LIFE-HISTORY OF BOMBUS 51 



four systems are known to exist in the worker 

 honey-bee. 



The queen larvae take longer to attain their full 

 size than either the worker or the male larvae. In a 

 cluster of cocoons containing both males and queens 

 the queens are on top and the males at the sides. 



On an average, taking one nest with another, it 

 may be estimated that nearly twice as many males 

 as queens are produced. The total number of males 

 and queens reared varies from 100 to 500, according 

 to the staff of workers. 



In a lapidarms nest a strange scene may be 

 witnessed at the laying of the male and queen eggs. 

 The workers, hitherto so amiable, are suddenly seized 

 with anger and jealousy, for as soon as the queen 

 has closed the cell and turned away, one or two of 

 them hurriedly commence to bite it open, their wings 

 quivering with excitement. The queen, however, 

 seems to have expected this behaviour, and, quickly 

 returning to the cell, throws down the conspirators, 

 repairs the cell, and again departs. But directly her 

 back is turned a worker again attacks the cell, and 

 again the queen beats it off. And so continues a 

 game of attack and defence for five or six hours, 

 sometimes one worker, sometimes another, being 

 the offender. At last the workers leave the cell 

 unmolested. That their object is to destroy the 

 eggs is proved by the fact that when sometimes a 

 worker succeeds in reaching the eggs I have seen it 

 seize one and devour it with much relish. In this 

 way many eggs must be destroyed. I have also 



