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.
[Illustration: PLATE V
From a photograph by] [E. Hawks
Worker]