DIFFERENT WORKS. 167 



feeding the young, and protecting the hive from 

 the entrance of enemies. 



A bee's life passes through four stages. First 

 the egg, then the larva, or caterpillar, then the 

 pupa, or chrysalis, and lastly the imago, or perfect 

 insect, namely, the bee. 



The life and strength of the colony depends 

 on the mother bee. If the mother bee, after 

 having laid a few eggs, is killed, or gets driven 

 away, the workers search for her everywhere, and 

 if after a time they cannot find her, they give up 

 their search and take steps to produce another 

 queen in her place. 



This they do by preparing an extra rich food, 

 called " royal jelly," and feeding some of the 

 larvae upon it. In some mysterious manner this 

 "royal jelly" converts the larvae, which would 

 otherwise turn into workers, into a queen bee, 

 and then the colony, knowing that their future is 

 safe, cease from their agitation and each depart- 

 ment of the community settles to its own work. 



A queen will live four or five years, but each 

 year she lays fewer eggs. Therefore it is of the 

 utmost importance that the queen should be 

 young and healthy. 



Keepers of bees require a quiet bee to handle, 



a busy bee that will collect and make the largest 



and purest quantity of honey, a bee that will 



make good combs and take readily to its hive ? 



