248 INSECTS. 



other Hymenopterous insects, by the absence of spurs at 

 the end of the hind tibiae. In the neuters the pollen- 

 bearing hind tarsus has a peculiar and beautiful arrange- 

 ment of the hairs, which form a series of regular trans- 

 verse lines across the limb. The pollen-brush on the 

 legs is entirely wanting in the Queen Bee a circum- 

 stance which occurs in no other female of pollen- 

 collecting genera. 



As there is but one queen in a hive, it would be a 

 mischievous act to capture her, even if by rare chance 

 we should meet with her. It may therefore be useful to 

 the young student to know that specimens of the female 

 Hive Bee are to be found in June and July lying dead 

 near the mouths of the hives, being the young queens 

 sacrificed to that rule in the Bee monarchy which 

 suffers no rival near the throne. 



The substances or materials collected or produced by 

 Bees are four in number honey, bee-bread, wax, and 

 propolis. Of the first of these it is needless to say much : 

 the Bee collects it in a pure state from flowers, swallows 

 it, carries it home in the honey-bag a sort of first 

 stomach, somewhat resembling that of cud-chewing 

 quadrupeds and then disgorging the greater part, either 

 imparts it to other Bees in need of food, or stores it in 

 the cells for future use. 



The Bee-bread, or pollen-paste, is used chiefly in feed- 

 ing the larvse, and is composed of the pollen or dust of 

 flowers, which has undergone the process of partial 

 digestion by the worker. As with the honey, all which is 

 not immediately wanted is laid up in store. 



Wax, the third and most valuable material, is a secre- 

 tion of the Bee itself, in .whose body a little living 

 laboratory part of its constituents are extracted from 



