SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 9 



depositing food around it, and on the sixth day after the egg hatches the cell 

 is capped over, and soon the larva uncoils itself and eats up all its food, 

 then begins to spin its cocoon about as other insects do. In about 24 hours 

 this task is performed, and lit is incased in its silken home. Theri it var- 

 nishes it, and turns its head toward the capped end of the cell. Now the 

 larV'a is in its pupal state, during yvhich time the legs, wings, etc., are 

 formed and colored ; then in about six days the pupal skin will become loose, 

 and be cast to the bottom of the cell, and then the worker-bee is developed 

 and begins to move about in the cell, and soon acquires strength enough to 

 gnaw its way out. In about 21 daj'S from the time the queen deposits the egg 

 the worker emerges from the cell; and as soon as it does, by the use of 

 its legs it frees itself of the particles of pupal skin, which may be yet cling- 

 ing to it; and during the time it is moving about on the comb it thrusts 

 its head down into the cells, eating, and feeding the young larvae. Thus 

 it goes from cell to cell, giving nourishment to the younger, for about eight 

 or ten days ; then it changes from a nurse-bee to a field-bee ; and if there is 

 any pollen or honey in the field it will wear its life out in a few days. Honey- 

 gathering is perhaps the highest work a worker-bee aspires to ; and when it 

 begins this work its energies are excited beyond its physical power to save 

 as much honey as possible to tide them over in the future. In a few days 

 it may be found dead in a blossom or under a tree where it was gathering 

 honey or pollen, or in the forest or field over which it was flying, or on 

 the ground in front of its hive in which it died, or give away under its 

 heavy load of work, and it is dragged out by its sisters and dropped on 

 the ground to die ; or it may be overtaken by some of its enemies and killed. 



The average life of a worker-bee is estimated at 60 days from the time it 

 hatches from the egg. If it is raised late. in the fall, or during winter, it will 

 live longer, or over the winter, perhaps. But if it is raised during the honey- 

 flow, or the bees' busy season, it will live less than 60 days. 



The worker-bee is an imperfect bee because its sisters change its diet 

 when it is about three days old, and give it such food as will not develop 

 it to a perfect bee. 



We will next consider the drone, which is the largest bee in the hive, 

 and possesses no sting. It is known everywhere and by nearly every person 

 as an idler, loafer, or a lazy bee. But he is the male bee, and by no means 

 a worthless one, but the only purpose of his existence is to fertilize th« 

 queen; and in performing this act he imparts his life to the queen and 

 instantly dies, so it is said. 



The drones are raised in larger cells than the workers. They can be 

 easily detected by examining the comb of a colony of bees, for the cells are 

 much larger. The comb containing these large cells is called drone comb. 

 The drone is raised about as the workers are ; but he is in the cell about three 

 or. four days longer, or about 24 days from the time the queen deposits the 

 egg in the cell; and, as previously explained, the egg that produces a drone 

 is an unfertilized one ; consequently the drone has only one parent— a .mother 

 — but no father. 



