102 THE bee-keeper's GUIDE; 



females perform all, or most, of the labor in caring for the 

 young-. The life of the imago also varies much as to duration. 

 Some images live but for a day, others make merry for several 

 days, while a few species live for months. Very few imagos 

 survive the whole year. The queen-bee may live for five years, 

 and Ivubbock has queen-ants which are fifteen or more years 

 old. 



INCOMPI.ETE TRANSFORMATION. 



Some insects like the bugs, lice, grasshoppers, and locusts, 

 are quite alike at all stages of growth, after leaving the egg. 

 The only apparent difi^erence is the smaller size and the absence 

 or incomplete development of the wings in the larvae and pupae. 

 The larva and pupa are known as nymphs. The habits and 

 structure from first to last seem to be much the same. Here, 

 as before, the full development of the sex-crgans occurs only 

 in the imago. 



ANATOMY AND PHYSIOI^OGY OF THE 

 HONEY-BEE. 



With a knowledge of the anatomy and some glimpses of 

 the physiology of insects in general, we shall now find it easy 

 to learn the special anatomy and physiology of the highest 

 insects of the order. 



THREE KINDS OF BEES IN EACH FAMILY. 



As we have already seen, a very remarkable feature in the 

 economy of the honey-bee, described even by Aristotle, which 

 is true of some other bees, and of ants, is the presence in each 

 family of three distinct kinds, which differ in form, color, 

 structure, size, habits and function. Thus, we have the queen 

 (Lubbock has shown that there are several queens in an ant 

 colony), a number of drones, and a far greater number of 

 workers. Huber, Bevan, Munn, and Kirby, also speak of a 

 fourth kind, blacker than the usual workers. These are 

 accidental, and are, as conclusively shown by Baron von Ber- 

 lepsch, ordinary workers, more deeply colored by age, loss of 

 hair, dampness, or some other atmospheric condition. Ameri- 

 can apiarists are too familiar with these black bees, for after 

 our severe winters they prevail in the colony, and, as remarked 



