The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-09-05
THE HIsroaY OF THE BEE.
A Hard Nut for the Evolutionisss.

L a
The male and female bee differ in every
respect from the working bee of thu
swarm, and when seen by the uninitiated
would never be recognized as individual.
forming a part of the familiar community
Of the hive.
The parent bees cannot secrete the wal
nor build cells they cannot extract OF
store up honey; they cannot gather the
material for or fabricate the bee bread
they cannot even procure their OWL
food.
The creatures which form the swarm
and are known as bees are in every re.
spect different from their parents. They
are incapable of procreation, except in
one very rare class, which will be men
toned further on. They secrete the wax
and build the comb; they gather the
honey and feed not only the young but
also the queen and the drone; they, at
the proper time, put the finishing touch
to the cells, preparatory to the queens
visit, and warm them wi tn the heat of
their bodies, when the queen is expected
to visit and deposit the egg. They hover
over and warm into life the young germ,
and iced the larvae. They fill the cells
with honey, and blending with it a small
portion of the secretion which constitutes
the poison of the sting, and which is sup
posed to have great antiseptic power,
they seal them Theoretically. Should the
hive in summer become too warm, there
by endangering the stability of the combs
they array themselves in the hive in such
order that by simultaneous action of their
wings, and aided by others posted just
outside Of the entrances to the hive, they
create current which expells the heated
air, until the temperature is reduced to a
normal condition, and while these de-
tachments are thus employed, and other
companies are busy in other economies OF
the hive, the honey gatherers pass and
repass, tumultuously over and under the
rapidly vibrating wings Of the ventila-
tors, who move not from the positions
taken, or cease for a moment from their
functions.
While the queen is depositing the eggs
which are to produce new swarm of the
workers" the workers prepare two other
orders of cells, those for the propagation o.
the drones, being similar, in shape, but
larger than those for the workers, while
that for the propagation of young queens,
is entirely different both in shape, and
size: The queen apparently deposits the
same kind of eggs in each of these three
classes of cells, No. produces only the
worker. No Q the drone, who is two OF
three times as large as the worker, and the
third is the queens, and produces an insect
entirely different from either Nos. 1 or 2.
Now all of these eggs, workers
''drones'' and "queens.." hatch nearly
simultaneously; and at this time. the old
swarm, and their queen, leave the hive and
seek new quarters, leaving the old home t.
the young brood.
There are often several queen cells In
each brood, but the young queen frs
Matched, hastens to investigate the hive.
and discovering the cells of her sise'
queens, she tears them open, and destroys
the helpless tenants. No queen tolerates a
rival in her hive.
The worker is armed with like
weapon, keen and barbed; and, withal,
furnished with poison fatal to insect
life, and should swarm attack large
animal the aggregate Of poison would be
fatal.
The instinct of the bee teaches it that
the use of it's sting involves its own de-
struction. When two bees join in morta'
combat both perish-the one which re-
oeives the sting perishes Of the poison,
the other in trying to extract its sting,
held firmly by it's barbs in the body of
it's foe, tears the integuments which
holds it to its own body and dies of con-
sequent inflammation. Therefore, ex-
oept in cases Of extremity, as in the case
where strong swarm attacks weaker
hive to rob it of it's honey, the combat is
limited to tearing with the mouth and
every other resource short of the sting.
If hive is invaded by only few in
dividuals of strange hive these bees are
seen to be brought out to the entrance Of
the hive, in the custody of one or more
of the resident bees. They are generally
seized about the shoulder and led out to
the utmost verge of the platform upon
which the hive rests, then, after a good
shaking. are hurled off. In such fight
nothing would induce either combatant
apparently to use their stings. Some
times there are two constables, one or
either side Of the scamp, who wriggles
and shows every sign of a convicted thief
He moves on between his captors, throw
ing his head rapidly from side to side