* THE HIVE BEE. 263 



Attention to the queen bee and her offspring. 



during the winter they always cover with a lid or 

 thin plate of wax. 



Numerous as the bees in one swarm appear, 

 they all originate from a single parent. It is in- 

 deed surprising, that one small insect should in a 

 few months give birth to so many young; but, 

 Reaumur declares, that, on opening her body at 

 a certain time of the year, eggs to the number 

 of manv thousands are to be found contained in 



** 



it; he found no less that five thousand eggs at 

 one time. 



The queen bee is easily distinguished from the 

 rest by the size and shape of her body. On her 

 depends the welfare of the whole community; 

 and, by the attention that is paid to all her move- 

 ments, it is evident how much they depend on 

 her security. She is seen at times with a nume- 

 rous retinue, marching from cell, to cell, plung* 

 ing the extremity of her body into each of them, 

 and leaving in each an egg. A day or two after 

 this is deposited, the grub is excluded from the 

 shell, having the shape of a maggot rolled up in 

 a ring, and lying softly on a bed of whitish-co- 

 loured jelly, on which it begins to feed. The 

 common bees then attend with astonishing ten- 

 derness and anxiety: they furnish it with food, 

 and watch over it with unremitting assiduity. In 

 about six days the grub arrives at its full growth, 

 when its affectionate attendants shut up the 

 mouth of its apartment with wax, to secure it 

 from injury. Thus inclosed, it soon begins to 



