20 FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 



begun at the uppermost part of the hive, and extend per* 

 pendicularly downwards, so that the cells lie horizontally. 

 After they have been used as the depositories of the young 

 brood, they are cleaned out, and made the receptacles of 

 the honey, and of the bee-bread ; and, when emptied of 

 these, in the course of the ensuing Winter, ate again used 

 the next season for bringing forth new broods of Bees. 



The cells for the young brood ot Queens are placed in 

 the uppermost part of the hive, and hang perpendicularly. 



The young brood of Larvae, or Worms, which form the 

 future Workers, and Drones, are fed in their ceils, by the 

 Workers of the hive, with pollen or the farina of flowers, 

 \vhich they gather and bring home in yellow masses at- 

 tached to them on each side; and of this the bee-bread 

 is also composed. The food of the Worms intended for 

 Queens is different from this, being a kind of paste or jelly, 

 of a pungent taste. 



The eggs for ail the three kinds of Bees are hatched in 

 three days. A Worker then remains five days in the ver- 

 micular state; a Male, six and a half; and a Queen, five. 

 The Worker's Worm occupies thirty -six hours in spining 

 its silken envelope or coccoon ; in three days it changes to 

 a Nymph ; and oniy on the twentieth day of its existence 

 does it become a perfect winged animal. The Drones are 

 still longer in attaining this last metamorphosis, which 

 takes place in twenty-four days after the eggs for them are 

 laid. The Queen comes to perfection in sixteen days. 



The coccoon of the Workers, and Drones, covers them 

 entirely; that of the Queens covers only the head, thorax, 

 and the first ring of the belly, leaving the most vulnerable 

 part open to the attack of its Rival, which may soonest ac- 

 quire a perfect state of existence, and be let out, by the 

 Workers which guard her, from her cell. But, where a 

 Queen is formed from the brood of the Workers, she is 

 enveloped entirely in the 'coccoon, it being then indispensa- 

 bly necessary that, while in this state, she should be secure 

 from ail attacks. 



The rearing of a new Queen happens when the reigning 

 one is lost, and no other is to be found in the cells of the 

 Queens to be brought forth. As soon as this discovery is 

 made, the hive becomes a scene of tumult and disorder; 

 and destruction seems to be anticipated by the Bees, by the 

 precautions they take to guard against a disaster of this 

 kind. Should there be no eggs or brood in the combs of 

 the Workers, the Swarm must perish ; their instinctive 

 faculties then seem to be lost; they cease to collect honey 

 and prepare wax, and soon disappear. But, if there be 

 ferccd in the combs, their usual labors are continued, 



