180 PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSACTIONS. [anNO 1792- 



is even larger than the queen, though not so long when she is in her full state 

 with eggs ; he is considerably thicker than either, but not longer in the same 

 proportion : he does not terminate at the anus in so sharp a point ; and the 

 opening between the last 2 scales of the back and belly is larger, and more 

 under the belly, than in the female. His proboscis is much shorter than that 

 of the labouring bee, which makes me suspect he does not collect his own honey, 

 but takes that which is brought home by the others ; especially as we never find 

 the males abroad on flowers, &c. only flying about the hives in hot weather, as 

 if taking an airing ; and when we find that the male of the humble bee, which 

 collects its own food, has as long a proboscis, or tongue, as the female, I think 

 it is from all these facts reasonable to suppose that the male of the common bee 

 feeds at home. He has no sting. 



The males I believe are later in being bred than the labouring bee. As they 

 are only produced to go oft' with a hive, they are not so early brougiit forth ; 

 for in the month of April I killed a hive, in which I found maggots and chry- 

 salises, but did not find any males among the latter : the maggots are too young 

 for such investigation ; but about the 20th of May we observed males : they are 

 all very much of the same size. In the month of August, probably about the 

 latter end, we may suppose they impregnate the queen for the next year, and 

 about the latter end of the same month, and beginning of September, they are 

 dying, but seem to be hastened to their end by the labourers. In 179I, as early 

 as the 19th of June, I saw the labourers killing the males of a hive, or rather 

 of a swarm, that had not yet swarmed, but was hanging out ; this however was 

 out of the common course. They appear to be sensible of their fate, for they 

 hurry in and out of the hive as quick as possible, seemingly with a view to avoid 

 the labourers ; and we find them attacked by the labourers, who pinch them with 

 their forceps, and when they are so hurt, and fatigued with attempts to make 

 their escape, as not to be able to fly, they are thrown over on the ground, and 

 left to die. That this is the fate of every male bee is easily ascertained, by 

 examining every bee in the hive when killed for the honey, which is after this 

 season ; no male being then found in it. Bonnet supposes them starved to 

 death, as he never saw wounds on them. In the course of a winter I have 

 killed several hives, some as late as April, and in such a way as to preserve every 

 bee, and after examining every one entirely, I never perceived one male of any 

 kind ; though it has been asserted that there are 2 sizes of males, and that the 

 small are preserved through the winter to impregnate the queen. 



Of the labouring bee. — This class, for we cannot call it either sex, or species, 

 is the largest in number of the whole community : there are th(3usands of them 

 to 1 queen, and probably some hundreds to each male, as we shall see by and 

 bye. It is to be supposed they are the only bees which construct the whole hive. 



