The Davenport Gazette

THE HONEY BEE. THE DRONE, AND THE QUEEN.

One of the most interesting and curious little creatures in the insect world is the Honey Bee. For many hundred years the habits of these wonderful insects have been carefully studied. Some persons have spent their days in observing these little busy animals.

Every association of bees has three kinds -the queen, the drones, and the workers. It is estimated that a hive usually contains from six to twelve thousand bees. In some small hives, however, the number is much less than six thousand, while large ones have been known to have as many as twenty thousand.

There is only one queen in each swarm, whether large or small. The average proportion of drones is about fifty to each thousand working bees. Hence about nineteen twentieths of the bees in every hive are workers.

THE DRONE.

The drones are the largest bees in the family. Their bodies are large, thick, and clumsy, and they are about the size of two working bees. Their wings are large and long, and they make a loud, buzzing noise when flying. They have no sting, and may be handled without harm.

The drones are the male bees. They live a life of idleness, taking no part in the labor of the hive. Indeed they have not the power to collect honey, or to provide themselves with food. They have neither honey-bags, such as workers have, to contain collected sweets, nor cavities upon their legs for the pollen.

Were a drone deprived of the privileges of feeding on the stores of the hive it would die. In one respect they have more liberty than the workers, for they are permitted to enter any hive, and live in the same manner as in their own.

The drones appear in the hives during the latter part of May, and are usually killed or driven out to starve in the month of July. Sometimes a few are permitted to remain much later in the season.

THE QUEEN BEE.

The queen bee is mother of the family, and governs the hive. She is longer and more slender than the drone, but not as large, and is larger in every respect than the worker. Her legs are longer, but her wings are shorter in proportion than those of the drone or worker.

The queen is very seldom seen. Sometimes she may be seen during the time of swarming. She may occasionally be found in her royal cell, when the bees have been destroyed with smoke for the purpose of obtaining their honey.

The queen is majestic in her movements and is accompanied by a guard composed of twelve workers. This attendance is taken in turns and never neglected. Wherever she goes the guards clear her path, always turning their faces towards her with the greatest respect.

She is armed with a sting but seldom uses it except against rival queens. She may be taken in the bare hand, and will seldom sting when handled carefully. A worker, taken in the same manner, would be dropped like a piece of hot iron.

The chief office of the queen is to lay eggs, one of which she deposits in each cell. These eggs are of two kinds-drone-eggs and worker eggs. When a worker egg is deposited in a royal cell it becomes a queen bee. There are seldom more than five or ten of these cells in one hive.

ROYAL CELL.

The queen usually commences laying as soon as the genial warmth of spring comes on. About the first of May her "great laying" takes place, when she deposits from one to two hundred eggs per day. In warm climates this period may take place earlier.

At first she deposits only worker eggs, then she lays drone eggs for a few days, and after this again produces worker-eggs. During the time of laying the drone eggs, the royal cells are built; and when the queen commences laying worker eggs for the second time, she deposits every few days, one of these eggs in a royal cell, and from these the queens are produced.

The drones are produced from the eggs in twenty-four days, the workers in twenty days, and the queens in sixteen days.

Though a young queen bee has attained its growth, the workers will not allow it to come out of the cell as long as the old queen remains in the hive. Should the young queen effect her escape from the cell the old one would seize and kill her immediately.

When the young queen has attained her growth, and begins to say "peep peep" the old one, knowing it to be the cry of a rival for liberty, is aroused, and attempts to get at the royal cell to destroy its inmate.-- But the workers prevent her from doing this; and now, finding that she no longer has absolute authority in the family, she commences a sudden vibration of her wings runs over every part of the combs, followed by her subjects, and a great commotion ensues.

When notice has thus been fairly communicated to the whole family, the queen rushes toward the outlet, the word is given to swarm and away go the workers, as if pursued by ten thousand foes.

While swarming they cluster around the queen, and wherever she alights, there the whole company immediately settle. The old queen always flies off with the first swarm.

After the old queen has thus left the hive the workers release the young one. She comes forth strong and full of energy, and at once assumes the government of the colony. If there be yet enough of workers left so that another swarm can be spared, the royal cells are still guarded by the workers.

When this queen hears the peep of a young rival just ready to escape from her cell, she attempts her destruction, and if prevented by the workers, following the example of her predecessor, she leaves the hive with another swarm. After this the second young queen is released, and takes the government of the family.

If, however the workers decide, after a swarming has left, that no more can be spared from their colony, the young queen is permitted to visit all the royal cells and destroy the inmates, thus preventing any rivals.

A most extraordinary fact in the history of the bee is, that if deprived of a queen, when there are no young queens or eggs in the royal cells, they take the larva of a worker, place it in a royal cell, or build one of these cells around it, where, by being fed on royal-jelly it becomes a queen.

This is truly a wonderful provision of nature and probably has no parallel. Without such a remarkable arrangement, this interesting insect might soon become extinct; for, if irreparably deprived of their royal member, the whole family forsake their toils, give up their young, roam about in alarm, refusing to eat, and in a few days they all die.