The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1883-04-21
A Few Facts About Bees.

Successful bee management must Of
necessity be based ON correct knowledge
OF the instincts and habits of bees.
Without going into the minute details
which u thorough naturalist would be-
curious TO mrster, there are certain
facts capable Of being put into small
compass, with which Il Is absolutely
necessary every bec-keeper should be
familiar. These we propose TO state in
this article.
Bees aro u three kinds. Every com.
plcic hive or colony contains one queen,
n number of droncs (ho fewer the bet.
teri, and a multitude Of workers 1.-THE
more the merricr.) The queen Is the
only perfect female and lays all the eggs
from which NIL the other bees are pro-
duecd. The eggs are Of two different
kinds. The one matches into droncs
or male bees, while the 9th.
or produces workers. These, how.
ever, are simply undeyeloped females.
and every worker-cgg Is capable, under
special treatment, OF developing into u
perfect female or queen. The special
treatment consists. IN building what Is
called a queen cell, a roomy. pendant
receptacle, somewhat resembling n pea
nut, housing the egg or young larva
therein, and feeding Il with n peculiar
substance, known among bec-keepers
rs "royal jelly This food has the
effect Of fully developing the young f.
male. 50 that she comes upon the stage
Of life fully qualified 10 increase and
multiply. Instinct impels bees to rear
queens when the colony becomes very
populous and swarmiug time Is Mt hand,
also ut any time when the colony Is De.
prved Of It's queen. Only one queen
with few exeeptions) n required or NJ.
lowed IN n hive nj one time. Sometimes
n queen will wander into the wrong
hive; ut other timos bad weather pre-.
vents swarming. though the prepare.
lions have been made for Il, and In snch
cases queen slaughter Is very apt 10
take place, unless, as often happens, the
workers protect the young queens until
the weather "a more favorable and cir.
c~umstanccs are NOR propitious for
swarming. Withina few days after being
Matched, tho young queen issues from the
hive on what Is prottily called her
bridal our!'-comtship. marriage and
impregnation bcing All accomplished on
the wing. during = brief flight. Onh
for this purpose does the queen ever
leHvc the hive, except when a swarm Il.
sues One impregnation lasts for n
lifetime. Before Il occurs. strange ~
say. the queen has the power 10 lny
| drunc eggs; atterward she Is capable oi
laying both drone aud worker rrga II
sometimes happens that \ queen fails tu
meet n drunc nj the proper period for
fertilization. She then becomes a irunc.
layer. and with such aqucen a colony l.
doomed TO extinction. This and other
facts In the natural history Of the bee
show the utility n the movable frame
hive. which admits VI examination, and
permits the hce-kccper 10 rruiove n
dunc-lay Ing queen aud Give the wasting
colony a fertile queen or brood out u
which TO rar me. The queen bee L
endowed with wonderful ~prulihcscy. and
when honey forage y plentiful, instinct
impels her to put forth al her energic.
In the direction uf fecundity. II ha.
hcen ascertained BY caruful experiment.
that a fertile queen l. capable u LAYING
upward II Two thousand eggs IN a DAY.
Her prolideacy l. regulated BY the sup
ply u honey. and. hence. II il TIE
policy Of all good hse-kwpcr % feed IN
early spring. 81 The colony win be ready
with . strong fore Of young bees d
take advantages Of the honey season.
when Il cumca
The average lifetime II q queen I.
about three years. but they DO not lay
50 well the third yesF. n thsy sre NJ,
prolific the third year. we rpmovr them
and replace them with q Young. prolific
~suceessor. Worker bees are shonhlivud,
not a~vefsgiew w~rr thar ~ weeks IA
the husy season. Drunes are also short.
lived They are reared In the spring,
when the colony becomes strong an.I
the time approaches Cor ssarminr. and
when the honey stason y over ths
worker h-rs drive then oat u he hsvs
n sting them 70 dessh.-C a. npdd. q
y !. f~sisFsndsal