Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1859-04-08
The Wonders of the Beehive.

habits of the bee seem truly fabulous; an'
yet they are all founded on observation, ant
there seems to he no reason for calling then
In question.
A hive of bees, we are told, consists o
three kinds--females, males. and workers
The females are called queens, and only
enc is permitted TO live in the same hive
but one is essential TO its establishment and
maintenance The NAL IS are called drones,
ard may exist in hundred, or even thou
sands, in hive. The workers, or neuters,
are the mos, numerous, and perform all the
labor, collecting the honey, secreting the
wax, and building the cells. The females
and workers have stings at the end OF the
abdomen, but the drones have none. The
queen lives in the interior of the hive, and
seldom leaves it except 10 lead forth a
swarm. If she be removed from the hive
the whole swarm will follow her. The
queen is not only the governor, but also the
mother of the community, she beng the
only breeder out of 10000 or 10000 bees,
on which account she is loved, respected,
and obeyed with all the external marks of
devotion which human beings could give to
beloved monarch.
The queen deposits her eggs in cells pre-
viously prepared by the workers to receive
them. The eggs producing workers are
deposited in sx.sided horizontal cells; the
cells Of the drones are somewha. irregular;
those Of the queens are larger than the
others, circular, and hang perpendicularly.
The eggs producing workers are lain first,
the queen laying about two hundred eggs
daily. The eggs of the drones afterward
laid are less numerous than those OF the
workers, in the proportion of about one to
thirty. Eggs Tor queens are deposited in
their proper cells, one in each, at intervals
of one or two days. The eggs and Larvae
of the royal family do not differ in appear
ance from those of the workers, but the
young are more carefully nursed, and fed
with more stimulating kind of food called
"royal jelly, which causes them to grow so
rapidly that in five days the larva is pre-
pared to spin its web, and on the sixteenth |
day becomes perfect queen. But as only !
one queen can reign in the hive, the young
ones are kept close prisoners, and carefully |
guarded against the attacks of the queen
mother so long as there is any prospect of
her leading out a swarm. When the old
queen departs with swarm, young one
is liberated, who Immediately seeks the
destruction of her sisters, but is prevented
by the guards If she lead forth another
swarm, second queen is liberated, and SO
on until further swarming is considered i'm
possible, when the reigning queen is per-
mitted TO destroy her sisters. In cases
where no new swarm is to be sent off, the
queen mother is permitted to assume the
office of destroyer If at any time two
queens happen TO come out simultaneously,
it is said that mortal combat takes place I
at once, and the victor is acknowledged to a
be the rightful sovereign. On the loss Of Q
queen, the whole swarm is thrown into the a
greatest confusion, and if there be no work =
er eggs or brood out of which queen can y
be made by the peculiar process of feeding e
alrea " mentioned, all LABOR ceases and the g
bees soon die.
There are three substances for which the
bees forage the fields. First, resin, or
gum. which is on trees next, the pollen or
fine dust, of flowers and lastly, the saceh- a
arine matter that is in the flowers. When 81
the cells are to be built, they bring home
the resin, and stop all the cracks or crew
ICES in the hive, so that neither the rain nor r
any insect can get in to trouble them. 4
Then they set forth TO bring materials for
wax, to construct their cells. The wax is
made from pollen. The bees swallow it,
and then hang themselves in festoons in the
hive. In the course of twenty-four hours
small rings make their appearance on the
body, Then the bee detaches itself from
the rest OF he group, and, descending to
the bottom of the hive, removes the sub
stance which has now become wax. Each
bee follows in its turn, and deposits its con-
tribution, which is directly made use of by
the architects in building the cells.
The honey-cells are all sx-sided, and of
the most perfect regularity. Were they :
squares or triangles, or circles they would
not fit as closely together, consequently
there would be a waste of room.
"There is substance called bee bread.
which Is necessary TO the life of the bee
IL is made from pollen, but is entirely I'M
like wax. In securing it, the bee darts in u
TO flower, and covers its body with the z
yellow dust. Now it must contrive some
way to get rid of it, and God has made the
last joint but one of each leg like brush. :
These brushes are passed all over the body.
and the pollen is collected in two little
heaps. The thighs of the last pair of the
bees legs are furnished with two cavities.
and these make nice little baskets to carry
home their treasure The dust collected "A
from thousand flowers is now kneaded in
to little balls, and when these have increased ar
to the size of a grain of pepper, the bee Tc
flies home, and enters the cell head fore in IN
most. The balls are then taken from the ar
baskets, and being moistened with a little
honey, become bee bread"*
One Of the greatest wonders of the bee
hive is the mode in which it is ventilated.
Fresh air Is no less necessary 10 bees than Co
to human beings, and as no provision is
made for its supply in the construction of
Their dwelling, they secure it in this way:
: They arrange themselves in files along the
bottom OF the hive Those outside place 81
their heads toward the entrance. and those ,
within in an opposite direction. When thus
siationed they fan their ,v;nc,s -, ,.,;lI