Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1883-09-14
Baes,
MANY persons will lust now purchase

Many persons will just now purchase
swarmS and commence bechceDing; it
IS therefore, essential that they shoald
know something of the natural history
of bees. We can calculate BY the weight
of the swarm the number of bees. as til,
authorities allow 5000 bees TO tie
pound. The hive will then consist OF
queen. workers, and droneS. The queen
lays all the eggs. from which the in
habitants of the hive are produced. She
deposits from two to three thousand
daily for weeks in succession. The
workers perform the essential duties.
such as comb building. brood raising
and honey gathering. The drones are
the males, and their approach at the
swarming season for the fertilization OF
young queens is a wise provision of na-
ture. They gather no honey. and are
driven from the hive during the month
of August, when their services are no
longer required. Honeycomb consists
of six-sided cells made from wax. which
is not gathered. but elaborated from,
honey by the bees Five worker cells
measure one inch each across, and in
these honey and pollen are stored and
worker bees produced. THE drone cells
measure four to the inch, and in these
the drones are raised. The cells in
which queens are raised hang like acorns
upon the side or end of the combs, and
sometimes as many rs twelve or four
teen may be found in 4 hive at swarm
ing time. When hive is deprived of
its queen, previous to the introduction
IF f<,r urI fJ,nt
her majesty may not be favorably re-
ceived, the keeper must be careful to
cut out all queen cells save an open one,
in which he may cage the new queen,
as, when liberated after forty-eight
hours confinement. the bees imagine
she has inst emerged from the vacant
cell, and acknowledge her authority at
once. The queen no doubt lays all the
eggs; but they must be kept warm by
the bees until they produce tiny white
grubs. which hatch out at the end of
three days. and are then fed by the nurses
with 4 mixture of honey, pollen. and
water; when fully grown, at the end of
six days, they are sealed over with a
brownish cup of WAX and pollen mixed
together. In twelve days they emerge
from their Incarceration perfect bees,
thus occupying the cell for twenty-one
days; first three days in the egg state,
six as an unsealed grub, and twelve in
j state of quictude ensconced within the
cell. Drones pass through Ike changes.
but require twenty-five days to COM
plete the transformation from an egg to
perfect drone. The drone brood may
at any time be known by the size of the
cells and their convex cappings. Bees
can raise queens from eggs destined to
become worker bees, provided that
drones are abroad to mate with the
young queens. Should this occur when
no drones are about. all their efforts
would be i'll vain, rs the egg deposited
by such 4 queen would produce none
but drones: even the eggs laid in work
er cells would produce miniature drones,
and the hive go to ruin. Although the
queen is much larger and more fully de- |
velOped than the worker. she arrives at |
full maturity in five days less time, and
being sealed in. The dose of royal jel-
ly which she receives is said to hasten
IN the transformation scene. The queen
lives five years, but the workers life in
summer does not exceed two months,
but the bees Matched out in autumn live
ill the following spring. Drones are
to be found in May. but are driven out
Of the hive before the end of August.
and their nervous nature prevents them
to the hive, hence they die at
,nce. As we advance in the practice of
oeekeeping. we must avail ourselves of
he inventions of modern science. such
Is bar frame hives and comb founda-
ion, as much valuable time is saved BY
heir employment.-J. Ttuynor. in tie
Farmers (IrishD Gazette