406 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 





A NEW HOUSING PROGRAM GETS 



Without veils or gloves, these Chinese coolies are capturing a black mass 

 of bees clinging to the foot of a tree on the hillside. They trust the good- 

 natured swarmers, which are gorged on honey consumed before leaving 

 their old home. The swarm is smaller than those that issue from well- 

 cared-for colonies. 



first three days worker and drone larvse are 

 fed royal jelly, a milky white secretion from 

 the glands in the heads of worker bees 

 (Plate III). After the third day a coarser 

 food, such as nectar and pollen, is given 

 them. The queen larvae, however, are fed 

 royal jelly exclusively throughout the larval 

 stage, which lasts five and a half days. 



The difference in diet during the two 

 and a half days, therefore, determines 

 whether the larva will develop into a bee 

 that cannot reproduce but possesses all 

 other maternal instincts, or one that has 

 the function of reproduction but lacks all 

 maternal instincts, for the queen becomes 



virtually an egg-laying 

 machine. 



There is no evidence 

 that she has anything 

 to do with the regula- 

 tion of the colony. 

 She gives no attention 

 whatsoever to the rais- 

 ing of her young. She 

 does not help feed 

 them, nor does she 

 gather stores, or take 

 part in the defense of 

 her family. These 

 duties fall exclusively 

 to the lot of worker 

 bees. 



From the endless 

 flight of bees at the en- 

 trance of the hive, it 

 would appear that 

 most of the energy of 

 the colony is consumed 

 in the rather hazardous 

 task of gathering nec- 

 tar, pollen, and water 

 (Plate IV). However, 

 the work done by the 

 corps of young bees ap- 

 proximates that of the 

 field bees, since every 

 conceivable task within 

 the hive must be per- 

 formed by the bees not 

 yet old enough to fly. 

 The hum of industry 

 within the hive con- 

 tinues throughout the 

 24 hours. Before the 

 queen lays, each cell 

 which is to receive an 

 egg must be cleaned 

 and polished until it 

 shines. Since she lays 1,500 eggs a day, 

 and it requires three days for the egg to 

 hatch, there may be as many as 4,500 eggs 

 in the hive to be cared for at one time. The 

 number varies with the season. 



Upon hatching, the young bee is a foot- 

 less and blind larva and as such goes 

 through an intensive feeding period of six 

 days (Plate II). Thus the nurse bees are 

 taking care of six different sets of larvae, 

 each age group requiring special care and 

 food. Within six days a larva will increase 

 in weight as much as 1,500 times and there- 

 fore it requires constant feeding. After the 

 sixth day the larva is given no more food; 



Photograph by J. C. Carter 

 UNDER WAY 



