The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-04-05

mysteries Of the hive. The amaten,
snouid never approach the hive from
the 'front.', but from the side or rear
BEFORE starting in it will be well f.
prepare the smoker and have pood
stream OF smoke ready. After dom
ming the veil approach the hive from
Tue sue OF rear, never at the front
LAP on the body of the hive and
pun httle smoke in from the tor
SO as to drive the bees down amone
the frames. When one tries to draw
OUT the frames they will probably be
giued together with a pitchy sub.
stance called propolis or bees glue.
Inis ID gathered by the bees from
the buds OF trees and is used for
ninns cracks, fastening frames. etc.
Inc nlve tool should be used to
pry up the cover and loosen the
frames when fastened with bropolis.
Snould one try to separate them
with the hands there is danger of
a sudden jerk and crushing of bees
among which may be the queen. Hav-
ing loOsened the frames they may be
taken out singly or several at a time.
II 1t Is desired to look over the
COMBS separately each one should be
handled In more or less definite
manner and especially if one wishes
TO look over both sides of the comb.
Lift the frame until it is about
level with the face, having looked
over the one side the end in the
ie1t nand should be raised until the
comb rests on end in the right hand.
Then swing the comb around until
the bottom is opposite to it's original
position. The left hand may then
be lowered and the opposite side of
the frame will be at hand but with
the top down and the bottom up.
When ready to return the frame to
the nlve reverse in the same man.
ner using the right hand as a pivot
and lower into the hive or stand to
one side while another may be taken
out ana looked over in the same
manner
The inhabitants Of the hive: Dur
ing the summer months a hive will
be found to contain, eggs young
larvae capped over brood 10000 to
10000 workers, several hundred
drones and single queen.
The queen is the life of the colony
as she is the only individual capa-
Bile OF producing fertilized as well
as unfertilized eggs. The fortified
eggs produce workers or queens de-
pending upon the cells in which they
are deposited and the food given
them during their life period as
larvae.
The unfertilized eggs are deposited
in cells similar to'those of the work
ers but larger and produce only
drones or male bees. All eggs hatch
about the third day and for three
days the young larvae are fed upon
a substance known as Royal jelly.
This appears to be predigested
food composed Of honey and pollen
which is produced by the worker
bees. That is, they eat pollen and
honey taken into secondary stom-
acn where it passes through certain
periods OF digestion, in which juices
from the stomach of the bee take an
active part. This food is regurgi-
tated and is called Royal Jelly. After
the third day the drone and worker
larvae are fed upon straight pollen
anq honey while the queen larvae
continue to be fed Royal Jelly. When
about five and one-half days old the
AuSSAA AoA VNO dIC CIOSCu up Ill Tic
cells. They then transform into
pupae; seven days later a second
change takes place and the pupae be-
come fully developed queens. The
worker larvae are fed five days and
remain in the pupa1 stage for 10
days. The drones are fed six days
in all and remain in the pupal stage
Is days.
The following table gives approx
mate dates for full development:
Queen-Egg 3 days; Larva 5h
days; Pupa days; total, 15h days.
Worker-Egg 3 days; Larva 5
days; Pupa, IL days; total, Fl days.
Drone-Egg days; Larva 6 days;
Pupa Is days; total, "a days.
The sole purpose OFT queen
seems to be that of depositing eggs.
and she may live from four to six
years; in that time producing many
thousand eggs. She is never fertil-
lied but once, however, and copu-
latiOn with the male takes place a
few days after emergence from the
cell.
During the working season a good
queen will deposite about 1000 eggs
in "a hours. AS she grows older the
decrease and she should be
superseded by a young. queen after
three years service The workers
for a short time after Matching act
as nurses and take care of the de-
veloping brood and the queen. Later
they gather pollen and nectar. Dur
ing the working season the life of
the bee is said to be about six
weeks, and each one will gather
about one teaspoonful of honey. Bees
produced in ethe summer after the
honey flow will live through the
winter until young bees are produced
to take the place of the old ones in
the Spring. The drones are lazy
fellows and are in no way concerned
about the honey wax produced. With
out them, however, new colonies
would never be produced, as they
fertilize the queen. Until queen
is mated she is incapable of deposit
ing fortified eggs. AS stated before
unfertilized eggs produce only drones.
fertllized eggs produce queens or
workers.
BY little careful observation any
one may become well acquainted with
the general conditions Of the colony
AID can soon learn to distinguish the
more detailed points.