104 BEES AND WASPS [OH. 



has not yet reached its final consistency; it is still 

 too limpid. To promote further evaporation of water 

 some of the workers undertake the task of improving 

 the ventilation of the hive. A number of them 

 marshal themselves in lines near the entrance, and 

 by rapid vibration of their wings drive currents of 

 air into and out of the hive and over the surfaces of 

 the combs. At such times a strong current of warm 

 air may easily be felt coming out of the hive, if the 

 hand be quietly brought close to the entrance. This 

 process is continued all night to a greater or less 

 extent, and is the cause of the buzzing that may be 

 heard inside any healthy hive long after dark in a 

 summer night. The matured honey contains about 

 12 per cent, less water than the raw nectar, and is 

 free from the volatile oils which give to nectar its 

 characteristic scent or flavour. 



In accordance with the great divergence of duties 

 there are also very marked differences of structure 

 between the fertile queen and her sterile industrious 

 daughters. As already stated, the workers are en- 

 dowed with the power of secreting wax ; the queen 

 also possesses wax glands and the membranes through 

 which wax might be expressed, but both these are in 

 a rather reduced condition and, so far as is known, 

 are never actually employed. But it is in connection 

 with the gathering of pollen that the structure of 

 worker and queen chiefly differ : the hind legs of the 



