Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1890-12-05
THE HONEY BEE. AT HOME.

All ABOUT the internal AHa1rS OF u 11e0
Hive-Worlers, Droncs and Queen.
An average colony contains so, 900 in
habitants, composed Of queen or mother
bee, several hundred drones on males and
workers Of undeTeloped gender, the mass
of the colony. The queen, the only per-
feet female, seems to have allotted to her
as sole duty the depoGting Of eggs in
brood cells, prepared by the workers.
From ono hundred to nearly if not quite
two thousand are deposited daily, ac-
cording to the season and weather. She
can readily be distinguished from the
others by her size, which is much larger.
She possesses o sting, but never uses it
except in combat with rival queen:
never goes abroad after her bridal tour,
except with colony swarming, and re-
tains her vigor about three years. The
drones, or males, are bees Of leisure, and
differ much in appearance from the
queen. They are less active, have no
sting, no prcboscis for gathering honey,
no basket for pollen, no sacks for the
secretion Of wax which the workers have.
In the latter part Of summer they are
usually looked upon as unnecessary and
burdersome members Of society and are
put to death.
Tho yos..--crs are the sole laborers,
bringing into the hive four substances,
out Of which are produced al things
necessary for the construction Of the
hive, raising the young, etc. First
Honey nectar Of flowers extracted by a
kind of proboscis, stored in honey sacks
and carried to hive. This honey has to
be prepared by mixing with it for1nic
acid secreted in the bees jaws and mixed
with honey by vigorous stirring. Sec
ond-Pc Pcllen dust is used to feed young
bees and cap over their cells, as it is por-
GUS and very much cheaper. Third -
PropoEs or bee glue obtained from the
willow, poplar and other trees, used to
cement cracks and crevices and as stays
to strena then cells. Fonr Nater to
give drink to their babes and mix with
their food. Wax or bee tallow is not
gathered like the other material, but Sc
creted under little scales underneath the
abdomen. When waxmaking they eat
honey and hang together in clusters
while the operation proceeds, causing
their owners often to judge them wrong
fully, thinking them idle. Il ,5# IF
The queen begins to lay as soon as
pollen can be secured from blossoms,
which is mixed with honey and water
partly d;sSested by the bee and laid in
the cells with the eggs to feed the Larvae
as soon as Matched. In about three days
the larvp hatch tiny worm without
legs. They are fed until about nine OF
ten days, when they nearly fill the cell
and refuse to eat and are sealed over.
Around themselves they spin silken
sack changed from Larvae into perfect
bee, coming forth in about twenty days
from Matching, and four days later go
forth as master worlzmen, wearing out
their lives during the busy season in
about six weeks. Queen cells can readi-
ly be distinguished from other cells,
much resembling an acorn cup, and are
placed in the comb vertically instead OF
horizontally in the outer edge. Young
queen bees are fed with royal food and
come to perfection few days soone,
than the Others. Wisconsin Farmers
Institute.
An Interesting Potato Experiment..
"A World correspondent writes as fol.