Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-07-19
FARM. GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD
Facts about uoney-Bees.


Facts About Uoney-Bees.
There are three classes of bees in a
hive. the Worker, Queen and Drone.
Queens are raised by peculiar food
and treatment from that would other
wise produce workers.
The worker is IN undeyeloped female.
Workers, in the absence of the queen,
sometimes lay eggs These invariably
produce drones.
The queen lives from two to five
years; 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
sixteen days from the eggs, the worker,
in twenty to tWenty-one, and the drone
in twenty-foUu.
The queen usually commences laying
in from seven to twelve days after leay-
ing the cell, and is capable of laying
from two to three thousand eggs in a
day.
The impregnation of the queen al
ways takes place outside the hive, on
the wing, and generally the fourth or
fifth day after leaving the cell. Except
ing in rare cases, one importation an
swers for life. The drone she has mated
with dies Immediately.
The eggs of an unimpregnated queen
produce nothing but drones and it is
generally conceded that impregnation
does not affect the drone progeny; con-
sequently, the male progeny of pure
italian queen is pure without regard to
the drone she ha- mated with.
The queen and worker are provided
with stings; but the latter will use it
upon any proyecation, the former will
only use it on her own rank. The
drones have no stings.
One queen, as a rule, is all that is
tolerated in hive; but previous to
throwing off after swarms,' two OF
more queens are permitted in the same
hive for short time; bnt extra ones
are soon disposed of In case of sup
erseding a queen, the old one is pre-
served 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 viii fight each other IN
: til there is but one living one left.
Bees gather three kinds of products:
Prepolis, from the gum of trees snd
shrubs, for fastening the joints and
cracks of their hives 4; Pollen, or bee
bread, from flowers, for feeding their
young and themselves and Honey,
which constitutes the main food of the
hive. Water 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 under side of the side
of the body. While doing this, they
consume large quantities of honey from
fifteen to twenty pounds for every
pound of wax secreted.
A frightened bee, or one filed with
honey, is not disposed to sting
4 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 with
out 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 spent inside the hive,
as nurse or wax worker
The range of q bees fight for food is
generally within two or three miles
much greater range is of but little bene-
fit to them.-LjUe Stock Journal.