THE APIAEY. 



319 



CHAPTER III. 



NATUKAL HISTOKY OF THE HONEY-BEE. 



Close examination of any prosperous colony of bees, in the summer season, 

 ■will discover a marked diiference in the individnals composing it. A large 

 majority will appear small, a few hundred large and heavy, while a single one 

 will fix attention by her long, tapering abdomen. Tims we have the workers, 

 drones, and queen : the first being undeveloped females, called neuters ; the 

 second, niifles ; and the last the fully developed female. Let us examine these 

 in detail. 



THE KEUTERS, OR WORKEE-BEES. 



These (see Fig. 1) are by far the most numerous individuals of the hive, 



there being from 20,000 to 40,000 in every good colony. They are also the 



smallest members of the colony, measuring but little more than one-half inch 



in length, and being only two-thirds the length of the queen. They 



also possess peculiarities of structure which at once distinguish 



them from both the queen and drones. Their tongues (see Fig. 



12) are almost twice as long as in either the drone or queen ; their 



jaws are much stronger ; their wings, like the wings of the drone. 



Fig. 1. attain the extremity of the body, wdiilo the tibia and tarsi — names 



given to the last joints of the legs — of the posterior legs are hollovv'ed out. 



Fig. 2. 



forming pollen-baskets, in which respect they differ from both the drones and 

 the queen ; the eyes do not diifer from the same in the queen, but are smaller 

 than those of the drone, and do not meet above. 



