Page 84 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

82 THE MIRACLE OF THE HONEYBEE

Population Planning in the Hive
Thanks to the special organization within the hive, the thousands of fe-
male bees in it occupy themselves with work inside and outside the hive,
rather than looking after the drones, who serve no purpose, all through
the winter. It is essential that the hive get through the winter. More indi-
vidual bees would necessitate a larger stock of food, for which more hon-
eycombs would need to be produced
and therefore, a greater communal ef-
Among His signs is
fort made. Moreover, the drones are
the creation of the
larger than the females and taking care
heavens and earth
of them is even harder work.
and all the creatures
When necessary, if their food stocks
He has spread about
are insufficient, the bees do not stop at
killing off all the males. They can also in them. And He has
destroy the eggs and larvae to reduce the power to gather
the numbers in the colony. them together when-
As the bees carry out their popula- ever He wills. (Surat
tion planning in the hive they can ash-Shura: 29)
gradually, and in a controlled manner,
eliminate new individuals at the larval and pupal stages. It has been ob-
served that this method reduces the population by one-fifth. 71
As this account has shown so far, there is a flawless control and order in
the lives of bees. This order in the hive, capable of responding to all the
bees’ needs, is a sign that they were created by God. God creates all living
things with the greatest wisdom. The task of intelligent people is to con-
sider these living creatures and draw the obvious conclusions.