AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



19 



grasped a bee by its waist and abdomen, 

 and pulled until the parts were separ- 

 ated, and then was revealed the little 

 honey-sac, which had disengaged itself 

 from the abdomen. This contained a 

 light purple or wine-colored liquid. The 

 size of this honey-sac, as nearly as I can 

 recollect now, was a good big eighth of 

 an inch ; and I should remark that the 

 bee had all that it could contain in its 

 little pocket. Cheshire says that, when 

 the honey-sac is full, it is 1/1 of an inch 

 in diameter. This would agree with my 

 observations. 



STOMACH-MOUTH. 



The next thing that engages our 

 attention is a sort of valve, which has 

 been called the stomach-mouth, and is 

 located between the honey-stomach and 

 the true stomach; viz., at H. This is 

 one of the most interesting of organs ; 

 and I suppose that no part of the 

 internal anatomy of the bee has been 

 studied more, theorized about, dissected, 

 and examined, than this delicate and 

 beautiful little valve. At H its true 

 structure does not appear. It has been 

 likened in appearance to a bud just 

 about to open. It is a sort of valve, 

 fringed on the inside with rows of 

 bristles, or hairs, the object of which 

 seems to be to separate the pollen grains 

 from the nectar, the former passing into 

 the stomach L. 



TRUE STOMACH. 



This corresponds to the stomach in 

 our own bodies, and performs the same 

 function in the way of digestion in con- 

 verting the nutrient particles of the food 

 into blood. The inside walls of the 

 stomach have certain cells which per- 

 form certain offices ; but without more 

 definite engravings it will be impossible 

 to describe them in detail. 



The next organ is the small intestine, 

 or, as is sometimes called, the "ilion." 

 In the human body th§ small intestines 

 are much more elaborate. It is in this 

 that the food, after its digestion, passes, 

 and where, by absorption, the nutrient 

 particles not already absorbed pass into 

 the blood, and so on throughout the 

 system. 



You will notice, also, at L, some small 

 radiating filaments. These are called 

 the malphygian tubes. It is not certain 

 what their office is, but it is thought that 

 these are the urinary organs. 



At the end of the small intestine, K, 

 you will notice an enlargement, M. This 

 is what is called the colon. Although 

 the appearance of the colon in the bee is 

 different from that in the human body. 



yet its functions are very much the 

 same ; and if allowed to become dammed 

 up by excreta (that is, by retention 

 during Winter) it is liable to cause 

 disease in the bee, jnst the same as in 

 the human body. On page 112 Mr. 

 Cowan says : 



*' From the colon, what remains of the 

 undigested food is expelled by the anal 

 opening (frontispiece, o). For this 

 purpose strong muscles exist, by which 

 the colon is compressed, and the excreta 

 ejected. 



" The quantity of the excreta voided, 

 usually of a dark brown color, is regu- 

 lated by the nature of the food ; bad 

 honey, an improper substitute for honey 

 (such as glucose) producing a larger 

 amount, while good honey and good 

 syrup produce less, a larger proportion 

 of it being digested and absorbed. 



" It is, therefore, important that bees 

 should have good food, as, in a healthy 

 condition, workers never void their feces 

 in the hive, but on the wing. In the 

 Winter it is retained until voided on 

 their first flight." 



So you see, then, that bad food makes 

 mischief, just the same as it does in the 

 human body, and it is in this that the 

 overplus of feces is stored during the 

 Winter. 



HOW THE BEE EMPTIES ITS HONEY-SAC. 



After the nectar is gathered, it is then 

 transferred from the tongue to the 

 esophagus, and thence to the honey- 

 stomach, Gr. It has been shown repeat- 

 edly by experiment that there are a 

 great many more pollen grains in the 

 nectar than in honey ; hence the little 

 stomach-mouth, H, comes into play in 

 separating the grains from the nectar. 



On arrival at the hive, the bee regur- 

 gitates — that is, expels the contents of 

 the honey-sac into the cell ; but during 

 its stay in the honey-sac the nectar has 

 undergone a change ; that is, it has been 

 converted, says Mr. Cowan, from the 

 cane sugar of nectar into the grape 

 sugar of honey, by the agency of a 

 certain gland. 



But the bee may not regurgitate the 

 honey, for it may pass directly into the 

 chyle-stomach. We see, therefore, that, 

 when a swarm issues, the bees, after 

 filling their honey-sacs to their full 

 capacity (a very small drop), can carry 

 with them a supply of food to last them 

 for several days ; and, even while on the 

 wing, through that little stomach-mouth, 

 H, they may take nourishment. So 

 much for the alimentary canal, its office 

 in digestion, and the honey-stomach. 



