58 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15 



the worker. The free portion of the 

 tongue of the worker is 2.75 mm; of the 

 drone, L6 mm, and of the queen only 1 

 mm. Also the lip-feelers and maxillas of 

 the worker are considerably longer than 

 those of the queen and drone — about 

 double the length of those of the queen. 



Summing up we can say that the parts 

 of the mouth of the worker are much more 

 highly developed than those of the queen 

 and drone, forming a strange contrast to 

 the difference in the size and strength of 

 the breast, legs, and wings of the three 

 kinds of bees. However, we must admit 

 that the perfection of the worker mouth is 

 in full harmony with its function. We 

 know that the bee is enabled, by the 

 length of its tongue, to reach the necta- 

 ries of certain flowers, while neither the 

 queen nor drone ever gathers honey, being 

 nourished by the workers or else from the 

 full cells in the hive. 



Let us still compare the upper jaw (man- 

 dible) of the three bees. Here the differ- ^^^ 

 ences are still more distinct, especially as 

 to the form of those parts. We admire 

 the powerful upper jaw of the queen (Fig. 5, A), 

 which resembles the form of the strong sawed 

 mandible of the wasp or hornet, and which is 

 not to be despised as a weapon. Both upper jaws 

 form together a good pair of scissors, well adapt- 

 ed to the work of cutting the strong cocoon of 

 their cells — a work which the worker-bees are 

 generally unable to perform. With the point 

 she penetrates the cocoon and continues with 

 both upper jaws to shear it; I have often watched 

 a queen at this work, and wondered, when I saw 

 how quickly and neatly the young thing made 

 its circular cut, turning itself about meanwhile. 

 The cutting is so sharp that one must look very 

 closely to discover it. I remember an experience 

 I had years ago. A friend who had had an after- 

 swarm gave me a number of queen-cells, each in 



4. — TONGUE AND LIP-FEELER BENT TOGETHER; 

 MAGNIFIED 30 TIMES. 



a match-box; and when I reached home I was 

 astonished to see that some of the cells contained 

 no queen, though the top of the cell was well 

 cut circularly. It was quite an enigma for me, 

 because I did not yet know that the little cover 

 often shuts itself after the queen has gone out. 



On the base of the upper jaw we see a smooth 

 round projection; this is the spherical condyle, 

 which moves in a corresponding cavity in the 

 head, thus forming a joint which allows move- 

 ments of the upper jaw in different directions. 



The upper jaw of the drone (Fig. 5, B) differs 

 somewhat from that of the tjueen. It is not 

 shorter, but slighter, and therefore a less power- 

 ful weapon. However, according to Pratt's ob- 

 servations it seems that rival drones often combat 

 each other grimly enough. Like the queen, the 



FIG. 5. — UPPER jaw: (mandible) of QUEEN, DRONE, AND WORKER, MAGNIFIED 51.7 TIMES. 



