36 EGGS LAID BY FERTILE WORKERS 



that in some cases, at any rate, the eggs do produce 

 young. Dewitz even maintains ^ that the workers 

 habitually lay eggs, and explains the difference which 

 on this view exists between the workers of ants and 

 those of bees, on the ground that (as he supposes) the 

 majority of ants die in the autumn, so that the eggs 

 laid by the queens alone would not be sufficient to 

 stock the nest in the spring ; while among bees the 

 majority survive the winter, and consequently the eggs 

 laid by the queen are sufficient to maintain the num- 

 bers of the community. In reply to this argument, it 

 may be observed that among wasps the workers all 

 perish in the autumn, while, on the contrary, among 

 ants I have proved that, at least as regards many 

 species, this is not the case. Moreover, although eggs 

 are frequently laid by workers, this is not so often the 

 case as Dewitz appears to suppose. Forel appears to 

 have only observed it in one or two cases. In my 

 nests the instances were more numerous ; and, indeed, 

 I should say that in most nests there were a few fertile 

 workers. 



Among bees and wasps also the workers are occa- 

 sionally fertile ; but, so far as our observations go, it is 

 a curious fact that their eggs never produce females, 

 either queens or workers, but always males. The four 

 or five specimens bred by Forel from the eggs of 

 workers were, moreover, aU males. 



It became therefore an interesting question whether 



' Zdt, f. nifs. Zool.s vol. xxviii. p. 536. 



