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Bees, Shown to the Children

Chapter 5: CHAPTER III THE DRONE
By Ellison Hawks
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Nature/Gardening/Animals

About This Book

An accessible, illustrated primer for young readers that explains the anatomy, behavior, and social organization of the honey bee. It surveys body parts and functions (head, antennae, eyes, mouthparts, thorax, legs, wings, abdomen, breathing and sting), describes the three hive castes and their tasks, and traces life cycles, swarming, dormancy, and colony communication. Practical topics include hive structure, guarding, comb building, honey production, enemies, and basic modern beekeeping, while chapters on flowers, pollen, and fertilization show plant-bee relationships. Microscope observations and colored plates support clear, observational explanations throughout.

CHAPTER III
THE DRONE

NOW a few words about the drone, or male bee, and a picture of him is shown in Plate IV. He is not so big as the queen, though he possesses a more burly appearance. Unlike the queen or the worker bees, the drone has no sting, and so you may let him crawl over your hand without fear of being hurt, even though he should become angry.

The life of the drone is a life of luxury and ease, for he does not work in the hive, neither does he gather any nectar or pollen. He is fed by the workers, and he also takes good care to help himself from the storehouses, whenever he thinks he would like a little more food. He generally finds some snug corner in the hive, away from the bustle of the city, and there sleeps till perhaps mid-day. Then at this hour, after a good meal, he sallies forth, pushes his way through the crowd of workers, and with a loud, droning noise flies away to some far-off flower, perchance, and there basks in the sun. Before the afternoon wanes, he returns to the bee-city, has another meal, and then sleeps until next day. A very lazy life is this, you will say, and I agree with you. But this life, like all good things, comes to an end, and little though the drones know it, before the winter comes they will be killed by executioners duly appointed by the other bees, and so their life of luxury will be cut short.

In appearance the drones are very beautiful, and if we watch the door of a hive, some summer day, we may see them come out to take their daily outing. Their eyes are like enormous black pearls on each side of their head, while the silky antennæ look like beautiful plumes. Their thoraxes are covered with many golden hairs, which make them look as though they were clothed in the finest yellow velvet.

As they leave the hive, they create quite a stir amongst the other bees. They care not for the sentries, and rushing out, overturn the foragers who are coming in from the fields. No notice is taken of their rudeness, but the workers go on with their various duties, no doubt thinking that ere long the day of execution will come, and that then they will be avenged.