Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-03-11
About Bees.

The king is stingless armed only with
his majestic port Modern science re-
CARDS this so called king us mother and
monarch of the hive. 1t is found that she
lives four years, and is Matched from the
egg ID fourteen days; while the workers
require twentyone days, and the drones
twenty-four. These strange figures are
part OF the mystery attaching to bee> 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 done by removing an
egg into royal cell, and feeding the little
grub with substance of a milk gelatinous
appearance. known us royal Jelly" Thes e
iacts have been ascertained without doubt
oy Mr.. Pettigrew, one of the most success
full bee keepers of the day; though what
the exact analysis of this ''royal ielvn NAV
be is utterly unknown. The chief function
of the queen in the hive is to Law EGGS
from which the future population VIII
spring. A healthy queen during her life is
estimated to lay the enormous number o.
eight hundred thousand eggs. Often in
the heat of summer for months together
she will lay two thousand / day. Whether
these egg, are all alike, or whether some
are distinctly workereggs, and others as
as distinctly drone eggs, is one of the nu-
merous questions on which all bee keep
ers are at issue The working bees form
the life and prosperity of the hive To
them belong industry, labor, patience, in
genuity-in short, all the virtues of the
FACE; and while each knows his own duty,
and does it, the efforts of all are directed
towards the veal of the community. The
working bee never lives longer than nine
months; they labor so inccssantlv, that it
Is supposed they never sleep. The daily
consumption and waste of a large hive of
bees in summer may be taken at tWopol n Is
OF honey; it viii show the industry of the
working bees to bear in mind that beyond
this, such u hive in favorable weather will
accumulate honey to the amount of four
and six pounds daily. Indeed, it is upon
record that Il hive once gained twenty
pounds weight of it in two days. 1t is
curious that even wild hive of bees can
soon be taught to recognize and refrain
from attacking people who approach them.
n - wonder the ancients esteemed them d.
vine that their poet laureate, according to
the Platonic philosophy, assigns them IA
participation III the Supreme Mind and in
heavenly Influences" and that another
speaks of their powers of presaging wind
aud fine weather.
Modern. cience points out hat the fruc-
tifying ofmany flowers is due to the lLbors
of bees in mingling the pollen; and most
gardeners must have noticed the difficulty
OF preserving II pure strain of any plant
when these active workmen have access
to other varieties of it. Within the nee
taries of many flowers the bee finds the
thin, sweet juice, which we know as honey.
but when this is carried home and deposit
ted in wax cells, it requires to be swallowed
again by the bees, where it undergoes a
thIekening process, and becomes honey
proper Honey gathered almost exclusive
~ from one kind of p ant or flower acquires
Its special flavor. Thus clover-honey is
clear and plea-ant botht to The eye and pal
ate, but that made from sycamore or loose
berry flowers far exceeds it. Heather
honey is much darker than other kinds
Betyrarta.