The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-02-11
ABOUT BEES.

The king is stingless; EARNED
only with his magnificent port. "
Modern science regards this social
Ell king as mother and monarch
of the hive. It is found that she
lives four years, and is hatched
from the egg in fourteen days
while the workers require twenty
one days, and the droners twenty
four. These strange figures are
part of the mystery attached to
bees; but still more curious fact
connected with this point is, that
the bees have the power at will Of
developing common eggs into queen
bees. This is done by removing
an egg into royal cell, and feeding
the little grub with a substance Of
a milky, gelatinous appearance,
know as ''royal jelly
These facts have been ascertain
ed without doubt by Mr.. Pettigrew,
one of the most successful bee
keepers of the day; though what
the exact analysis Of this ''royal
jelly" may be is utterly unknown.
The chief function of the queen
in the hive is to lay eggs, from
which the future population will
spring. A healthy queen during
her life is estimated to lay the en-
ormous number of 100000 eggs.
Often in the heat Of summer, for
months together, she will lay 1900
q day. Whether these eggs are
all alike, or whether some are
worker-eggs, and others as distinct
ly drone-eggs, is one of the numer-
Gus questions on which bee-keepers
are at issue.
The working bees from the life
and prosperity of the hive. To
them belong industry, labor, pa
tience, ingenuity-in short, all the
virtues of the race, and while each
knows his own duty, and does it,
the efforts Of all are directed to-
ward the veal of the community.
The working bee never lives longer
than nine months; they labor so
necessarily, that it is supposed they
never sleep. The daily consump-
ton and waste of . large hive of
bees in summer may be taken at
two pounds of honey; it will show
the industry Of the working bees
to bear in mind that, beyond this,
such q hive in favorable weather
will often accumulate honey to the
amount Of four and six pounds dali
ly. Indeed, it is upon record that
. hive once gained twenty pounds
weight of it in two days!
It is curious that even a wild
hive Of bees can soon be taught to
recognize and refrain from attack
ing those who approach them. No
wonder that the ancients esteem
ed them divine; that their poet
laureate, according to the Platonic
philosophy, assigns them "a partici-
patton in the Supreme Mind and
heavenly Influences" and that an
other speaks oftheir power of pres
aging wind and fine weather.
Modern science points out that
the fructifying Of many flowers is
due to the labors Of bees in ming
ling the rollen; and most garden
ers must have noticed the difficulty
ofpreserving pure strain Ct any
plant when these active workmen
have access to other varieties of it.
Within the hectares Of many low-
ers the bee finds the thin, sweet
juice which We know as honey !;
but when this is carried home and
disposed in wax cells, it requires
to be swallowed again by the bees,
when it undergoes q thickening
process and becomes honey prop
er.
Honey gathered almost exclu-
sively from one kind of plant or
flower acquires its special flavor.
Thus, clover honey is clear and
D,o.sant both to the eye and the
palate, but that made from syca-
more and gooseberry flowers far
exceeds it. Heather honey is
much darker than other kinds.
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