THE INHABITANTS OF THE HIVE.—Chapter VII. 
Four stages in the development of 
the honeybee: a, egg; b, young 
larva; c, old larva; d, pupa. 
part in the food that is fed to the larvae, 
but is not much used as food for mature 
bees and especially during the inactive 
winter months (see page 47). The prop- 
olis which the workers gather is selected 
from resinous buds, gummy substances 
and the like, and is used as a varnish and 
glue for cementing things within the hive 
and filling the cracks or uneven surfaces. 
The life of the worker bee ordinarily is a 
brief one: Bees that emerge in the late 
summer or early fall may live for six 
months during the winter season when 
they are not fatigued by work; but the 
worker bees emerging in the spring and 
early summer, that do the hard work of 
the busy honey and bee-rearing season, 
seldom live more than fifty or sixty days. 
They do not die from old age, but literally work themselves to death, often 
completely wearing out their wings, or are killed by accident or by enemies 
in the open field. 
Stages in Development of the Bees. 
The beginner will do well to learn accurately the following table giving 
the time consumed in the different stages of development of the queen, 
drone and worker bees: 
Queen Drone Worker 
(days) (days) (days) 
Dees 3 3 
izes BY 6% 514 to 6 
wees TH 14% 12 to12% 
ieee 16 24 21 
Queens fly to mate five to ten days after maturity; drones fly from 
one to two weeks after maturity; workers fly as field bees in about two 
weeks after maturity. 
41 
