Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1904-04-06
HONEYBEE QUEENS.
THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY ARE
FED BY THE WORKERS.

Administration of Poison HOney-It
Is Different With Wasps.
The safeguards provided against the
administration of poison to the despotic
oriental rulers are rudimeptary COM
pared with those which stand between
queens of the honeybee and such a
risk. Curiously enough, this is phase
of the internal economy of the bee
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 at
least one dangerous plant, the deadly
nightshade, is harmless. Ivy honey
would be the most suspicious of any
gathered on 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, plant which still
hOurishes in Armenia. Some centuries
later a Roman army suffered similarly.
but less severely, there being no
deaths.
The precaution of compelling the
cook to eat a 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
Borgia by having only one-half of a
bird or pastry poisoned. In a 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
a suggestive way, which plainly con-
veys a demand for a 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
q GUS honey reaches the hive may be
that the insect foolish enough to col
lect any would probably die, as the so
called honey sack is really a. stomach
in which preliminary digestive proc
ess proceeds. This is proved 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 is
invert sugar, coarse variety of which
is the glucose of commerce. Forager
bees returning to the beehive place the
half digested product known as honey
in their stOreroOm with other honey.
This mixing would have the effect OF
alternating a poisoned load should
such be brought in.
Foraging bees never feed the queen
or young larvae, but they give mouth
ful or two to drones in passing. Just
before sealing for the metamOrphosis
workers and drones are fed with honey
mixed with pollen. Not so the young
queens, who only get further supply
lOf the redigested milky substance
known as chyle, which is the susie
nance Of all Larvae indiscriminately dur
ing the first three days of their exist
ence. During the chrysalis stage Their
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
init 1t to the digestive process referre'
to, after which it is regurgitated t
Supply the needs Of the queen an
young Larvae. The attendants are nj
merous, and each supplies only m
mute quantity. The queen bee Is
constituted that her digestive system
capable of assimilating only the pre-
pared food of chyle. She will die In
few hours on a comb containing honey
although kept at the temperature 9
fhe hive.
Thus it would appear that the saf'
guards are:
First.-A bee collecting poisonou
honey would probably die befoI
Teaching the hive.
Second.-If one succeeded In deposl
ing poisoned honey, the circumstan'
that 1t did so would prove the poiso
10 be not viru1ent, and its mixtul
with other honey in the storerool
would still further alternate the pc
BON and render it harmless. Thls
he stage at which the product D
BONES human food. 1t has, as state
above, occurred that poisoned none
pas passed both these lines Of defens'
Third.-Should the honey be still az
eteriOus the alimentary attendants
the queen would first suffer, and on
shOse bringing wholesome food wou
leach her, as a struggle for the pri'
Aege Of feeding her majesty Is contln
PLY in progress.
Fourth.-Should the stores pass I
lhree safeguards before mention
fhere Is still another-viz, that ca
pne Of the queens attendants Zee
Per only for a second at a time, a
4t arr. -. -.k