186 HOW TO KEEP BEES 



locomotion. Thus, on each fore leg there is an 

 organ for cleaning the antennae. The antenna 

 cleaner consists of a circular notch near the base of 

 the metatarsus, which is furnished with teeth like a 

 comb (Plate VII, F, a), and a spur projecting back 

 from the tibia in such a way as to close this notch 

 when the leg is bent. The antenna to be cleaned is 

 drawn through this notch and thus the dirt is 

 combed from it. 



On the middle legs there is a strong spur at the 

 distal end of the tibia which is used in loosing the 

 pellets of pollen brought to the hive on the hind legs. 



The third pair of legs are furnished with three 

 organs which deserve mention here. First : the wax 

 pincers. Both the tibia and the metatarsus are wide; 

 the joint uniting them is at one edge, hence by alter- 

 nately bending and straightening the leg at this 

 joint, the space between the two segments (Plate VII, 

 B, wp) is opened and shut like pincers. This organ 

 is used to loosen from the abdomen the scales of 

 wax. Second : the pollen-combs. These are several 

 comb-like series of spines, borne on the inner surface 

 of the metatarsus (Plate VII, B, pc). When a bee 

 visits a flower the pollen is gathered by the tongue and 

 fore legs and some of it becomes entangled among the 

 hairs on the thorax. It is then combed from these 

 parts by means of the pollen-combs and transferred 

 to the pollen-baskets. Third : the pollen-basket. 

 There is a pollen-basket on the outer surface of the 

 tibia of each hind leg. It consists of a fringe of 

 hairs, surrounding a smooth, concave area which 



