Do Bees carry Eggs ?—Referring to this subject, I have to thank the Editor of the Revue Internationale d’ Apiculture for the following facts gathered from an article in that paper, a translation of the salient points of which will, I think, pretty conclusively decide this question of bees removing eggs. M. Ed. Bertrand says :—
"The question whether worker bees are capable of carrying eggs from one comb to another, with the object of raising queens, has again been made the subject of inquiry in various quarters, and has caused some divergence of opinion. One correspondent described how he had met with cases of bees carrying eggs, but that from such eggs only male larvae resulted. He also stated that eggs found in the condition mentioned were invariably produced by laying workers.''
This statement provoked some discussion, into which I need not here enter. M. Bertrand, however, continues : — "The question of the removal of eggs by workers was settled long ago for readers of the Revue at the time as well as for ourselves ; in fact, we have several times published observations on this subject emanating from experienced and reliable persons.
The following editorial footnote was added by us to an article which appeared in our Bulletin of January, 1884 :—'The removal of eggs or of larvae by workers, therefore, no longer presents any doubt to ourselves, especially after the statements of Langstroth and of many other observers so entirely worthy of credence.'
Here is an extract from what Langstroth wrote in November, 1878, in Gleanings :—'In the year 1864, having a very strong but queenless colony, without young larva; or any means of raising a queen, it occurred to me that if I could supply the bees with eggs or young larvae in a very small quantity, it would, perhaps, cause them to raise queens of exceptional size and beauty. I therefore gave them a piece of comb about ½ in. wide and 3 in. long, containing suitable larva;.
On examining this some days later, I found at least a dozen queen cells started, and, with the head of a pin, removed the queen larva: from all but four of the cells, leaving nothing in the others. When these four cells were sealed over I thought it would be advantageous to raise by means of this strong colony a second series of queens. Having inserted the first piece of comb, in a position expressly prepared for this purpose between the frame and the comb, I put the second piece in a similar place on the other side of the same frame.
Some days later, I examined the comb, to see how things were going on, and I was surprised at not finding any queen-cells commenced in the last piece inserted, nor any larva; in the cells. On looking at the piece first inserted, I found, to my amazement, that all four of the queen-cells, the larvae of which I had taken out, were again occupied, and that these cells were much more advanced than at the time when L destroyed their first occupants.
The bees were evidently determined not to throw away the labour devoted to the construction of the first series of cells, and consequently had carried into these as many as they required of the larva; from the cells of workers on the opposite side of the comb. Fourteen years have since elapsed, and I still feel something of the enthusiastic joy that I experienced when I showed these wonders to ray family and also mentioned them in the Journal which I have taken since 1852.'
" The same Langstroth also says in his remarkable work, 'The Hive and the Honey bee,' (fourth edition, p. 219): —Huber has shown that bees usually do not carry the eggs of the queen from one cell to another. I have, however, had the opportunity of knowing several cases in which they have carried workers' eggs into the maternal cell.
Mr. Wagner (well known as an apiarist, and founder of the American Bee Journal) put some queenless bees, brought from another locality, on to empty combs which had been in his attic for two years. When he gave them some breeding-cells they raised a queen in one of these empty combs ! Mr. .Richard Colvin, of Baltimore, as well as other bee friends, have informed me of similar incidents quite as striking."
Mr. Bertrand continues : —" We could mention, amongst much unexceptionable evidence, two very conclusive observations made by a well-known apiarist in Italy, the Rev. Joseph Franceschi, Prior of Catignano. They are related in a very concise manner, in I'Apicoltore (for the years 1873, p. 184, and 1874, p. 107), and leave no doubt as to the fact that worker-bees, in certain special and determined circumstances, carry eggs or larva) from one cell, and even from one comb to another. Finally, we do not think that at the present time any true apiarist denies the fact."
Aug. 8, 1895. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
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