Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-13

ANIEhEsIIN0 rOlNTS AbOCT THE HONEY-0ATHERERS
THE QUEEN BEE AND HER LIFE-THE WORKERS
WHO USE THEMSELVES Up IN TWELVE WEEKS
PETTIcOAT GOVERNMENT.
bee is all business. That is brief summary
OF the remarks made to q STAR reporter by MIR. ].
+. Miller, representative OF the bee-keepers,
union, who has been In the city this week for the
purpose Of securing legislation to relieve the bees
from the necessity OF competing with glucose.
According to Mr.. Miller, this is a land flowing with
adulterated milk and bogus honey. His union de.
sires to get law enacted requiring men who make
honey without the help OF bees to stamp their
wares, 80 that the bees win not have to suffer in
reputation for.any shortcomings in their honey Mr.
Miller brought a swarm OF bees with him, ana they
nave been buzzing around public men in the In
tereSt OF reform and pure honey. MIR. Miller when
ne MADE the remarks to a STAR reporter was
standing In retired corner In the Smithsonian
grounds. He had a rectangular box in his hand
looking Ike drummer's sample case. II con-
sai1ed samples OF bees-thousands OF them. He
had taken The STAR reporter to this secluded
place 10 show him the queen bee. The case car
ried by Mr.. Miller Is an Ingenious contrivance OF
his own containing several Slides to which honey
combs are Attached. ana glass windows so ar
ranged that one can look at the bees and the bees
cannot come out and sting him.
FREEING THE BEKs.
When Mr.. Miller took out one Of the glass fronts
and then took up in his hand slide literally
swarming with bees, the reporter felt that it was
an imprudence, and several small boys who had
followed Mr.. Miller concurred In this opinion and
began 70 yell, as boys will, "Look out for the
S Seesa Man. Many OF the bees rose In the air ana
"Why don't they sting us7" said the reporter.
"They have been confined In this place for some
time, and they are overlooked at getting out and
spreading their wings" said Mr.. Miller. "Tnat is
all they care about now. You see, TOO, that /
handle this slide with much ease. II let it fan
or was rough with II, the bees would become
angry and would atlack me-"
Mr.. Miller soon pointed out the queen bee busily
hat x
OF the slide. They were the ordinary Italian
honey bees brownish looking and much smaller
make life uncomfortable for the city man Who Sta
down in country field to SIP the nectar OF a
Ducollc existence The queen had a little longer
and more graceful body, and her wings were com
paratively short hardly reaching below her
slender waist and looking much like the spectacu-
lar gau I wings worn BY stage fairies, intended
all around her and tumbled over one another and
occasionally over the queen herself without cere-
back and adjusted the glass cover so as to leave
only narrow opening for Inc bees 10 20 and come
through. The bees Kept leaving the case or hive
return and another detachment would 90 out
Mniie the bees were thus enjoying themselves Mr..
Miller Told The STAR reporter their LIE story.
THE BEES STORY.
beehive, he said, offered An example OF q well
organized, well-governed community. 1t is sort
OF petticoat government The working bees or
those that form the vast majority are imperfec.ly.
developed females. They are, SO TO speak the
WSsn ney nave everything In their own hands.
one. Tney can and do also limit the number OF
MAJ, maze pees or dronea The active life OF q working
when it Is twenty-one. That is, twenty-Ons DAYS
after the egg is deposited the bee cuts its way out
~ v ese ce b and begins us work The embryo bee
white grub and this larva shape it exists eight
days DAYS Then 1t passes into the chrysaiis or papa
ecu, ana there the bee undergoes during its eleven
Gays confinement the Transformation from q
nasureS cuIs Il, 0s sx, When T. Is fully
tne cap OF the cell and begins It's attacks on the
81 sr or tne colony Ordinarily It vorac Gus
age II In giuttony. II gets lat with iayers oS
soTs Oh pee ias OF talow under its sleek coat This
the comb Of IL S the bees take II and make
out, however, at time when there Is a Siut Of
4eeswax, ana no demaLd for more comb, il is
to collect honey or pollen, or STAY Al home ~ ~
tend 70 domestic dut,ea There is lust and wise
sns - q LABOR The queen bee or mother bee
nothing TO do but to attend 70 the duties Of ma.
esT here s sne t GSss about aepOsit,ng an
pared for their reception, ' Soma Gems y, pre- Pre-
working bees act as nurses and bring pollen and and
water, with 1, which saey feed the larve The bees
60 on continually storing honey 80 long a rhe
possibility that season may come Wien me VEN, sIs
When the cold weather comes the bees becnms
torpid and hibernate. This period OF hberna
lasting until the blooms appear again. does no,
seem 70 count In working bees lfe one hsschsT
early In the summer Will spend all its niue NE
forces In twelve weeks and die before the IsoWsrs
are gone. One Matched six week before the nses
60 into winter quarters will awake from its ion1
steep the next spring and have It's last inninSS
then, living the SIX weeks OF active LIE stl due II
In this new summer.
THE QURRM BEE
attains an age almost patriarchal compared with
that OF It's humble sister. The queen win i've
nom two and one-half TO three years Each swarm
has It's queen, and she will brook no rival Wher
swarm becomes over populous tt divtdes itasif
equally, and one-han goes on with the old queen
70 sex new hive. o. course provision has 70 De