Evening star., 1913-11-19


AN ancient Greek. studied the bee for
ffty-eight years and considered the time
well spent. Since then the bee has been
The subject of study in every age. but
the principles of the hive orSaniZat ton
and its feminine government We're only
discovered by the Dutch savant Swami
merdam, in the seventeenth century. The
beehive is the finest example of feminine
dominion in the world
The males are drones and are only use
ful for reproduction. They perform none
of the work
Males Not Privileged of the hive
to Aid in Government. privileges OF or
rights in its governments. From them
the young queen selects her mate for
nuptial fight and the remainder are of
no value to the tribe. The nuptial flight
of the queen is the most important event
in the life of bee colony. When a
young queen is first Matched she is not
fully accepted as sovereign. although she
is treated with respect. To qualify her
self for her royal mission of reproduction
she must choose mate for her flight
out into the open air. She flies as high
her wings will bear her and then re-
turns to the hive, where she is kept a
royal prisoner until the time comes for
her to lead her tribe in swarm. The
male selected as the mate in her fight
dies as the result OF the honor bestowed
upon him. His brothers are speedily BAN
ished from the hive. if not actually killed
by the worker bees.
These worker bees are imperfectly de-
veloped females They may ~ eggs, but
their eggs will produce only drones and
therefore. are valueless to the tribe. Con-
sequently their energies are expended in
other channels. Their versatility is the
marvel of all who realize 1t. They act as
trained nurses in looking aftef the young
larvae and In caring for the queen her
self They are skilled chefs. preparing
several different kinds of food. The
queen is fed entirely upon royal jelly.
The food Of the larvae differs according
TO their kind. The princess larvae have
some royal jelly and some other food
in addition. The workers are fed honey,
pollen and a special kind of food called
bee bread. which only they know how to
make.
The builder bees construct the cells.
taking the wax from the pockets In their
own abdomens. The chemical composition
OF beeswax Is still a puzzle. Its effect
upon the human digestion Is an unsettled
question Its supposed indigestibility is
one of the arguments used in favor of
tine extracted honey. The comb honey is
more attractive in appearance and has
wax helps rather than hinders digestion
**
The bees build their cells after set
pattern. and yet are able to adapt the
shape OF their
Bee Cells Are Built combs to the
After Set Pattern. Command. as is
proved by their use of the wooden honey
sections furnished them by men. few
years ago DR.. Wiley gave out the idea of
artificial honeycomb as joke. The pub
iic. being well accustomed to food frauds,
promptly gave 1t credence, and even with
In the last three months reputable writer's
Upon domestic economy have warned
.i.eir readers against such adulteration.
Is matter of fact, no such fraud ever
- been perpetrated. because the ing
nuity of man has not yet been able 10
rival the skill Of the bee. For years the
American Beekeepers Association has
had standing offer of $1,000 for a single
artificial honeycomb. and no attempt has
ever been made to claim it. Consequent
~. the housewife who buys her honey in
the comb is absolutely certain OF secur-
ing pure food product. The extracted
money when bought from a reputable
dealer is almost as dependable, for the
commercial beekeepers' organizations have
taken every precaution TO guard againsl
aduiteration.
III addition to caring for the young
preparing the food. cleaning the hive and
.1uiiding the cells. the indoor duties of tn,
workers include the ventilation of the
hive. If il becomes too warm the youn
bees will die. So force of bees is kept
constantly at work tanning with THEN
wings so vigorously do these small
wind raisers work that they sometimes
produce current Of air sufficient TO pun
out a lighted match The inside duties
are apt TO be performed by the younger
f,o Th<.n -lxy 81 4,
honey and pollen come to the older
workers.
The sole duty of the queen is to lay
eggs She fulfills this mission with a royal
: will, often depositing from 5000 to 4.OUU
eggs day, thereby taxing the resources
of the building workers who have to
supply the cells in which they are to be
placed. The cells are built in three dis
tinct forms. adapted to the storage OF
honey and pollen and the shelter of the
young bees, The cells for the royal bees
or princesses are larger than for the
workers or drones. and the queen Is usual
ly able to deposit a royal egg in the cell
prepared forit. II for any reason there
should be shortage of royal eggs a
worker egg is transferred into a royal cell
and the iarva Is fed upon royal Jelly.
This substance cannot yet be anaiyzej
by any scientist. 1t has the marvellous
properly Of Transforming pfebeian into
a royal parsonage who will be accepted
by her hive.
The swarming OF the bees is a subject
upon which all beekeepers are concen-
trating their
Swarming of Bees interes
Of Interest TO Keepers. cause % n,
lack OF ability 10 control them, mil
lions of dollars worth of bee swarms are
lost. to their owners each year. All oi
the wild bees of the country are los
swarns which have migrated from some
farmers hives Bees are not native &c
this country. They were brought here BY
the early settlers The wild bees which