66 HYMENOPTERA CHAP. 



they do by eating honey and pollen, which, being formed into a 

 sort of pap by a portion of their digestive organs, is then re- 

 gurgitated and given to the young, a quantity of it being placed 

 in the cell, so that the larva is bathed by it, and possibly may 

 absorb the food by the skin as well as the mouth. When the 

 colony is in good progress and young bees emerge, these act as 

 nurses, the older ones cease to prepare food and act as foragers, 

 bringing in honey and pollen which are each stored in separate 

 cells. The larva in the cell increases its size and sheds a very 

 delicate skin several times ; when the larva has reached its 

 full size no more food is supplied, but the worker-bees seal up 

 the cell by means of a cover formed of pollen and wax, in such a 

 manner as to be pervious to air : sealed up in the cell the larva 

 spins a cocoon for itself, remains therein for a little time as a 

 larva, then changes to a pupa, and thereafter bites its way out 

 through the cover of the cell, and appears for the first time as 

 a new being in the form of a worker-bee ; the whole process of 

 development from the egg-state to the perfect condition of the 

 worker-bee occupies about three weeks. 



When the denizens of a hive are about to produce another 

 queen, one or more royal cells are formed ; these are much 

 larger than the ordinary worker-cells, and of a quite different 

 form. In this cell is placed an egg, not differing in any respect 

 from the egg that, if placed in an ordinary cell, produces a 

 worker ; when the egg has produced a larva this is tended with 

 great care and fed throughout its life with royal jelly. This 

 food appears to be the same as that supplied to an ordinary 

 worker-larva when it is first hatched ; but there is this differ- 

 ence, that whereas the worker-larva is weaned, and supplied, 

 after the first period of its existence, with food consisting largely 

 of honey, pollen and water, the queen-larva is supplied with the 

 pap or royal jelly until it is full grown. Some difference of 

 opinion exists as to this royal jelly, some thinking that it is a 

 different substance from what the workers are fed with ; and it 

 is by no means improbable that there may be some difference in 

 the secretion of the glands that furnish a part of the material 

 composing the pap. The queen is produced more rapidly than 

 workers are, about sixteen days being occupied in the process of 

 her development. Only one queen is allowed in a hive at a 

 time ; so that when several queen-cells are formed, and queen- 



