346 



THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



called. They have no stings, and although they live on honey, 

 they do not bring any home. After the time for swarming is 

 past, they are all put to death by the other bees, and then no 

 more drones appear until the following spring. 



The smaller and more slender-bodied bees are the workers, or 

 neuters, as they are often called. These are the labourers of the 

 hive, whose business it is to collect honey, make wax, construct cells, 



I, Queen Bee. 2, Male Bee or Drone. 3, Worker Bee. 4, a, Grub; b, Pupa. 



take care of the eggs, and nurse and feed the grubs. As there 

 are always a very great number of these in the hive, they are kept 

 hard at work all through their lives. 



Besides the drones and the workers, there is a third kind of 

 bee in the hive, and that is the queen. Her body is rather longer 

 than that of a worker, but her wings are rather smaller. If we 

 watch the bees in the hive we may know her at once by the great 

 respect which is paid to her by all the other bees. Some of them 

 always surround and take care of her. They follow her wherever 

 she goes, and keep an open space for her to walk in. So anxious 

 are they to honour her, indeed, that they never turn their backs 

 upon her, but walk before her backwards, just as a courtier does 

 before a real queen. 



The great business of the queen is to lay eggs. She does not 



