138 INSECTS HYMENOPTERA DIAGRAM 6. 



of flowers, it is better in proportion as the flowers in tlie 

 neighbourhood of the hive are more odoriferous ; whence it follows 

 that there are different qualities of honey. 



Part of the cells are destined to contain honey for the winter, 

 and part to contain the eggs, and rear the young larvae. When 

 the queen is laying, she deposits an egg in each cell. She is 

 always followed by several workers, who see that all goes right. 

 If the queen has accidentally left two eggs in the same cell, the 

 workers take one out, and place it in an adjoining empty cell. 

 After the eggs are laid, the workers never cease to tend first the 

 eggs, and then the larvae, which form what is called the brood. 



The larva grows and changes its skin several times within the 

 space of six or seven days ; when it ceases to eat, and is about to 

 undergo its first metamorphosis, the workers close the opening of 

 the cell with a wax covering, which the young bee gnaws its way 

 through when it has reached the perfect state. 



When a new generation of bees is thus born, there is no 

 longer room enough in the hive ; but the young ones still remain 

 there as long as there is no new queen. But as soon as a new 

 queen has emerged from the pupa, all the new generation goes 

 with her to look for a dwelling elsewhere ; and this forms what 

 is called a swarm. All the bees of the swarm fly together, and 

 afterwards assemble in a compact mass on some tree in the 

 neighbourhood. They can then be taken all together, and put 

 into a hive, where they soon begin to work, and make combs in 

 their turn. 



In order to collect the honey and wax, the bees are driven away 

 or stupified. Then the combs are removed. In some countries, 

 where the bees' wax is very fine, it is eaten with the honey ; in 

 other countries, the honey and wax are collected separately, by 

 melting the latter. Wax thus obtained is yellow, and it is 

 whitened by different methods, and is then called virgin-wax in 

 commerce. Bees' wax is not used in the manufacture of sealing- 

 wax, which is made of vegetable resins. 



Wasps and Humble-lees also make combs of more or less 



