GROWTH AND FEEDING OF HONEYBEE LARVAE. 



29 



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obtained in the observations are presented in Tables 5 to 7 and in 

 Figures 12 and 13. 



NUMBER OF VISITS. 



Observations were made for each group of larvae to determine the 

 actual number of visits of nurse bees to the eggs and larvae under 

 observation, each egg or larva being watched individually for a 

 10-minute period, as previously stated. The data given in Tables 5 

 to 7 show the details of these observations. The average number of 

 visits for a 10-minute period to the egg and to larvae of ages from 1 day 

 to 5 days were, respectively, as follows: 5.93, 6.40, 5.79, 8.08, 14.47, 

 19.83 (Table 6 and fig. 12) . Of the visits listed as Inspection, Type A, 

 there is no great change in the number as the larvae increase in size 

 and age, the slight variations being probably without great sig- 

 nificance (Table 5). The number of visits listed as Inspection, Type 

 B$ increases as the larvae grow larger and older, while the number of 

 visits listed as nursing, in which the nurse bee stays in the cell at 

 least two seconds, show no great significant variation until the fourth 

 day of larval life, when there is a great increase in the number, fol- 

 lowed by still further 

 increase on the fifth day. 

 It is significant that 

 there is no marked de- 

 crease in the total num- 

 ber of visits on the sec- 

 ond day of larval life, 

 although, as will be dis- 

 cussed later, there is at 

 this time a decrease in 

 the amount of nursing. 



From the foregoing it 

 readily can be seen that 

 the egg and larva are under the almost constant observation of the 

 nurse bees, and that under such a system of visitations there is little 

 likelihood of any individual being overlooked for any considerable 

 length of time. 



TIME SPENT IN NURSING. 



Observations were also made for each age to determine the total 

 time spent by the nurse bees with the eggs and larvae under observa- 

 tion, each egg or larva being also watched for a 10-minute period. 

 The details are given in Table 5. The average time in seconds spent by 

 nurse bees for a 10-minute period with the eggs and larvae of ages from 

 1 to 5 days were, respectively, as follows: 6.5, 20.73, 5.93, 11.42, 41, 

 118.08 (Table 7 and fig. 13). It should be noted that the visks here 

 discussed are only those listed as nursing, and no account is here 

 taken of the shorter visits listed as inspection of the two types. 

 There is observed a decided increase in the amount of time spent in 

 nursing as the larvae grow in size and age, the outstanding exception 

 being for larvae 2 days of age, which will be discussed later. The 

 total time spent in feeding during the five days of larval life is 6.57 

 per cent of the whole time, while on the fifth day, when the larvae 

 are largest and require the most food for their development, the 























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Fig. 12. — Showing- the relation of the number of vis- 

 its made in nursing honeybee larvae per 10-minute 

 period to age. (Table 6.) 



