The Washington herald., 1909-08-26
MOTHER BEES, NOT QUEENS
Bee Master Says the Mother Is the
One Real Subject.
Close Watch on Any hive VIII Show
that False Stories Have
Gained Circulation.

There are no queens. properly so
called. in bee life" says the bee master
Of Pleasantville. N. ]. There are hun
dreds or hives IN my gardens. and there
isn't queen in any OF them.
If you keep a fairly close watch On
the progress OF any particular hive, II is
very easy TO see how the old false ideas
got into general use. At first glance a
bee colony looks very much like a king
dom. and the single large bee that all
the others pay court to and attend so
carefully seems Ike queen.
THE mother bee seenls. on the face OF
#. a miracle OF intelligence and fore
sight While as far as you know all
other creatures in ths world bring forth
their young Of both sexes haphazard.
this can lay male OF female eggs ap-
parently at will. You watch her going
from comb to comb, and the eggs she
drops in the small cells hatch out fe-
mates and those she puts in the larger
cells are always males or drones.
More than that she seems always 20
know the exact condition OF the hive
and 10 be able to limit her egg laying
| according 10 its need or otherwise OF
populations; for either you see her filling
only few cells each day in a little patch
OF comb that can be covered with the
/ palm of your hand or she goes TO work
/ on gigantic scale and in twenty-fOur
hours produces eggs that weigh more
than twice as much as her whole body
Thin" he goes on IN Van Norden' 5
\ Magazine, ito cap all. as the honey sea-
son draws on TO its height you are forced
/ 20 think that the queen conceived and
is carrying through a scheme for the
good OF her subjects that would do credit
/ to the wisest ruler ever born in human
purple.
Every day OF summer sunshine has
/ brought thousands OF young bees into
/ life. The hive is getting oyercrowded.
Sooner or later one OF two things must
happen-either the Increase Of popula-
ton must be checked or a great party
must be formed 70 leave the old home
and go out to establish another.
Then II is that the mother bee seems
to prove beyond a doubt her wisdom and
| Queenliness She decides for the emigra-
ton. but as leader must be found for
the party and none is al hand. she forms
the resolve 70 lead II herself
"a new ruler for the old realm must be
provided 20 take her place when she has
gone forever. and now you see party OF
bees set to work on something that fairly
beggars your curiosity.
AT first Il looks exactly like an acorn
cup in wax hanging from the upper edge
! of tho comb Perhaps the next time you
look the cup has grown 10 twice It's origi-
nal size and now you see IL Is half fun OF
a gllstening white jelly
Tho next time. maybe you open the
hive the acorn has been added 20 the cup
the queen cell IS sealed over and finished
/ and about a week later there comes out a
full grown queen bee twice the size OF
the ordinary worker and quite differ
ent IN shape and often different IN color
IF the mother bee really brought ell
this about, queen would not be a good
enough name for her. but the truth Is
throughout all the wonder workings oi
the hive. the queen Is little more than ar
instrument. a kind Of an automaton
merely doing what the workers compe
her 10 do.
They are the real queens IN the hive
and the mother bee is the one and only
/ subject. The birth OF a queen is simply
a question Of where the eggs are laid.
Thousands and thousands Of worker
eggs are laid in a hive during the season
I and each OF those could be made into g
queen II the workers chose: but the
worker egg is laid IN a small cell and the
lerva is bred on a bare minimum OF f0oC
az the least possible cost in time, trouble
and space 10 the hive. while. when a new
queen is wanted. a cell as big as your
finger tip Is built and the larva IS stuffed
like prize pig through all it's five day.
OF active life. until. with unlimited food
and tine and room to grow in. 1t comes
out at last perfect mother bee"