LESSON LI 

 INSECTS 



Honey and silk. Of the thousands of species of 

 insects, only the bees and silkworms have been domes- 

 ticated for man's use. Bees are raised for the honey 

 and wax that they produce ; and silkworms, for the 

 silk fibers that are woven into beautiful cloth. 



The silkworm lives on the leaves of the mulberry 

 tree, and silkworm farming is carried on in regions 

 where these trees grow. The silkworm moth lays 

 eggs in the summer or fall, which hatch the following 

 spring. The worms are fed on mulberry leaves until 

 they spin the cocoons from which we get the silk fibers. 



Bee culture is one of the most interesting kinds of 

 farming. It is said that more books have been written 

 about bee keeping than about any other branch of 

 farming. Bees are social insects that live together in 

 swarms. Each hive or swarm consists of a queen bee 

 which is the head of the swarm, the workers or bees 

 that gather the honey, and the drones that do not 

 gather honey. The queen bee lays the eggs in cells 

 made of wax by the workers. In other cells of wax 

 the workers store up honey which is made from the 

 nectar of flowers. The hives now used are made of 



229 



