old queen always flies off with the
first swarm.
After the old queen has thus left the
hive the workers release The young one