The morning news., 1888-11-22

king bees but vagabonds, big, fat, lazy
fellows, leading an idle bohemian trouba-
dour exlsterce, aud feeding at the public
crib. They have no stingS and no tools tor
working like their busy sisters have. They
are tolerated f a time by these methodi-
cal and economical little workers. When
the mating season is over, though, the
drones are ruthlessly slaughtered. The
workers do not propose to feed these Great
ureS after what little service they can rem
der the swarm has been rendered. The
drone is usually permitted to bask in the
sunlight of life and seek the favor of some
wandering queen for about forty days.
INCREASING THE PRODUCT OF HONEY.
A study of the habits of bees has enabled
bee-keepers to greatly increase the product
of honey. If they could provide artificial
crease it. AS it is, they provide the artiti-
clal backs for the comb. All the LABOR
they can save the bees is paid for in honey,
as the bee, if it has nothing else to do, will
gather honey. 1t is estimated that it takes
sixteen pounds of honey to make pound of
beeswax, or honeyccmb. So the bee-keeper
if he can keep old comb, effects great saw
ing in the way of honey. The bees provide
for their brood i'll the lower part Of the hive
and store the surplns above. Bee keepers
! put little division in the hive, making it
| like two-story house. The bees store their
| surplus in the upper story, and the bee
keeper, at the end of the harvest, takes
| only this surplus. 1t is a rental or commits
sion he exacts for the use of the hive AS
matter of fact the bee always has enough
in the lower compartment for domestic use
The yield of honey is SO largely increased
| by the labor saving appliances provided by
| the bee keeper that the honey surplus, II not
taken, would become even greater embar-
rassment to the bees than the financial sur
| plus that SO vexes the statesmen of the day.
| The bee keepers feel obliged to sell honey in
| the comb as guarantee Of its purity. This
they say, is great loss, as the bee labor
expended in making new comb might much
more profitably be used in making honey.
| If the law they want is enacted they can
sell extracted or liquid honey, and the peo-
pie would get their honey much cheaper.
When the humane bee keeper wants to rob
hive or collect his rent, he spills near the
hive a cupful of honey or syrup. The bees,
| Mortified at such waste, go forth to lick up
the treasured sweets, and while they are
collecting this trIfling amount, the cunning
| bee keeper is taking away pounds of honey
| from the hive. Sometimes it is found de-
Sirable to unite two feeble swarnls. Then
smoke or peppermint is used. Mr.. Miller
| thinks the bees of one community recog-
nizad each other by some peculiar odor they
eXhale. This odor is destroyed temporarily
|
time the effect of the peppermint has died
away the bees have become neighborly
| Sometimes a working bee in its flight goes
into strange hive. IL it comes bearing g
load, so as to pay its way, it is received and
becomes a member of the family. If not, il
is driven out or killed.
IT LIVES NOT FOR HONEY kLoNE.
''The bee does not lIve for itself alone,
said Mr.. Miller, NOR is the sole purpose of
its existence here the collection OF honey
In going about from bloom to bloom it car
ries and distributes the pollen that is essen
tial to the reproduction of the plant. Thus
when the bee starts forth, if it just strikes 6
clover blossom, it will settle on no other
flowers during that days journey. 1t will
stick to whatever line it begins on"
Gathering clouds announced a coming
storm, and the temperature suddenly low
cred. This change brought all Mr.. Milleri
vagrant bees home. When the last loiterel
had entered, Mr.. Miller snapped the covers
of the case together, and the bees once more
were fast in their rectangular prison
/ hpuSa