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 "DIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
The ^ 
 Habits 
 
 Of the r 
 
 Honey 
 Bee >^ 
 
 By I 
 
 E. F. PHILLIPS. Ph. D. 
 
 Puhlished by 
 
 THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY 
 
 Medina, Ohio 
 
 No. 17 
 Beekeeper's 10-cent Libra v 
 
ROOT'S POWER EXTRACTORS 
 
 f0BTIiaiiB6EPB0D«6EBF0»19U 
 
 The late W. 35. Hutchinson, when asked as to what 
 would combine best with beekeeping, said, "The best 
 tluD-g to go with bees is — more bees. If more bees is 
 the slogan, then the best equipment should be installed. 
 This would be an outfit that will handle advantageous- 
 ly the product of 300 or more colonies with a minimum 
 of time and labor. 
 
 MWER EXTRACTING OUTFIT. The value of thU can 
 not be gauged entirely by the number of days it is used 
 during the season. It should be remembered that it 
 displaces a large amount of extra equipment in the way 
 of extra supers and combs. The extracting must be 
 done quickly in order to hold in check the swarming 
 that is sure to follow unless room is given when needed. 
 The amount thus saved, including reduction of labor 
 and time, will materially reduce cost of production. 
 
 ENGINE. This should not be selected without due examin*- 
 tioa. There are cortain types of gasoliae-onffiaes that are not 
 fitted for driving honey-exiractors. Machines reauiring to be 
 started and stopped an endless number ol times durlnf the day 
 rftdttlre an engine of special construction, and the beekeeper will 
 do well to Investigate thoroughly these points before purchasing. 
 Our new engrines, the "BUSY BEE," are selected for and are ex- 
 actly adapted for this kind of work. 
 
 CAPPINQ-MELTER. No extraoting-house is complete without 
 one. We hare a number of styles and si»es to select from. Illus- 
 trations of all these will be found in our large catalog. The 
 smaller 3b>es are Intended to be used with wax-presses which also 
 are shown, 
 
 HONEY-KNIVES. For rapid and easy work our new steam 
 heney-knires oan't be beat. Extra tubing is furnished when or- 
 dered. Send for our new »4-page book, 'Power Honey-extraot- 
 ors." describing these fully. 
 
 These eotttlpments are supplied by various dealers throLorhout 
 the country. Information as to nearest dealer on reauest. 
 
 THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY, MEDINA, OHIO 
 
The Habits of the 
 Honeybee 
 
 E. F. Phillips, Ph. D. 
 
 The A.. I. Root Company, Medina, Ohio 
 July, 1914 
 
Publisher's Introductory. 
 
 The writer of the following' treatise on the honey- 
 bee, Mr. E. F. Phillips, Ph.D., is the scientist who 
 spent nine weeks with us here in Medina investigating 
 the honeybee during the summers of 1903 and 1904. 
 His articles, which appeared later in Gleanings in 
 Bee Culture^ added much to our knowledge of the 
 bee. All of these articles were of a very technical 
 nature; but in this booklet will be found in simple 
 language the history and life of the bee. Any one 
 without previous instruction can, by reading this book- 
 let, gain a practical knowledge of the honey-bee. 
 
 Dr. Phillips gi^aduated in Allegheny College, Mead- 
 ville. Pa., in 1890. He taught science in the New 
 Brighton high school for two years. He then entered 
 the post-graduate department of the University of 
 Pennsylvania in 1901, holding University scholarships 
 for 1902 and 1903. He was appointed Harrison 
 Fellow of Zoology for 1903 and 1904. Mr. Phillips 
 is now Expert in Charge of Apiculture, in the Bureau 
 of Entomology of the United States Department of 
 Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 
 
 Mav, 1910. 
 
^ 
 
 THE HABITS OF THE HONEYBEE. 
 
 Of all the insect associations there are none that 
 have more excited the admiration of men of every age 
 or that have been more universally interesting than the 
 colonies of the common honeybee. While ants, wasps, 
 and the true ants have all come in for their share of 
 study, and truly wonderful are the activities of their 
 colonies; but on account of its value to man as a 
 honey-producer the honey-bee, A'pis melUfera, has 
 received more attention and its habits are much better 
 known. It would seem that, of the making of books 
 on bees, there is no end; for in every age men have 
 written of these insects, and at present we see more 
 new books than ever before. Since there is so much 
 to be written about bees, nothing but a mere outline 
 can be expected in this article. In this case, as in all 
 others, it is better to follow the advice of the celebrated 
 naturalist Agassiz, " Study nature, not books," for 
 time spent with bees in an observation hive is worth 
 far more than time spent over bee-books, provided the 
 observer goes at the observation in the true spirit of 
 an investigator and does not first decide what he will 
 see and then find it. 
 
 The ancients held many absurd views concerning 
 the generation and propagation of bees, believing that 
 they arose from decaying animals, from the flowers of 
 certain plants, and other views equally ridiculous from 
 our present point of view. The names of Swammer- 
 dam, Reaumur, Bonnet, Schirach, and Hnber will 
 
4 The Habits of the Honeybee 
 
 always be venerated among beekeepers for the light 
 they threw on the activities of the hive. It would be 
 interesting to note the discoveries of these men and 
 their followers if room permitted. Men of the olden 
 days were not alone in their absurd beliefs, for even at 
 the present day there appears at times a man who 
 tliinks he has made the wonderful discovery that all 
 our old beliefs are wrong; but we are comforted by 
 the fact that most of these receive no following. It is 
 
 WORKER-BEE. 
 
 by this means only, however, that we are to arrive at 
 the truth ultimately; for by sifting what is correct 
 from all the views advanced, and dropping the errors, 
 we shall perhaps some day know the true economy of 
 the hive. It is scarcely necessary to remark that we 
 are far from that position at the present time. 
 
 The honeybee belongs to the group of insects known 
 beekeeping can soon recognize each with ease. This 
 order includes both solitary and social bees, wasps, 
 ants, saw-flies, and some others, all of which are inter- 
 esting- in tlieir habits. This order is divided into 
 
The Habits of the Honeybee 5 
 
 families, the family to which the bee belongs being 
 known as the Apidae. 
 
 A colony of bees consists of one female, capable of 
 laying eggs, called the queen; some thousands of 
 undeveloped females that normally never lay eggs, the 
 workers ; and, at certain seasons of the year, many 
 males, the drones, whose only duty is to mate with the 
 young queens. These different kinds of individuals 
 can readily be recognized by the difference in size of 
 \arious parts of the body, so that even the novice at 
 beekeeping can soon recognize each with ease. This 
 colony makes its home in nature in a hollow tree or 
 
 EGG OF QUEEN UNDER THE MICROSCOPE. 
 
 cave; but it thrives perhaps even better in the hives 
 provided for it by man. There are many kinds of hives 
 — some good and others seemingly made merely to sell; 
 but they must all contain sheets of comb, concerning 
 the making of which more will be said later. In a 
 modern hive the sheets of comb are placed in wooden 
 frames whicli are luing in the hive-box in such a way 
 that they can be lemoved at the pleasure of the bee- 
 keeper. A slieet of comb is made up of small cells in 
 which honey is stored by the bees, and in which eggs 
 are laid, and young bees develop. To study the aetiv- 
 
6 The Habits of the Honef/hee 
 
 ities of the hive there is no better way to observe the 
 bees than to keep a small colony in an observation 
 hive. Such a hive consists of but one frame hung in 
 a narrow hive with glass sides, so that the bees are all 
 visible at all times. No one who is unfamiliar with 
 such a hive can appreciate the pleasure and profit to 
 be derived from watching a colony under such circum- 
 stances; and to any one who has the ability to appre- 
 ciate the wonderful things in nature it is no hardship 
 to spend hours by the side of the hive studying the 
 every movement of the bees. Of course, it must be 
 understood that there will be slight differences in the 
 l)ehavior of the bees in such a hive, but these are of 
 little importance to the beginner. 
 
 Having now become acquainted with the three kinds 
 of individuals in the colony, and the place in which 
 they live, we will take up their habits of life. Perhaps 
 there is no better way to arrange what is to be said on 
 this subject than to follow a colony through a season, 
 taking up the various phases of their actions in the 
 order in which they occur in nature. 
 
 In the spring of the year the colony consists of a 
 (|ueen and workers, there being no drones present at 
 this time of the year. During the winter the bees 
 remain quiet, and the queen lays no eggs, so that there 
 are no developing bees in the hive. The supply of 
 honey is also low, for they have eaten honey all winter, 
 and none has been collected and placed in the cells. 
 As soon as the days are warm enough the bees begin 
 to fly from tlie liive in search of the earliest spi'ing 
 Mowers. From these flowers they collect the nectai', 
 wliieh is transformed into honey, and pollen, which 
 they carry to the hive on the i)ollen-baskets on the 
 t hi I'd i)air of legs. The nedai' i> taken by the bee into 
 
The Ilahils of the Iloncyhce 7 
 
 its mouth, and then passes to an enlargement of the 
 alimentary canal known as the honey-stomach, where 
 it is acted upon by certain juices secreted by the bee. 
 The true stomach lies just behind the honey-stomach; 
 and if the bee needs food for its own immediate use it 
 passes on through the opening between the two stom- 
 achs. On its arrival in the hive the bee places its head 
 in one of the cells of the comb and deposits there the 
 nectar which it has carried in. By this time the nectar 
 has been partly transformed into honey, and the proc- 
 ess is completed by the bees by fanning the cells to 
 evaporate the excess of moisture which still remains 
 When a cell has been filled with the thick honey the 
 workers cover it with a thin sheet of wax unless it is 
 to be eaten at once. The pollen is also deposited in 
 cells, but is rarely mixed with honey. The little pellets 
 which the bees carry in are packed tightly into cells 
 until the cell is nearly full. If a cell of pollen be dug 
 out of the comb, one can often see the layers made by 
 the different pellets. This collecting of nectar and 
 pollen continues throughout the summer whenever 
 there are flowers in bloom, and ceases only with the 
 death of the last flowers in the autumn. 
 
 Almost as soon as the honey and pollen begin to 
 come in, the queen of the colony begins to lay eggs in 
 the cells of the center combs. The title of queen has 
 been given to the female bee which normally lays all 
 the eggs of the colony, under the supposition that she 
 governs the colony and directs its activities. This we 
 now know to be an error, but the name still remains. 
 Her one duty in life is that of egg-laying. She is most 
 carefully watched over by the workers, and is con- 
 stantly surrounded by a circle of attendants who feed 
 her and touch her with their antennae; but she in no 
 
S The UnJnts of ihr Uoneyhee 
 
 way dictates what shall take place in the hive. The 
 eggs are laid in the bottom of the hexagonal cells, 
 being attached by one end to the center of the cell. 
 The first eggs laid develop into workers, and are 
 deposited in cells one-fifth of an inch across. As the 
 colony increases in size by the hatching-out of these 
 workers, and as the stores of honey and pollen in- 
 crease, the queen begins to lay in larger cells measur- 
 ing one-fourth of an inch, and from the eggs laid in 
 these cells drones (or males) develop. The size of the 
 cell does not determine the sex, as will be explained 
 later ; but the queen almost invariably lays the worker 
 eggs in the smaller cells, and drone eggs in the larger 
 ones. As these male eggs develop and hatch, drones 
 begin to appear in the colony, generally about the first 
 of May in temperate climates. 
 
 The eggs do not develop directly into adult bees, as 
 might be inferred from what has just been said; but 
 after three days there hatches from the ^gg a small 
 white worm-like larva. For several days the larvse are 
 fed by the workers, and the amount of food consumed 
 is truly remarkable. The larva grows rapidly until it 
 fills the entire cell in which it lives. The workers then 
 cover the cell with a cap of wax, and at the same time 
 the larva inside spins a delicate cocoon under the cap. 
 The worker brood can at once be diotinguished from 
 the drone brood by the fact that the workers place a 
 flat cap over worker brood and a high arched cap over 
 drone brood; and this is often a great help to the bee- 
 keeper in enabling him to determine at once what kind 
 of brood any hive contains. Twenty-one days from 
 the time the egg is laid the young worker-bee emerges 
 from its cell, liaving gone through some wonderful 
 transformalions during the time it was sealed up, this 
 
The Habit fi of the Honeybee 9 
 
 stage being- known as the pupa stage. For drones the 
 time is twenty-four days. 
 
 About the time the drones begin to appear, the 
 inmates of the hive begin to prepare for swarming", 
 which, to any one w^atching the habits of bees, is one 
 of the most interesting things which takes place in the 
 colony. The workers now begin to make queen-cells. 
 In our previous description of the development of the 
 young from the egg, nothing was said about the queen, 
 and there are some decided differences in her growth 
 which we will not take up. 
 
 As Avas stated earlier in this article, the queen and 
 the workers are all females. Schirach, an old authority 
 on bees, discovered that the bees could take a young- 
 worker larva soon after it hatched from the egg, and, 
 by giving it special food all during its larval life, 
 " royal jelly," and, by constructing for it a special 
 cell, make of the otherwise worker larva a fully de- 
 veloped queen. This it is that the workers of a colony 
 do when they are preparing to swarm. Several young 
 worker larvae are chosen as the material for queen- 
 rearing, generally located near the margin of the comb. 
 The workers now begin to feed these chosen larvae an 
 extra amount of food, and at the same time the sides 
 of the cells containing them are remodeled and enlarged 
 by the destruction of surrounding cells. The queen 
 (or royal) cell is nearly horizontal at the top, like the 
 other cells of the comb, and projects beyond them ; but 
 then the workers construct another portion to the cell 
 into which the queen larva moves. This is an acorn- 
 shaped cell placed vertically on the comb, about as 
 large as three ordinary cells. As the cell is being built, 
 the queen larva continues to grow until tlie time comes 
 for her to be sealed up and enter her pupa state. Al- 
 
10 Thr lluhit.s of the Uoneiihce 
 
 lliou^li it takes the worker twenty-one days to com- 
 plete its development, the queen passes throui>h all the 
 stages and reaches a considerably larger size in but 
 sixteen days. 
 
 Before leaving the subject of the raising of queens 
 it might be well to state that if, for some reason, a 
 queen is killed in the hive, or by chance gets lost, the 
 workers can at any time replace her by the same 
 
 QUEEN-BEE^ MAGNIFIED. 
 
 metliod, provided, of course, they have worker larvas 
 on which to work. In the same Avay they will replace 
 an old queen when she begins to show signs of de- 
 creased power of egg-laying, so that this peculiar 
 performance is not characteristic of swarming only. 
 In the swarming season, at about the time the new 
 queens are ready to leave their cells, the old queen 
 leaves the hive and takes with her part of the workers, 
 this being known as swarming. This generally takes 
 place in the morning of a warm pleasant day. It 
 
The Habits of the Honeybee 11 
 
 might as well be confessed that we know but very little 
 about this remarkable instinct of the bee. In the first 
 queens are ready to leave their cells, the old queen 
 would not allow queen-cells to be constructed in her 
 colony, nor has any one told us why she allows it now. 
 Neither do we know what starts the actual swarming, 
 or what bees, workers, or queen first sets the hive in 
 motion. Neither do we know what is the thing whicli 
 compels certain bees to leave with the old queen, and 
 why the others stay in the old hive with the young 
 queen. Here is plenty of interesting work for any one 
 who desires to investigate some phase of the life- 
 history of bees; and for the encouragement of the 
 beginner it may be added that there are plenty more 
 open fields. Since our original hive has now divided 
 we will follow the swarm with the old queen, and, 
 later, return to the old hive to observe the actions of 
 that. 
 
 In the hands of a beekeeper the departing swarm 
 will be put into another hive provided he wishes to 
 increase the number of his colonies; but in a state of 
 nature the swarm will find an old hollow tree or some 
 similar place in which to establish itself. The bees, 
 before leaving their old hive, fill themselves with honey 
 until the abdomen is greatly distended, and for this 
 reason it is not necessary for them to collect nectar for 
 a day or two, for they have other work to do. Some 
 of the bees begin to clean out tlie new quarters and get 
 it fit for occupancy; but most of them begin the con- 
 struction of new combs. To do this they suspend 
 themselves in curtains from the top of the hive, and 
 remain motionless for some time. The wax used in 
 building comb is secreted by the workers in eight small 
 pockets on the lower side of the abdomen while tliey 
 
 rSSi 
 
 \tU^O^^ 
 
12 The Ilahitu oj the no.ieiibee 
 
 thus liaiig- in curtains. Finally, after enough wax ha.- 
 been formed, they begin to build. The small flakes of 
 wax are passed forward to the mouth, there mixed 
 with a salivary secretion to make the wax pliable, and 
 then are placed on the top of the hive by the first 
 comb-builders. Other workers then come and place 
 their small burdens of wax on those first deposited, 
 and this continues until the combs are finished. Thei-e 
 is more to comb-building than the mere sticking on of 
 wax plates, however; and nothing in all bee instincts 
 is more wonderful than the beautiful plan on whicli 
 
 GROWTH OF LARVAE. 
 
 they build the comb. The cells are hexagonal in shape, 
 so that each cell in the center of the comb is surround- 
 ed by six others. Nor is this the only remarkable thing 
 in their architecture, for each comb is composed of a 
 double row of cells, the base of each cell being formed 
 of three parts, each one of which is likewise a part of 
 a separate cell of the other side of the comb. By this 
 method the bees obtain the greatest possible capacity 
 for their cells, with the least expenditure of wax. The 
 accuracy of the cells of the comb has in all ages been 
 an object of admiration of naturalists and beekeepers ; 
 and while the degree of perfection assigned to these 
 (ells has undoubtedly been overstated by many writers, 
 
The Habits of the Uoneybee 
 
 13 
 
 yet we cannot but admire and wonder at the remark- 
 able instinct, almost bordering on intelligence, which 
 enables the bees thus to build cells so well suited to 
 tlieir purpose. 
 
 The original plan for a cell for storing honey and 
 raising brood is a cylinder, and this we find in some 
 other bees; but if the honeybee constructed cylindrical 
 cells there would be much more waste space and an 
 unnecessary expenditure of wax. If we take a number 
 of cylinders of flexible material and press them to- 
 gether they assume a hexagonal shape like the cells 
 
 DRONE-BEE — NO POLLEN-BASKET. 
 
 of the comb; but the bees in building do not first 
 construct cylinders, but at first hand make the cells 
 hexagonal. 
 
 As soon as there are some cells constructed, and even 
 before the cells are entirely completed, the queen 
 begins to lay eggs, and the workers begin to collect the 
 stores of honey and pollen. They also collect in con- 
 siderable quantity a waxy substance from various 
 
14 
 
 The llahitH of the Honei/b 
 
 trees, commonly called propolis, with which tliey seal 
 the inside of the hive, closing- up all openings except 
 the one which serves as the entrance. 
 
 On a previous page mention was made of the two 
 sizes of cells in the comb. The earliest cells construct- 
 ed by a swarm are always worker-cells — that is, cells 
 from which workers will hatch, and these occupy the 
 middle space of the hive. Later on, the workers con- 
 
 '' »C!^ 
 
 QUEEN-CELLS. 
 
 struct comb witii cells of the larger size, from which 
 drones hatch when they are used for brood, and in 
 which honey is stored. The cells which are used for 
 the storing- of honey generally slant upward slightly 
 to help keep the honey from running out. Tliis mars 
 to some extent the symmetry of the comb, but adds 
 gi-eatly to its etificiency. Queen-cells are made only 
 when a new (|ueen is to be reared. 
 
The Uahits of the Honenlx: 
 
 15 
 
 111 this way tlie new swarm prepares for itself an 
 abode like the one it left; and by sealing up the 
 crevices and gathering stores of honey it prepares 
 itself for the coming winter. We may now return to 
 the colony which remained after the swarming took 
 place, to see what takes place there. 
 
 The colony left in the old hive retains all the brood 
 and honey stores, and has a newly hatched queen. 
 There is then no necessity for wax-building nor for 
 sealing up the hive ; but this colony is already in a 
 normal conditon except that the cjueen is not yet ready 
 to perform her duties, and she will receive our atten- 
 
 HEXAGONAL AND ROUND CELLS. 
 
 tioii now. A very young queen receives little attention 
 from the workers, but goes about the combs practically 
 unattended. When about five days old (the exact time 
 depending on the weather), in the afternoon the virgin 
 queen flies from the hive to mate with a drone, or male. 
 Slie first takes several small preparatory flights to get 
 her liive located so that she may find it on her return, 
 and finally she flies upward in constantly enlarging 
 circles high in the air. This far she may be easily 
 followed; but few have been fortunate enough to 
 observe the actual matinj^. Sometimes the mating 
 
 /\ 
 
16 The Uabitu of llie Honeybee 
 
 takes place at a lower point, and a few men have 
 recorded the fact of witnessing the completion of the 
 " marriage-flight." The queen, on leaving the hive, in 
 some way attracts a. great many drones to her from 
 all parts of the apiary, provided her hive is located in 
 a bee-yard, and the swiftest and strongest drone is 
 successful in the race. The other drones often follow 
 the queen back to her hive, and for an hour or two 
 often remain on the outside of the hive after she has 
 entered, but later they return to their own hives. 
 
 The queen returns from the mating-flight in about 
 half an hour, carrying with her the generative organs 
 of the male which is killed during the union of the 
 two. Near the posterior end of the queen is a small 
 sac, which, before the flight, is filled with a clear 
 liquid; but after her return this sac is filled with an 
 opaque fluid; and it is the reception of this opaque 
 substance which is the essential thing in mating. This 
 liquid contains millions of spermatozoa, or male- sex 
 cells, each one of which is capable of fertilizing an egg 
 as it glides past the opening of the sac. This supply 
 of spermatozoa is almost always sufficient to supply 
 the eggs laid by a queen for three or four years, it 
 rarely happening that she mates the second time before 
 laying. There may be cases in which she mates after 
 once beginning to lay, but the evidence for such a 
 flight is very small. Since a queen can, during her 
 lifetime, lay a total of 500,000 eggs, most of which 
 receive one of these spermatozoa, it will be seen that 
 the apparatus for preserving them is very perfect, 
 since the queen cannot generate more, and they do 
 not divide or increase in number in any way. 
 
 The mating of queen and drone never occurs in the 
 liive, but filways in the air, on the wing. This instinct 
 
The Habits of the Honeybee 17 
 
 prevents what is known as in-and-in breeding; for if 
 the queen mated in her hive she would receive sper- 
 matozoa from her brothers or from her sons, and we 
 know that such close breeding is undesirable in all 
 forms of life. The cause of the undesirable results of 
 in-breeding are yet a mystery; but we do know that 
 they follow, and this habit of the queen in mating 
 away from her own hive renders close crossing less 
 probable. After the queen lias returned to her hive, 
 the workers remove the male organs. These parts of 
 the male are not absorbed by the queen, as is some- 
 times claimed ; but the spermatozoa contained in them 
 are taken into the spermatheca, or spermatozoon-sac. 
 
 WORKER AND DRONE CELLS. 
 
 and the rest dries up and is removed. Almost as soon 
 as the queen returns from her flight there is a differ- 
 ence in the treatment which she receives from the 
 workers. It happens at times that she is not received 
 kindly after taking her flight, and may be killed by 
 the workers, which do not recognize her as their queen, 
 probably on account of some new odor which she has 
 actjuiied during her absence. This is rare, however; 
 for, ordinarily, slie is the object of much care and 
 attention on her return. Fi'om this time on, whenever 
 (he queen stops for a moinent on the conil). cmIIici' lo 
 
18 
 
 The Ilalnts uj the Uoneijbie 
 
 deposit an egg' or to rest, she is surrounded b\^ a dozen 
 or so workers that try to feed her, and who rub her 
 with their antennee. In about two days after mating, 
 the young queen begins to lay eggs in the cells of the 
 comb, and this one duty, and no other, she performs 
 until her death, never again leaving the hive except at 
 the head of a swarm. 
 
 THOSE PETS. 
 
 The colony with the young queen is now in the same 
 condition as the one which left the hive, both having 
 laying c^ueens, coml)s, brood, and a sealed hive. Their 
 histories, under normal circumstances, are then prac- 
 tically the same. Both prepare for winter, and the 
 following spring both cast swarms again, and the 
 
The Habits of the Honeijhce 19 
 
 cycle is again repeated. Such is the activity of bees 
 under favorable circumstances; but, needless to say, 
 this ideal condition is not always realized, and we will 
 now follow colonies under other conditions to see what 
 happens. 
 
 Let us take a colony with a virgin queen like the one 
 left after the swarm was cast. It sometimes happens 
 that the queen is defective in some way, so that she can 
 not fly from her hive to meet a drone. This may be 
 caused by mutilated or weak wings, or possibly the 
 queen shows no disposition to fly. On the other hand, 
 the weather may not be favorable for her flight, or 
 there may be drones in the air when she does fly. 
 Evidently, any of these conditions will prevent suc- 
 cessful mating; and when this occurs we are enabled 
 to see one of the most remarkable phenomena of the 
 hive. The observer who wishes to study this phase of 
 bee activity may bring about the same conditions by 
 cutting off the wings of the queen, or by covering the 
 entrance with zinc jDerforated with holes, which allows 
 the workers to pass freely, but which confines the 
 queen to the hive, so that it is not necessary to depend 
 on chance to bring about what w^e are now to observe. 
 
 If a queen remains unmated for a period of three 
 weeks she is incapable of mating, and loses all desire 
 to leave tlie hive to meet a drone. After that time she 
 may begin to lay eggs, but, strangely enough, these 
 e^P produce nothing but drones, and the queen is then 
 known as a " drone-layer." Obviously, then, drones 
 are produced from eggs which have not been fertilized. 
 Not all unmated queens become drone-layers; in fact, 
 many queens die if not mated, and many others never 
 lay at all; but if any eggs are laid they produce only 
 drones. The irerson wishing to verify this strange 
 
The Ilabits of the Honeybee 21 
 
 phenomenon should start several virgin queens in 
 hives, and probably one or two will lay. 
 
 This introduces us to one of the most remarkable 
 phenomena which is known to occur in nature, but it 
 is not characteristic of bees alone. In most cases eggs 
 disintegi'ate unless fertilized by spermatozoa of the 
 same species. Just why fertilization is necessary is 
 still a disputed point among scientists; but we know 
 that it is by all means necessary in the majority of 
 cases. Yet in many cases in the animal kingdom eggs 
 do develop without fertilization, and one of the best 
 known cases is the development of the drones of the 
 honeybee. To this phenomenon the name " parthen- 
 ogenesis " is applied. 
 
 This fact concerning drones was discovered by 
 Johannes Dzierzon in 1845, and has since been verified 
 by many workers on the subject. As the eggs in the 
 queen leave the ovaries they pass down a tube called 
 the oviduct, to the outside. As they traverse the ovi- 
 duct they pass the entrance to the spermatheca men- 
 tioned above; and if the egg is to become a female, 
 worker, or queen, it receives from the spermatheca one 
 spermatozoon which fertilizes it; if it is to become a 
 drone it receives no spermatozoon, and, consequently, 
 is in the same condition as are all the eggs of a drone- 
 layer. Since a normal queen rarely lays a drone egg- 
 in a worker-cell, or vice versa, provided both kinds of 
 cells are present, it would seem that she in some way 
 can control the spermatheca; but how this is done is 
 still a mystery. 
 
 Another fact which supports the theory of parthen- 
 ogenesis is that Avorkers in a colony which is hope- 
 lessly queenless will often begin to lay eggs. As we 
 have seen, workers as well as queens are females, but 
 
22 The nahif.s of the Ilnneiihre 
 
 they are incaj^able of mating, and the eggs laid by 
 Ihem produce nothing but drones. This entire subject 
 of the parthenogenetic development of the drones is 
 still but little understood, and here again is a wide 
 field of work for one who is willing to devote time and 
 energy to the subject. A few facts are well known; 
 but around these facts there has been woven a mass of 
 good or bad guesses which must be verified before we 
 arrive at the truth. If the theory could be stripped of 
 these surmises the whole subject would be much clear- 
 er; and one who undertakes to work on this line must 
 drop all but well-verified facts. The A. I. Root Com- 
 pany has published in booklet form " The Dzierzon 
 Theory/' by Baron von Berlepsch, which was trans- 
 lated into English by Samuel Wagner, and published 
 in the American Bee Journal for 1860. This booklet 
 contains a fuller discussion of the facts supporting 
 this theory, and should be consulted by any person 
 interested in the subject. 
 
 Colonies containing drone-laying queens, or workers 
 which lay eggs, called fertile workers, can naturally 
 not become strong, since no new workers are produced 
 to do the work of the colony ; and as the old workers 
 are killed^, or die off in a comparatively short time, the 
 colony soon dies out, since the drones produced do no 
 work. This can be prevented by the owner of the hive 
 by introducing a new fertilized queen to the colony, 
 l)ut, of course, in nature the fate of the colony is 
 sealed. 
 
 Having followed the course of normal and abnormal 
 colonies during a season we are now i^eady to see what 
 takes place in preparing for winter. The entire hive 
 is filled with honey, the drones are expelled from the 
 hive, and die, and Ihe queen ceases to lay eggs. When 
 
The Habits of the Honeybee 23 
 
 cold weather comes on, the bees cluster together on the 
 combs and are in a very inactive condition, merely 
 doing enough fanning to keep up the temperature of 
 the hive. During the winter the stores of honey are 
 consumed, and generally in the spring but little re- 
 mains. On a bright warm day in winter the workers 
 may take short flights from the hive, but for short 
 distances only. After the winter is over they once 
 raore begin the cycle described above, and year after 
 year this goes on to the pleasure and profit of the 
 beekeeper. 
 
 In the previous discussion of the habits of the bee 
 the practical side of beekeeping has been entirely 
 omitted, for it is the purpose of this article to give a 
 brief introduction to the actions of these insects in 
 their natural conditions. Modern apiculture is made 
 possible by numerous appliances which add greatly to 
 the ease with which bees can be handled, and also add 
 even more greatly to the profit to be derived from the 
 care of bees ; and a knowledge of practical beekeeping- 
 adds greatly to one's knowledge of the habits of bees 
 as Avell as makes possible many interesting experi- 
 ments after new facts. By modern methods we are 
 enabled to take honey from the bees without resorting 
 to the old methods of killing the entire colony ; we can 
 raise queens at pleasure, and in an}- number, by bring- 
 ing about artificially the conditions under which cjueens 
 are produced; we can extract the honey from the 
 combs by centrifugal force, and return the combs to 
 be refilled; and numerous other operations almost in- 
 definite in number are possil)le as a result of the care- 
 ful work of practical beekeepei's. A discussion of 
 these methods is just as interesting as the account of 
 the natural instincts of the bee, but is out of place in 
 
24 The Hubit.s of the Honeybee 
 
 an article of this size. Tlie iGader is referred to any 
 one of the numerous books on practical apiculture for 
 full details concering these methods. 
 
 Nor must it be supposed that the natural actions of 
 the bee have been exhausted in what has beer, written. 
 As stated in the first paragraph, volumes liave been 
 written on bees and their habits, and tliis is but a 
 skeleton outline on which far more interesting- facts 
 can be built. The senses of bees, especially the sense 
 of smell, the structure of the different individuals, and 
 the adaptations of the parts to the work required of 
 each, the natural enemies of bees, and their methods 
 of defense — these are but a few of the subjects which 
 might be discussed with profit, to say nothing of fuller 
 discussions of subjects which have been merely sug- 
 gested in the preceding outline. It is a noteworthy 
 fact that every person who studies or works with bees 
 becomes enthusiastic on the subject; and in this brief 
 article should induce some one to take up this line of 
 work the object of the article will be fulfilled, and the 
 new apiarist may be assured that he is entering into a 
 most entrancing field of work. 
 
 And, finally, there still remains much to be learned 
 about the bee from careful and painstaking observa- 
 tion; and by such work the cause of apiculture and 
 science at large will be much benefited. In several 
 places mention has been made of unsettled problems; 
 but the number could be extended very greatly, and 
 each new discovery opens up new fields of work. Here, 
 then, is work for thos.? who wish to add to the sum of 
 human knowledge in a line of woi k which can be of 
 the greatest pi-ictical use U) tnniikind at large. 
 
Publications on Bee Culture 
 
 The pamphlets and booklets listed below are 
 of more than ordinary interest. Look over the 
 list, check the ones you want and we will send 
 them at once. Of course you will include remit- 
 tance for those for which there is a charge. 
 
 MY FIRST SEASON'S EXPERIENCE WITH THE 
 HONEYBEE. By the "Spectator" of the Outlook, 
 New York. A ten-page leaflet detailing the expe- 
 riences of this well-known writer. You will read it 
 it through before you lay 'A down. Free. 
 
 THE BEEKEEPER AND FRUIT-GROWER.— A booklet 
 giving actual facts regarding the value of bees to 
 fruit, and showing how beekeeping may be doubly 
 profitable to the fi'uit-grower. Free. 
 
 BEEKEEPING FOR SEDENTARY FOLK. Recites the 
 actual experiences of an amateur beekeeper. Free. 
 
 TRANSFERRING BEES. A booklet which gives instruc- 
 tions and illustrates appliances. If your bees are 
 in old box-hives you are not getting half that you 
 could out of them, and this booklet will tell you just 
 how to transfer them to modern hives. 10 cts. 
 
 THE A B C OF BEE CULTURE. A complete text book 
 of over 500 pages, giving lull information on every 
 question relating to bees. Valuable to the beginner 
 and indispensable to every beekeeper. Price $2.00 
 postpaid. 
 
 CATALOG OF BEEKEEPERS' SUPPLIES, 
 
 plete information, mailed free to any addr 
 
 with 
 
 riease send me Ute \tems checked above, 
 enclose $ to cover the cost. 
 
 Stale, 
 
The Root Observatory Hive 
 
 To meet the increasing demand foi' a moderate-priced Observa- 
 tory Hive, for use in schools and homes, we have decided to man- 
 ufacture the style illustrated herewith. This hive is identical with 
 our regular, with the exception of the body and super sides, which 
 are fitted with glass, together with wooden shutters for closing the 
 hive while not observing. This hive permits the keeping of a 
 regular colony of bees in a normal condition so that every phase 
 of beekeeping may be studied. 
 
 PRICES. 
 
 Full-size L. hive, nailed, varnished, glass — no bees $ 9 00 
 
 Same ready for use, Italian bees, brood, queen 20 00 
 
 One-frame hive, no super, nailed, varnished, glass — no bees 3 50 
 
 Same ready for use, Italian bees, brood, queen 9 00 
 
 One-frame hive and super, nailed, varnished, glass — no bees 4 00 
 
 Same ready for use, Italian bees, brood, queen 10 00 
 
 The A. I. Root Company, Medina, Ohio 
 
 Factory and Main Office 
 
The above engraving shows the various parts of the Koot 
 01)servatory Hive. The sections for honey are of the most ap- 
 proved pattern. The frames in the brood-chamber are the Hoff- 
 man, which are the easiest handled. The glass is of the best 
 grade, allowing an unobstructed view of the inside of the Iiive. 
 The panels have handles and catches. The cover, super, body, 
 and bottom-board can be securely fastened with catches, wliicli 
 prevents any accidents. 
 
 Testimonial 
 
 Our observation hive and Ijees arrived in fine condition, and 
 we transferred the bees in the yard, with the whole room of forty 
 boys and girls standing around them. The day was cool and 
 many bees dropped to the ground, apparently dead, but the 
 children found if they held them in their liands'and breathed on 
 them that they would revive, so it ended by boys and girls liaving 
 liands full of crawling bee.s. The l)ees were gentle as could oe. 
 and now the children are not afraid of them, and if one gets on 
 the window in the room, a Ijoy will pick it off and put it out. 
 To say that we are pleased is putting it mildly; we are delighted. 
 Very truly, MissObkrholtzkr, 
 
 Cleveland, Ohio. Teacher Lakewood Central .School. 
 
How to 
 Keep Bees 
 
 By 
 AnnaBotsford Comstock 
 
 ^+#H|' HAT are the requirements for beginnixig 
 4j1 beekeeping? This is one of the most 
 At^^ frequent questions we have. We can 
 answer most effectually by referring our 
 friends to the above-mentioned book by Anna 
 Botsford Comstock. Mrs. Comstock is a writer 
 of merit, anything she has to say is worth read- 
 ing. Her own experiences as a beekeeper are 
 most interesting, and she has told them in such a 
 way that the beginner gets a gTeat deal of valu- 
 able information by reading her book. 
 
 It is not a technical treatise on the subject, 
 but a simple story of the triumphs and defeats 
 of the author. You may profit by her successes 
 and avoid her mistakes. Whether you have bees, 
 expect to keep them, or are merely interested, 
 we are sure you will enjoy reading this book. 
 Price $1.00 postpaid. Or you can get it in con- 
 nection with a year's subscription to Gleanings 
 IN Bee Culture for $1.50. See opposite page 
 for particulars regarding Gleanings. 
 
 THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY 
 MEDINA, OHIO 
 
l^u (Unltmt 
 
 Every beekeeper, large or small, ought to read one good 
 bee-paper regularly, and, of course, he will want Glean- 
 ings. It is the largest bee-paper in the world, and pub- 
 lishes the latest and best of everything pertaining to bee- 
 keeping from all parts of this country and from foreign 
 fields as well. Well-known beekeepers of long experience 
 are regular contributors, and any thing new in the bee- 
 keeping world receives careful attention from our editorial 
 staff. DiflPerent methods are discussed and new appliances 
 exploited, so the beekeeper who would be really up to date 
 must read Gleanings. 
 
 There is a great deal of interest, too, in our Poultry, 
 Garden, and Home Departments, edited by our Mr. A. I. 
 Root. Mr. Root is pretty well known to beekeepers all 
 over the world. He spends a great deal of time now in 
 making experiments with diflferent poultry appliances and 
 systems, and gives the readers of Gleanings the benefit o? 
 his findings. Many of our readers consider his Home 
 Department the most valuable part of our paper, and 
 subscribe to it for that alone. There is something of m 
 terest for every one. The subscription rate is $1.00 per 
 A'ear or 25 cents for a six-mouths' trial. 
 
 The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio: 
 
 Enclosed find remittance for $ for 
 
 which please enter my subscription to Gleanings 
 
 for 
 
 Xante 
 
 r. () 
 
 Stale. 
 
ROOT'S GOODS 
 
 The name of " Root," when applied to 
 bee-supplies, means as much as " Elgin " 
 when applied to watches. 
 
 When yon bny " Root's goods " you are 
 sure of goods made by skilled workmen, 
 from the best material. You are never 
 disappointed by receiving goods inaccu- 
 rately cut, roughly made from inferior 
 stock. 
 
 There is nothing that an apiarist needs 
 that we cannot furnish, from a complete 
 outfit to the smallest single article. 
 
 We began the manufacture of bee-sup- 
 l)lies forty years ago, with an increasing- 
 trade each year, until now we are the larg- 
 est concern of the kind in the world. 
 
 Our prices are right. You can buy our 
 goods near at home. AYrite for catalog 
 and name of agent nearest you. 
 
 THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY, Medina, 0. 
 
 New York Chicago Washington Des Moines 
 
Lessons in 
 Beekeeping 
 
 BY 
 MAIL 
 
 There is now, and has been for years, a greater demand for 
 experienced bee-help than there are men ready for these places. 
 Each winter and spring we are obliged to disappoint many large 
 apiarists by telling them we do not know where suitable help can 
 be found. We have found that many who take our course in 
 bee culture by correspondence prefer to go into business for 
 themselves, so we still need active young men who have a fair 
 knowledge of the subject — men whom we know something about 
 — who can be recommended for the places frequently offered. We 
 have, therefore, determined to offer a lilieral course in 
 
 Beekeeping by Mail 
 
 We shall designate this as course No. 2. The lessons are 
 identical with lessons in course No. 1. The time, however, is 
 limited to one year from enrollment. The course may be easily 
 completed in three to four months. The following is the 
 
 Outline of Course No. 2 
 
 Seventeen Lessons 
 
 I. 
 
 Definitions of Terms. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Rendering Normal. 
 
 II. 
 
 Inmates of the Hive. 
 
 X. 
 
 Preparing for Winter. 
 
 III. 
 
 Comb. 
 
 XI. 
 
 Wintering. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Handling Bees. 
 
 XII. 
 
 Spring Management. 
 
 V. 
 
 Transferring. 
 
 XIII, 
 
 , Bee-diseases, Symptoms. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Building up Colonies. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Enemies of Bees. 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Honey-flow. 
 
 XV. 
 
 Establishing an Apiary. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Swarming. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 Queen-rearing. 
 
 
 XVII. Gener 
 
 ul E.xa 
 
 mination. 
 
 Terms of Course 
 
 Complete course, as outlined, essons, personal answers to all 
 questions, including the A B C of Bee Culture (720 pages), and 
 Glk.\nings IX Bee Culture (semimonthly) for one y^ar, $5. 
 
 With either the A B C or Gleanings omitted in case you 
 have one, $4.00. 
 
 With both omitted in case you have both $3.00. 
 
 Satisfaction guaranteed. 
 
 Use form on following page. 
 
 The A. I, Root Company, Medina, Ohio 
 
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 A Kind Word 
 
 I received the last shipment todty and 
 they were all right. Every thing came 
 that we had ordered in good shape. 
 
 O. C. Hope. 
 
 Irwin, O,, June 12. 
 
 From the Other Side of the World 
 
 Will you kindly bring my thanks to Mr. 
 A. I. Root for the sending of two dasheen 
 bulbs, which arrived in perfect order ? As 
 we are going into winter just now, I will 
 try to keep the bulbs till early spring, which 
 comes in the first dayi of August. 
 
 C. H. W. Kehrer. 
 
 Rushenburg, Africa, April 19. 
 
 These frames are a delight. There is 
 no kick coming on any thing from your 
 house so far. 
 
 J. L. Pledger. 
 
 Alexandria, La., June 9. 
 
 
I 
 

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 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA ' -'I'^l^U 
 
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 3 0112 066408862