Hints On the History and Management of Honey Bee

Every family of bees, when fully constituted, comprises a queen, several thousands of labourers, and several hundreds of drones. It is usual for naturalists, in giving an account of these insects, to commence with the Queen; but I, though a very loyal subject, shall give precedence to the labouring population, as constituting by far the most numerous portion of the family, and as being the most continuously and actively employed. These are the bees on which Dr. Watts so beautifully fixed the attention of childhood, as "the little busy bees." They are emphatically called the working bees, and most properly, for they are true workers, enjoying nearly the whole of their time in fine weather in the collection and storing of provisions: much of it is also devoted to the construction of the waxen cells in which their stores are deposited and the young bees reared To each of these offices it has been generally considered that certain bees are duly appointed, and that thus the business of the hive is, by a regular division of labour, judiciously carried on. Shakspere seems to have had a glimpse at this regular mode of proceeding in the bee-hive, for he speaks of bees being creatures that teach the art of order to a peopled kingdom, of their having officers of sorts, some of them as building roofs of gold, while others make boot upon the summer's velvet buds. The whole of his description is very beautiful, and, so far as I have quoted from him, I believe correct; the rest is mere poetical fancy. By some it has been conceived that there is an original difference in the bees, according to the duties they are destined to fulfil; but it appears more probable that all are born with equal capabilities, and that whatever difference may be observable in adult bees arises from causes connected with their occupations. To these it is that the poets and moralists have applied the terms, the busy bee, the industrious bee, the provident bee, the skilful bee; and most truly do they deserve every one of those titles.