MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 77 



and the size, form and habits are all wondrously changed. 

 That the development of parts should be accelerated, and the 

 size increased is not so surprising — as in breeding other 

 insects I have frequently found that kind and amount of food, 

 would hasten or retard growth, and might even cause a 

 dwarfed imago — but that it should so essentially modify the 

 structure, is certainly a rare and unique circumstance, hardly 

 to be found except here and in related animals. Bevan has 

 suggested that fertile workers, while larvae, have received 

 some of this royal jelly, from their position near a developing 

 queen. Langstroth supposes that they receive some royal 

 jelly, purposely given by the workers, and I had previously 

 thought this reasonable, and probably true. But these pests 

 of the apiarist, and especially of the breeder, almost always, 

 so far as I have observed, make their appearance in colonies 

 long queenless, and: I have noticed a case similar to that given 

 by Quinby, where these occurred in a nucleus where no queen 

 had been developed. May it not be true, that a desire for 

 eggs stimulates growth of the ovaries, growth of eggs in the 

 ovarian tubes, and consequent ability to deposit. The common 

 high-holder, Colaptes auratus — a bird belonging to the wood- 

 pecker family, usually lays five eggs, and only five ; but let 

 cruel hands rob her of these promises of future loved ones— 

 and wondrous to relate, she continues to lay more than a 

 score. One thus treated, here on the College campus, actually 

 laid more than thirty eggs. So we see that animal desires 

 may influence and move organs that are generally independent 

 of the will. 



The larval queen is longer and more rapid of development 

 than the other larvse. When developed from the egg — as in 

 case of normal swarming — the larva feeds for five days, when 

 the cell is capped by the workers. The infant queen 

 then spins her cocoon, which occupies about one day. The 

 end of the cocoon is left open. Some one has suggested that 

 this is an act of thoughtful generosity on the part of, the 

 queen larva, thus to render her own destruction more easy, 

 should the welfare of the colony demand it, as now a sister 

 queen may safely give the fatal sting. The queen now spends 

 nearly three days in absolute repose. Such rest is common 

 to all cocoon-spinning larvae. The spinning, which is done by 



