100 BEES AND WASPS [OH. 



young bee remains within the hive and acts as a 

 feeding-nurse to the larvae; later on she goes out 

 from the hive in quest of nectar and pollen which she 

 brings back to store each in separate cells, or of 

 "propolis" a gummy, resinous substance collected 

 from the buds and bark of trees which is used by 

 bees as a cement or to plug up undesired chinks and 

 crevices. The development from egg to perfect insect 

 occupies about three weeks. When another "queen" 

 is to be produced, the workers form one or more 

 "royal" cells: these are generally, but not always, 

 placed at the lower edge of a comb, and are quite 

 different in shape from the ordinary cells, being more 

 or less flask-shaped structures of considerable size, 

 and having their entrances facing downwards : more- 

 over the walls of these "royal" cells are of much 

 tougher material than those of the rest of the comb. 

 An ordinary egg, in no way different from those which 

 yield "workers," is laid in the "royal" cell; but the 

 larva which emerges from it is tended with especial 

 care and is fed throughout its life on a "royal jelly." 

 This jelly ("pap") is also supplied to worker-larvae 

 for the first three days after they are hatched, but 

 they are subsequently weaned, and thenceforth fed 

 upon honey, pollen and water : whereas the queen- 

 larva is supplied with "royal jelly" until it is full-fed. 

 The result of this treatment is that the development 

 of a "queen" takes but sixteen days from egg to 



