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Drones Destroyed When Honey Is Scarce

Categories: BREEDING.
Bee Keeping: Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained

When an occurrence like the above happens, the drones next fall victims

to the failure of honey. A brief existence only is theirs; such as are

perfect, are destroyed without mercy; those in the chrysalis state are

often dragged out, and sacrificed to the necessities of the family.

Such as are allowed to hatch, instead of being fed and protected as

they would be if honey was abundant, are allowed, while yet weak from

th
effects of hunger, to wander from the hive, and fall to the earth

by hundreds. These effects attend only a scarcity in the early part of

the season. The massacre of July and September is quite different. The

drones then have age and strength--an effort is apparently first made

by the workers to drive them out without proceeding to extremes; they

are harassed sometimes for several days; the workers feigning only to

sting, or else they cannot, as I never succeeded in seeing but very few

dispatched in that way; yet there is evidence proving beyond doubt that

the sting is used. Hundreds will often be collected together in a

compact body at the bottom of the hive; this mutual protection

affording a few hours' respite from their tormentors, who do not cease

to worry them. In a few days they are gone, and it is a hard matter to

tell what has become of them, at least the majority. If the hive in

September is well supplied with honey, a portion of the drones have a

longer lease of life given them; I have seen them as late as December.

In some seasons, when the best hives are poorly supplied with stores,

the ensuing spring the bees will rear no drones, until the flowers

yield a good supply. I have known one or two years in which no drones

appeared before the last of June; at other times, thousands are matured

by the first of May.



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