The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-03-20
FACTS CONCERNING BEES
Queen LAYS From 1000 to 5000 Eggs
a Day-BeeS Have Two
StOmachS
Philadelphia Record.

There are some curious facts con-
1 uected with the life and workings OF
the bee that are no. generally known.
Scientists tell us that the bee hos two
stomachs and 1000 eyes, and that
queen lays between 1000 and 5000
4 eggs day.
A hive is made up of a single queen
bee, working bees female and non
breeders) and male bees, known as
drones.
AS many as 1000 drones and many
thousands of workers are quartered in
single hive.
Drones do not sting but they make
considerable noise while flying.
The smallest bees in the hive are the
workers, and they are armed with
sting.
The queen lives to the age of or
years, but her fertility decreases after
the second breeding season.
The workers life is limited to from
to s weeks, IN which time she literally
works herself to death.
To hatch a drone requires several
days more than it does to hatch
queen or worker.
Bees cannot climb a smooth surface
like glass, earthenware or tin.
The eggs of bees are white, similar
to polished ivory, and about the size of
period g.,
For several evenings before swarm
ing a peculiar noise can be heard in
the hive. The celebrated Huber de-
scribed it as kind Of ring, or sound
Sf small trumpet; by comparing it
with the notes of piano-forte, it
keemedto be the same sound with the
lower A CT the treble.
John Burroughs says that when
3s2b bee brings pollen into the hive he ad-
vances to the cell in which it is to be
deposited and picks it off as one might
Z his overalls OF boots, making one foot
help another.
Because of its thoughtful provisions
for the future, and for the care shown
its young, tae honey bee ranks among
The highest of all insects.
Queen Grows Smaller.
Toward the close Of the summer sea-
son queen bees shrink in size, SO much
so that they are often mistaken for
!, workers.
The young queen takes her wedding
journey when but or days old, mat
ing with the drone bee in mid-air. This
single mating is said to be good for
the fertilization of a few hundred thou
sand eggs.
The average done does not live
more than from two to four mon1hs.
Every bee has two kinds of eyes,
says a scientist, two large, compound
, ones looking like hemispheres on eth
ler side, and three simple or single
eyes which crown the head. Each
compound eye is really an immense
of eyes, composed of B.
500 facets, which mean that every
(: object seen has its image reflected g.
!, 500 times. in the bees tiny brain
|. It is characteristic Of bees that they
: can forten an approaching stoTm. If a
shower be approaching, they hurriedly
fly through the air in u regular scram-
BILE for their hive.
Scientists tell US that when the
workers discover that two rival queens
are in the hive, numbers of them will
crowd around each queen and seem
to encourage fight. Should the
queens seem averse to fighting, or at
tempt to fly off, the bees at once de-
tain them. If, on the other hand, eth
er combatant shows disposition to
fight, all the bees forming the circle
at once move back so as to give full
room for that attack AS one writer
puts it, it seems strange that those
P5ees, who in general show so much
anxiety about the safety of their queens
should, in particular circumstances,
oppose her preparations to avoid i'm
pending danger-should seem to pro-
mote the battle, and to excite the fury
4 of the conbatants.
Young Bees First Duties.
The young bee is at the height of her
strength and usefulness in a few days
after she comes out from her cell. For