76 STUDIES IN INSECT LIFE, ETC. 



While the larvae were busy weaving their 

 papery coverings the queen has been busy laying 

 further batches of eggs in little waxen cells, 

 which she fixes to the outer edge of the mass of 

 cocoons. Every two or three days a batch is 

 laid until the central block of cocoons is wreathed 

 about with waxen cells containing six to twelve 

 or more eggs and larvae in all stages of develop- 

 ment. These cells lie on the outer edge of the 

 cocoons and in no way interfere with the emer- 

 gence of the imagos. By the time the first workers 

 have emerged from the primary batch of eggs 

 the larvae of the second batch are approaching 

 that stage of their development when most atten- 

 tion is needed and thus little time is wasted. 

 The worker among the honey-bees does not begin 

 the task of gathering food until she is about two 

 weeks old, though in the meantime she has been 

 employed on certain domesticities within the 

 hive. The worker humble-bee, however, begins 

 to fly and to bring back honey and pollen by the 

 time she is two days old ! The former collects 

 either nectar or pollen, but not both, on any 

 one journey, and the pollen is usually uniform, 

 i.e., from one species of flower, but the humble- 

 bee brings back both nectar and pollen, and the 



