68 THE BEE keeper's MANUAL. 



of the hive, and that some of these are afterwards enlarged 

 and changed into royal cells by the workers. Such is the 

 instinctive hatred of the queen to her own kind, that it does 

 not seem to me probable, that she is intrusted with even 

 the initiatory steps for securing a race of successors. That 

 the eggs from which the young queens are produced, are of 

 the same kind with those producing workers, has been 

 repeatedly demonstrated. On examining the queen cells 

 while they are in progress, one of the first things which ex- 

 cites our notice, is the very unusual amount of attention 

 bestowed upon them by the workers. There is scarcely a 

 second in which a bee is not peeping into them, and just as 

 fast as one. is satisfied, another pops its head in, to examine 

 if not to report, progress. The importance of their inmates 

 to the bee-community, might easily be inferred from their 

 being the center of so much attraction. 



Royal Jelly. 



The young queens are supplied with a much larger quan- 

 tity of food than is allotted to the other larvae, so that they 

 seem almost to float in a thick bed of jelly,- and there is 

 usually a portion of it left unconsumed at the base of the 

 cells, after the insects have arrived at maturity. It is differ- 

 ent from the food of either drones or workers, and in ap- 

 pearance, resembles a light quince jelly, having a slightly 

 acid taste. 



I submitted a portion of the royal jelly for analysis, to 

 Dr. Charles M. Wethorill, of Philadelphia ; a very interest- 

 ing account of his examination may be found in the pro- 

 ceedings of the Phila. Academy of Nat. Sciences for July, 

 1853. _ He speaks of the substance as " truly a bread-con- 

 taining, albuminous compound." I hope in the course of 



