HYMENOPTERA . 3 6 1 



stantly on her guard, so as to be ready to drive away these marauders 

 from cells newly filled. 



We owe to an English naturalist, Newport, the knowledge of 

 another curious fact relating to the laying of humble bees, which is 

 the expedient the females and the males have recourse to for 

 hastening the hatching of the eggs. They place themselves, like 

 fowls sitting on their eggs, over the cocoons containing the pupae 

 almost hatched. By breathing quickly, these industrious insects 

 raise the temperature of their bodies, and consequently that of the 

 air in the cells. Thanks to this supplementary heat, the metamor- 

 phosis of the pupae is much hastened. Newport, by slipping miniature 

 thermometers between the cocoons of the nymphs and the sitting 

 humble bees, ascertained that the temperature of the latter was about 

 34*^ C, whilst the temperature of the cocoons left to themselves was 

 only 272 C. ; that of the air in the rest of the nest being only from 

 21° to 24^ C. After many hours of incubation, at the same time 

 latural and artificial, in which Art and Nature are so closely allied, 

 ifter the sitting insects have many times relieved one another, the 

 ,oung humble bees come out of their cells. They are at first soft, 

 greyish, moist, and very susceptible to cold. But after a few hours 

 hey become stronger, and the yellow and black bands with which 

 heir abdomens are surrounded begin to be marked out. The spring 

 lying produces exclusively workers. The greatest abundance of 

 ■ggs are laid in August and September. The laying of the female 

 'ggs begins in July ; that of the males follows soon after. 



Until autumn the humble bees are incessantly enlarging their 

 lests, and multiplying their little pots of honey. Without accumu- 

 iting a great stock of provisions, for which they have no occasion, 

 ey always keep in reserve a quantity of pollen and honey for their 

 aily wants. The cells in which the honey is stored differ ver>^ much 

 1 shape. Some species of humble bees give them long and narrow 

 ecks j others, less recherche in their style of construction, simply make 

 ylindrical vases. There are among the humble bees races of artists 

 nd races of simple builders ; the one construct with taste, the other 

 nly seek the useful. 



During the day the humble bees cull honey from the flowers. At 

 ight they enter their home; but a certain number take the liberty of 

 eeping out. Surprised by the arrival of night in the bottom of the 

 ilyx of a sweetly-scented flower, they philosophically determnie to 

 eep in the open air, lying on this perfumed bed, with the heaven as 

 leir canopy. 

 The couphng of the humble bees takes place towards the end of 



■iKi 



