The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-03-30
FACTS ABOUT THE HONEY BEE
Cor National Livestock Journal.

OOI INdLlOuhl LlNesOGOCk journal.
There are three classes of bees in hive,
the Worker, Queen, and Drone.
queens are raised by peculiar food and
treatment from eggs that would other
wise produce workers.
Ihe worker is an undeveloped female.
Workers in the absence of the queen
sometimes lay aggs. These invariably
produce drones
! The queen lives from two to five wears.
The worker from two to three months in
the working season, and from six to EIGHT
during the season of rest.
The queen is perfected in fifteen or six
teen days from the egg, the worker in
twenty to twenty-one, and the drone in
twenty four.
The queen usually commences LAYING
from seven to twelve days after leaving
the cell, and is capable of laying from
two to three thousand eggs day.
The impregnation of the queen ALWAYS
takes place outside the hive, on the wing,
and generally tie fourth or fifth day
after leaving the cell. Excepting in rare
cases, one mpregnation answers for life.
The drone she has mated with dies i'm.
mediately.
The eggs of an unimpregnated queen
produces nothing but drones; and it is
generally conceded that impregnation
does not effect the drone progency; con
sequenlly, the male progency of a pure
Italian queen is pure without regard to
the drone she has mated with.
The queen and worker are provided
with stings; but while the latter will use
1t upon any provocation, the former will
only use it on her own rank. The drones
have no stings.
One queen as q rule is all that is toler-
ated In hive; but previous to throwing
off latter swarms," two or more queens
are permitted in the same hive for short
time but the extra ones are soon dispos-
ed of. In case of superseding a queen,
the old one is preserved until the new
one is fitted to take her place. Queens
have a deadly hatred for each other, and
will destroy, if permitted, all queen
Larvae or cells in the hive, and will fight
each other until there is but one living
one left
Bees gather three kinds of products
Propolis from the gum of trees and shrubs,
for fastening the joints and cracks of
their hives; Pollen or beebread, from
flowers for feeding their young and
themselves; and Honey, which consti-
tutes the main food of the hive Water
is also carried into the hive during the
breeding season for mixing with The
food for their young; salt is also made
use Of for the same purpose.
Wax, like fat, is an animal product,
and is secreted by the bees in thin scales
from the undersde Of the body. While
doing this they consume large quantities
of honey-from fifteen to twenty pound
for every pound Of wax secretcd.
A frightened bee, or one filled with
honey, is not disposed to sting.
A good swarm contains about twenty
thousand bees.
A strong Or medium hive, with good
laying queen, is never seriously troubled
with the moth worm but hive without
a queen or means of raising one is sure to
be taken by them.
Bees recognize each other by their
scent.
The first one or two weeks of the
young bees life is sp ut inside the hive,
rs nurse or WAX worker.
| The range Of bees flight for food is
generally within two or three miles;
much greater range is Of but little ben.
eft to them.