1IKK. 





but throughout Europe it U DOW rather a nan occurrence to find it 

 otlierwiM than domesticated. 



Each society or iwarm u composed of three description* of Bee* 

 the Mala, or Drone ; the Neuter, or Worker ; and the Female, or Queen. 



The Drone, or Male Bee, in general form, i* almost cylindrical, the 

 separation between the thorax and abdomen being much lew distinct 

 than in the females or neuters. The head is large, rather narrower 

 than the thorax : the eye* are very large, and meet at the vertex of 

 the bead, but divide a* they approach the forehead ; close to the 

 point of separation there are three steinmata. The antenna are 

 18-j.iinted. The thorax is thickly covered above and beneath with 

 abort pale brown hairs resembling velvet The length of the abdomen 

 is scarcely greater than U it* breadth, and it U terminated obtusely : 

 it ha* only four segments visible from the upper side, the anal seg- 

 ment* being hidden beneath the other*. The basal and apical segment* 

 are each thickly covered with pale hairs. The colour of the abdomen 

 u black above, having the edge of each segment of a light brown 

 colour ; the underside of the body is also pale. The legs are black ; 

 the inner side of the hinder legs U covered with pale down. All the 

 claws are divided, the inner part being nearly equal in length to the 

 outer iart. The wings are large, and rather longer than the body ; 

 the anterior wings are rather acute at the apex. 



The Drone may be readily distinguished from the queen and 

 workers by iU greater breadth, large eyes (which meet at the top of 

 the head), and the abdomen having only four segment* visible from 

 the upper side. The wings are much longer in proportion than those 

 of the worker or the quean, for in this sex they reach beyond the 

 extremity of the abdomen. 



The number of drones in a hive is remarkably irregular, varying 

 from 600 or 700 to 2000 ; but the proportion is not regulated by the 

 number of bees contained in the hive, for a small swarm will some- 

 times possess as many drones as a large one. 



The time required to complete the metamorphosis of the drone in 

 as follow*. In three day* after the deposition of the egg the larva 

 make* it* appearance : about the middle of the seventh day from this 

 time, the larva, having then arrived at it* full growth, spins it* cocoon, 

 a silken substance with which it lines the interior of its cell : thin in 

 accomplished in about a day and a half. It then turns to the pupa, 

 and ultimately to the perfect insect, having been about 24 days from 

 the laying of the egg to the coming forth in the winged state. 



The Neuter, or Worker, U of a dark-brown colour, approaching to 

 black ; the head and thorax resemble those of the female,' but the 

 head has black hair on the vertex. The abdomen is conical, and 

 composed of six distinct segments : the basal .one is thickly covered 

 with hair, the other segment* are sparingly clothed. The legs are 

 black : the plantse of the hinder legs are transversely striated on the 

 inner side. The wings when closed nearly reach to the apex of the 

 abdomen. 



In about four days after the egg of the Worker has been deposited 

 the larva is hatched, and in five or six days more (according to the 

 weather) it is full grown ; it is then sealed up in its cell by the nurse 

 bee* with a covering of farina mixed with wax. As soon as the larva 

 i* inclosed it spins it* cocoon, which operation requires about 38 

 hours : it then turns to the pupa, and in about eight days more to the 

 perfect insect ; having been 21 days in existence, that is, from the 

 time the egg waa laid until the insect has attained its perfect state. 

 The numbers of workers in a well-stocked hive is about 15,000 or 

 20,000. The occupation of these bee* is to collect honey, pollen, and 

 propolis ; to build the combs, and to attend upon the young. 



fig. 3. a, the probocl of the Hlvc-Bee ; r, the tonpuc ; t, ilio hinder log 

 of the Worker-Bee ; rf, thr pnrt on which the |>llrn In carried. 



Honey in collected by mean* of the proboscis. To a con mini 

 observer this instrument appears to be a single tulic, through which 

 it i* thought the honey i* conveyed to the stomach by suction ; but if 



nine tin- probottcu through a leu* of v. r, wo 



ind that it is composed of five very distinct part*, a central stalk and 

 four lateral one*, two on each aide. The central part i* that which i* 

 irincipally used in collecting honey : thin part in not perforated, but 

 s a flat cartilaginous substance, and i* tued as a tongue in lapping up 

 the honey, which is then conveyed to the pharynx, and is afterward* 

 disgorged into the cells of the comb, part being used for the purpose 

 of feeding the young, and the remainder stored up for the winter'* 

 consumption. 



fallen is collected from the anthers of flowers, and i* carried on the 

 outer surface of the tibia;, or middle joint of the hinder leg : this part 

 of the leg is very broad ; on one side it is concave, and furnished with 

 i series of strong curved hairs on it* margin*, forming a natural 

 tmsket admirably adapted to the purpose for which it is used. Thia 

 substance mixed with honey forma the food of the lame, for which 

 purpose alone it is collected. 



In many instances it is only by the bee* travelling (mm flower to 

 lower that the pollen or farina is carried from the male to the 

 female flowers, without which they would not fructify. One specie* 

 of bee would not be sufficient to fructify all the various sort* of 

 11. >wrrs, were the bees of that species ever so numerous, for it requires 

 species of different sizes and different constructions. " M. Sprengel 

 found, that not only are insects indispensable in fructifying dit! 

 nicies of Irin, but that some of them, as 7. .Yi;>Aiuin, require the 

 agency of the larger humble bees, which alone are strong enough to 

 force their way beneath the stile flag ; and hence, a* these insect* are 

 not *o common as many others, this Ira i* often barren, or bear* 

 imperfect seeds." 



Propolit is a resinous unctuous substance, of a reddish colour, and 

 is collected from the buds of trees : it is not only used in lining the 

 cells of a new comb, but it is sometimes kneaded with wax and used 

 in rebuilding weak parts. It i* also used in stopping all the crevice* 

 in the interior of a hive. The workers which arrive laden with this 

 substance are relieved of their burden by others ; these in their turn 

 distribute it among many, who employ it for the purposes above 



'tied. 



Nature has provided checks to prevent the too rapid increase of the 

 various species of insect*. Among those of the Hive-Bee, the hornet 

 and wasp, and two or three species of moths, commit great devasta- 

 tion. Wasps frequently take possession of a hive, and after destroy- 

 ing, or causing their weaker neighbours to desert the hive, consume 

 all the honey it contains, and sometimes even construct their own 

 nest* in the hive. Acheroniia, atropot, the Sphinx, or the Death's- 

 Head Hawk-Moth, which is almost as large as our common bat, 

 sometimes makes it* way into hives, and consumes much of the bees' 

 store*. This insect has the power of emitting a peculiar sound, not 

 unlike that of the queen-bee : this sound is supposed to have the 

 same effect (that of rendering the workers motionless) as that emitted 

 by the queen. 



To other moths commit great devastation in hives: these are 

 small species ((lalleria alrearin, <md (i. melonella the Honey-Mtli, 

 and the Honeycomb-Moth, which, in spite of the guards constantly 

 kept at the entrance of hives, gaiu admittance, and deposit their egg* 

 in the combs. The larvie hatched from these eggs form passages 

 through the comb in all directions, spinning a silken tube as they 

 proceed, which it appears is too strong for the bees to destroy, and of 

 course they cannot sting the larvae. These larva? generally oblige the 

 bees to desert the hive after a short time. 



In attending upon the young the labour of the workers appears to 

 be divided : a certain number always remain brooding over the cells 

 and feeding them, while others are employed in collecting honey. It 

 is these last that are the principal secreter* of wax, and are called 

 Wax-Workers : the former ore called Nurse-Bee*. 



The Queen-Bee is of a dark-brown colour : the head is thickly fur- 

 nished with yellow hairs, except on the forehead, where the hair is 

 nearly black ; on the vertex there are three small convex simple eyes, 

 or stemmato. The antenna; are yellow beneath and brown abo\ . 

 composed of twelve joints, the baail joint is more than one-third of 

 the whole length, the remaining joints are bent forwards, and at an 

 angle with the first. The thorax is covered with pale-brown hairs. 

 The abdomen is the shape of an elongated cone, and nearly smooth,. 

 exhiliitinn ix distinct segment* above : the under side of the li.i.ly 

 and (hi- base of each segment above are of a paler colour than the 

 .ing parts. The legs are of a brownish yellow : the femora and 

 tibia? of the anterior legs and the base of the femora of the po 

 legs are brown. All the claws of the tarsi are divided, the inner divi- 

 sion be! horter than the outer one. The wings are shm 

 -mall iii proportion, scarcely reaching more than half the length of 

 the abdoiiK-n. 



This sex is furnixlicd with a bent sting ; in the neuter the sting in 

 straight ; the male has no sting. The Queen-Bee resembles the wi .rker 

 in the shape of (lie liond and thorax; but the great length of the 

 alidoim'ii nnd the paler colour of the leg* and antenna; are it . hi. f 

 dirftinjf'iiiOiini.' ehiiraet eristic*. There is but one queen in n hive. \\h,, 

 I ith the greatest attention by all the other bees. It mi^ht 

 be wondered how they can distinguish the queen from any other bee, 

 the interior of the hive being quite dark : in this the antenna are 

 their *ole guide, for if the workers be prevented touching her occa- 



