The Mineral argus. [volume] (Maiden, Mont.) 1883-1886, 1885-07-02

Sr'''en for THs Lsr-rRE HouR-

perfect queen. and from two or three
thousand to twenty thousand workers.
and some hundreds IF drones. In the
early summer a hive will contain sew
,ral hundred drOnes and sometimes as
high IA 2O,OOD workers. The queen is
the female bee. and the drOnes are the
males. The workers were long cOn>id-
cred neuters. but are really females or
queens partially developed. Reared
in cells too small for Their full develop
ment. and denied the rich food with
which the young queens are fed. they
come forth dwarfed in size and limited
in functions; but the better adapted to
perform their special r'rt in the apari-
an economy. They gather the honey
construct the comb. feed aud rear the
young. repel intruders. and are always
ready to lay down their lives in defense
Of home and kindred. The worker is
armed with sting which it is ever
ready to use when its own safety or the
common welfare Of the hive is threat
ened. although to use it is certain
death to itself.
The queen is literally the mother Of
her country. The inmates of the hive
are all her own progeny. The eggs
from which the young are reared are
all deposited by u single queen. She
&c ms to be treated with the greatest
reverence and affection by the other
bees: and is continually surrounded by
Il body guard OF six to dozen Of her
devoted subjects. Ii she disappears or
is lost the whole community Is Instant
~ seized with an uncomfortable ter
rOr. All Is confusion and anarchy until
the joyful hum announces that she is
found. when in Il few seconds perfect
tran utility reigns. II the queen is not
found and the hive contains worker
eggs or larvr less than three days old.
tine bees will soon rear another queen;
but il this cannot be done. helpless
despair settles upon the hive. all la
Dor is abandoned and the little cOmmu-
nifty j. soon extinct.
The seeming reverence for the queen
is not 10 BIZ attributed to iilial affection
nor 10 sentiments of patriotism. 1t j.
purely IA business instinct. Ii the queen
BY accident. disease or old age. become
unfruitful. she is mercilessly destroyed,
and immediate steps are taken to rear
Il Successor.
The queen, too. is provided with
sting. which II employs only for the
destruction of rival queens. ]; may
be captured and handled with impun-
ity. and NAV even he torn limo from
limb without once Offering to sting the
hand that manglcs 1t.
The drOne. are stingless. They are
gentlemen Of elegant leisure, subsist-
in = upon the fruit, of the labor of 9TH
rrs; but their luxurious career is usual
" brief As soon As the swarming
season is over, the workers fall upon
them with irresistible fury and destroy
them utterly, not one being left to tell
the story. For the remainder of the
year the amazOns conduct the govern
ment according to their own notions.
This wholesale destruction of the
drOnes can hardly ne attributed to q
blind in stinct. for il the swarm be de-
prived Of its queen. the drOnes are per-
mitted to live until "a new queen is
reared, although the work of destruc-
ton goes on undated in neighbOring
hives.
For gathering honey the worker bee
is provided with IA probOscis form
ed by an extension of the lower
lip. The prObOscis is not tube
used in suction as commonly sup
posed. but performs the office of a
tongue. and Is used in licking up fluid
sweets from the hectares Of flowers.
1t is also provided with Il honey sack
in which IT stores its gathered sweets
to be borne 20 the hive. The walls Of
the hOncy-sack are muscular. so that
having arrived at home the bee is en-
ablcd To force out the contents of the
sack through its mouth into the honey
cells. However long the nectar may
have remained in the honey it
has undergone no change but is pre-
ciscly the same as when taken from
the flowers.
The pollen of flowers is also gathered
in large quantities. principally rs food
for NOunc bees. In the early spring
before pollen can be had, the bees will
consume large quantities Of ryc-meal
Or wheaton hour, when placed within
their reach. Every one understands
how the bees render Il great service in
the fertilization of plants while gath
cring pollen. by bearing il from one
flower TO another: but the most re-
markable thing is. that in gathering
pollen the bee never visits more than
one species IF flower on the same ex-
cursiOn. Were il otherwise il would
be of much less service in plant fer.
tilizatiOn..
The bee gathers from the buds OF va
rious trees II species of gum or glue.
called propoIl>. for use in closing
cracks in the hive. and for covering
over foreign substances Of a Disagree
able character. too large to be- re-
moved. Honey. pollen. and propolis.
then. are vegetable substances gathered
and stored in the hive. just as they are
found in nature. in no manner changed
bv the bees: but the wax of which the