ZOOLOGY 



The introduced, semi-domesticated honey-bees have 

 quite a different social economy. In the first place, the 

 nest is perennial ; consequently the young and old queens 

 cannot remain in the same hive, else the nest would 

 become overcrowded by the presence of too many families. 

 As } 7 oung queens mature, the old queen seeks to destroy 



them ; but she is usually 

 forced out of the hive 

 by the workers, a num- 

 ber of which accompany 

 her. This migration is 

 what we call "swarm- 

 ing." l When several 

 young queens mature at 

 the same time, duels or 

 repeated swarmings en- 

 sue until only one queen 

 remains. When a new 

 colony is started in a 

 hive or hollow tree, a 

 comb is formed of wax 

 secreted by the worker 

 bees, and into this the 

 queen deposits eggs des- 

 tined to develop into 



workers. Still later, eggs destined to form drones are laid in 

 cells larger than those in which workers develop. The de- 

 veloping young workers and drones are fed with honey and 

 bee-bread. Honey is derived from the nectar of flowers, 

 which is lapped up by the workers, is stored for a time in the 

 crop, where it undergoes certain transformations, and is then 



1 Fig. 31a. 



FIG. 'Ma. Swarm of bees. Photo, by 

 D. and S. 



