The Washington times., 1922-12-12
TRIANGLE IN BEE
COURTSH|P IS
unknown
Queen Takes But One Spouse
Whose Life Ends on
Honeymoon.
BY J. r. IRMITER.
CosmopoIitan News .0ervics.

BY J. r. IRMITER,
Cosmopolitan News Service.
CHICAGO. Dec. 12.-There are no
triangles in bee land.
No Tiernans or Poulins or Gussies
or Blanches to mar the domestic
tranquility around the hearthstones
of our faithful little gatherers OF
honey.
After mama bee has put in a hard
day watching over her myriads OF
children. she can retire peaceful In
mind and soul; she doesn't worry
whether or not papa IL spending his
evenings and money with another
woman.
No. you see. there Ii no papa
that Ii. any more.
| It was all Interestingly told to
Cosmopolitan News Service by Prof.
H. f. Wilson, of the department OF
entomology at the University of
Wisconsin. who attended the annual
convention Of the Chicago North
western Beekeepers Association.
Dies to Win.
| Continuing the above little story
of beeland. Prof. Wilson pointed out
how mama bee. or better known as
the queen, Is true throughout her
life to one man. There is but one
mating, but bad to relate for Mr..
Bee, he passes out Immediately aft
erward.
The method OF courtship in bee
land is swift. but fatal to the male
or drone. Triumphant in conquest
one moment. he is dead the next.
1t is the law Of sex in beeland.
According to Prof. Wilson. the
method Of courting is this:
| In the spring. when the mating
urge goes surgtng through the heart
of the queen, she stretches her
limbs. flutters her wings. and. pow
dering her nose with a bit of pollen,
Around outside. In the balmy air,
flutter lazily half dozen drones.
They lditer about for all the world
like bevy Of lobby lizards in a
hotel.
Takes Her Pick.
| With the appearance of the
queen. all are galvanized into &C.
ton. But no advances are made
on the queen. 1t is she who must
make the initial bow; in other
on" This law is strictly observed.
So the queen buzzes about. from
tree to tree, flower to flower,
while the males watch alertiy.
They know that eventually win
come the signal from her majesty.
| Finally her royal highness de-
cides the time is at hand. She
scars high into the air. circles
majesttcally two or three times.
and Then with a buzz Of her wing
different from the ordinary buzz. 10
off,.
The drones have the signal.
They are oft in pursuit. The
| rece is on And Il ID to the swift.
The drones step on the gas. For
Vie who can show the most speed.
he who can display his heels to the
others And soyertske the queen
ally. the speed King Of the hive
| wins. -
He flies away then to some ieafy
bower with his bride for their
honeymoon. In q short time the
] queen returns. alone. And II the
honeymoon rendezvous can be
found, there also will be found the
body Of her erstwhile lover. life
lesa, He has paid the memorable
price of beeland for his short hour
Of love.
A Long widowhood.
| So we get back to the opening
sentence of this article. that there
are no triangles in beeland. For.
as told above, the husband IL dead.
And his erstwhile bride remains
true to him forever. Never again
in her life does she mate, though
she may live six or seven years in
the same hive. One mating IL suf-
ficient for her procreative purposes
for the remainder of her life.
As for the other drones. who
lost out In the race for the queen.
they are, so to speak. out Of luck.
for they 60 their lazy. listless life
through the rest Of the summer
until fall. And when the first
cool days come along they go. The
worker bees kick them into the
cold world. Never having worked
in fact, not knowing how, through
some queer freak of natures ways.
these poor fellows quickly starve to
/ Aaafh