Other instances have come under my observation, clearly showing that the life of the worker honey bee is only of few months duration. One case in fact will show: I removed the native queen from a very strong stock of native or black bees, in the honey season, and introduced an Italian queen, in order to change the stock from native to Italian. The reader will readily understand that every egg deposited by the Italian queen, after her introduction, will produce the Italian variety, the workers of which are entirely distinct in color from the natives. In a few days after the introduction of the Italian queen I found the natives were disappearing, and soon after the Italians began to appear. The change was very rapid. In about two months not a native or black bee could be found about the hive--all were Italians. The natives had gradually decreased, until all had disappeared, showing conclusively that they had died in the same ratio that they would have passed away from a stock naturally. During the winter season, as the bee is in a dormant state for the greater part of the time, they are given a longer lease of life. When it is discovered that a stock has a barren queen or has lost its queen, or from any cause she has ceased to be prolific (and in consequence the bees are dwindling away,) take means immediately to substitute a prolific and healthy queen in her place, and at the same time re-enforce the stock, by taking one or more frames filled with hatching brood from a populous stock, and exchanging for those destitute of brood. In this manner the bees will be increased so as to insure safety for a few days, after which the stock, having been furnished with a prolific, healthy queen, will regain their former prosperity and vigor. The queen being the mother of the entire swarm, and consequently all increase being dependent on her, every intelligent bee keeper will readily understand that in order to succeed, he must be sure that each stock has a prolific queen. [Illustration] CHAPTER XII. REARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS.