208 The Ottawa Naturalist. [February 



they gather the nectar and pollen from the flowers, secrete the 

 wax required in comb building, construct the combs, prepare 

 food for the young larvae, carry large quantities of water, 

 ventilate the hive and guard it against all intruders. Nectar 

 and pollen are gathered simultaneously from the flowers, the 

 former is carried, like water, in a sac or bag in their abdomens 

 and is regurgitated into the cells on their return to the hive. 

 Pollen or "bee-bread" is carried in basket-like cavities on the 

 bees' posterior legs, and is. so to speak, kicked or rubbed off 

 into other cells in close proximity to the larvae for which it is 

 intended. Propolis or "bee glue" is carried in a similar manner 

 and is obtained from the buds of certain trees like the balm of 

 Gilead, horse-chestnut and others. This sticky substance is 

 used to fill up all cracks and crevices in the hive. Wax is 

 secreted between the rings of the bees' abdomen, on the under 

 side, and is in the form of thin white scales about one-sixteenth 

 of an inch in diameter and somewhat circular in shape. These 

 scales of wax are removed with the claws on the bees' hind legs 

 and conveyed to their mouths and are then applied to the 

 surface where comb building is in progress. The thousands 

 of larvae in the hive are carefully looked after and fed by the 

 workers during the six days of their larval existence, after which 

 the cells containing them are covered over with a thin and 

 porous capping consisting of a mixture of wax and pollen, thus 

 allowing the air to penetrate to the occupants in the chrysalis 

 stage, which pure wax would not do. Pure wax is however 

 used by the bees in capping their honey because it requires to 

 be impervious to the air. 



The drones are unlike the queen or workers, their bodies 

 are large and clumsy and without the symmetry of either. 

 They are quite unable to defend themselves, having no sting, 

 and can consequently be handled with impunity. Their tenure 

 of life is exceedinglv uncertain and often terminates very 

 abruptly. Should the condition of the weather be such that 

 the honey flow is suddenly cut off the worker bees may, and 

 probably will, decide to destroy not only all the drones in the 

 hive, but also all the drone larvae, and when this is done swarm- 

 ing is indefinitely postponed. In ordinary seasons drones in 

 varying numbers will be found in all strong hives from May to 

 about September, though after swarming is over they may be 

 destroyed any day. The final destruction of the drones usually 

 takes place towards the end of August, and it is no uncommon 

 sight to see the v/orkerbeesin adozen different hives in the apiary 

 all persistently chasing the drones and ruthlesslv turning them 

 out to die. It is said, and I am inclined to think with some 

 truth, that they actually sting them to death if other means fail. 



