The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1904-04-28
HONEYBEE QUEENS.
THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY ARE
FED BY THE WORKERS.

the Hive to Provide Against the
Administration of Poison Honey-It
Ii Different With Wasps.
The safeguards provided against the
administration of poison to the despotic
oriental rulers are rudimentary COM
pared with those which stand between
queens, of the honeybee and such
risk. CuriOusly enough. this is phase
of the internal economy Of the pee-
hive which appears to have escaped
observation.
In the British isles no poisonous
honey is collected. If it exists the bees
have learned to avoid it, Probably
there is none, as the honey from ut
least one dangerous plant, the deadly
nightshade, is harmless. Ivy honey
would be the most suspicious of any
gathered on a large scale. and it only
exerts. SO far as observation goes, a
slightly laxative effect on the digestive
organs. Although in this country no
poisonous honey is known. it is met
with in other places. notably in Asiatic
Turkey. 1t was in this region that
Xenophon's soldiers were poisoned
$500 years ago by honey from the
Azelia pOntica. a plant which still
flourishes in Armenia. Some centuries
later Roman army suffered similarly,
but less severely. there being no
deaths.
The precantion of compelling the
cook to eat portion of every dish,
which is the usual safeguard Of des-
potic rulers. or the still more primitive
plan of giving the first helping to a
little dog. can be eluded. by "a clever
Borsia by having only one-half of a
bird or pastry poisoned. In II wasps'
nest each forager on returning pro-
ceeds directly to the queen and offers
refreshment Consequently the queen
is sometimes destroyed by slowly act.
ing poison. Further as regards wasps,
it is observed that when any larvae
not recently fed perceive the queen re-
ceiving food they become restless. If
nearly grown they wag their heads in
suggestive way, which plainly con-
veys a demand for share. Each
fOrager after feeding the queen gives
the balance Of his load direct to the
nurses.
In the case Of the hOneybee one pos.
sible reason why no virulently poison
GUS honey reaches the hive may be
lect any would probably die, as the SO
called honey sack is really stomach
in which a preliminary digestive proc
ess proceeds. This is pro5ed by the
polariscope, which shows that, while
the nectar of the flowers is pure cane
sugar. or levulose, the substance in the
hive cells is sacrometrically half dex
trose and half cane sugar. Dextrose IL
inyert sugar, a coarse variety of which
| is the glucose of commerce. FOragel
bees returning to the beehive place tht
half digested product known as honey
in their storeroom with other honey
This mixing would have the effect o.
alternating a poisoned load should
such be brought in.
| Foraging bees never feed the queer
or young larvae, but they give mouth
| full or two to drones in passing. Jus
before scaling for the metamorphosi
| workers and drones are fed with hone!
mixed with pollen. Not so the youn,
/ queens, who only get further suppl.
of the redigested milky substance
known rs chyle. which is the susie
nance of all larvae indiscriminately dur
ing the first three days Of their exist
ence During the chrysalis stage ther
is no feeding. 1t is the business Of
gang, distinct for the time being, to ca
ter for the queen and young. The,
bring the food from the stores and sub
NIT it to the digestive process referre
to, after which it is regurgitated t
supply the needs of the queen an
young larvn The attendants are mt
merous, and each supplies only m
mute quantity. The queen bee is S
constituted that her digestive system
capable of assimilating only the prt
pared food of chyle. She will die in
few hours on comb containing hone.
although kept at the temperature G
the hive.
Thus it would appear that the saf,
guards are:
First-A bee collecting poisonou
honey would probably die befor
reaching the hive.
Second.--If one succeeded in deposi
ing poisoned honey, the circumstane
that it did SO would prove the poiso
to be not virulent, and its mixtul
with other honey in the storerool
would still further alternate the pc
son and render it harmless. This
the stage at which the product b
comes human food. 1t has, as state
above, occurred that poisoned hone
has passed both these lines Of defenss
Third.-Should the honey be still dc
eterious the alimentary attendants I
the queen would first suffer, and on
those bringing wholesome food wou
reach her, as a struggle for the priv
lege of feeding her majesty is contin
ally in progress.
Fourth.-Should the stores pass Il
three safeguards before mention'
there is still another-viz. that ea'
one of the queens attendants fee
her only for second at time. al
fh,1S shc wolild no.-nr yet a Suf1icip