674 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



begin the construction of new combs. To do this they suspend themselves 

 in curtains from the top of the hive and remain motionless for some 

 time. The wax used in building comb is secreted by the workesr in eight 

 small pockets on the lower side of the abdomen while they thus hang in 

 curtains. Finally, after considerable wax has been thus formed, they 

 begin to build. The small flakes of wax are passed forward to the 

 mouth, there mixed with a salivary secretion to make them pliable, and 

 then are placed against the top of the hive. Other workers then come 

 and place their small contributions of wax on those first deposited, and 

 this continues until the combs are finished. There is more to comb- 

 building than the mere sticking on of wax plates, however; and nothing 

 in all bee habits is more wonderful than the beautiful plan on which they 

 build the comb. The cells are hexagonal in shape, so that each cell in 

 the center of the comb is surrounded by six others; nor is this the only 

 remarkable thing in their architecture, for each comb is composed of a 

 double row of cells, the base of each cell being formed of three parts, 

 each one of which is likewise a part of a separate cell on the other side 

 of the comb. By this method the bees obtain the greatest possible 

 capacity for their cells with the least expenditure of wax. The accuracy 

 of the cells of the comb has in all ages been an object of admiration of 

 naturalists and beekeepers; and while the degree of perfection assigned 

 to these cells has undoubtedly been over-stated by most writers, yet we 

 cannot but admire and wonder at the remarkable instinct, almost border- 

 ing on intelligence, which enables the bees to build cells so well suited to 

 their purpose. 



As soon as there are some cells constructed, and even before they are 

 entirely completed, the queen begins to lay eggs, and the workers begin 

 to collect stores of honey and pollen. They also collect in considerable 

 quantity a wax-like substance from various trees, commonly called 

 propolis, with which the inside of the hive is made tight, closing up all 

 openings except the one which serves as an entrance. In this way the 

 new swarm prepares for itself an abode like the one it left; and by 

 sealing up the crevices and gathering stores it prepares for the coming 

 winter. 



We may now return to the colony which remained after the swarming 

 took place to see what happens there. The colony left in the old hive 

 retains all the brood and honey stores, and has a newly hatched' queen. 

 There is then no necessity for wax building nor for sealing up the hive; 

 but this colony is already in a normal condition except that the queen 

 is not yet ready to perform her duties, and she will receive our attention 

 now. A very young queen receives little attention from the workers, but 

 goes about the combs practically unattended. When about five days old 

 (the exact time depending on the weather), in the afternoon, the virgin 

 queen flies from the hive to mate with a drone. She first takes several 

 short, preparatory flights to get her hive located so that she may find it 

 on her return, and finally she flies upward in constantly enlarging circles, 

 high in the air. Thus far she may be easily followed; but few have been 

 fortunate enough to observe the actual mating. Sometimes the mating 

 takes place at a lower point, and a few men have recorded the fact of 

 witnessing the completion of the mating flight. The queen, on leaving 



