CONTENTS. 



PAET FIEST. 



THE NATURAL HISTORY OP BEES. 



CHAPTER I. 



PAGE 



The queen bee, 1 



Her shape and appearance, 1 



Mother and monarch, 2 



The age of qneens 2 



How long in heing hatched ? . . . 2 



The food of princesses, 3 



The fertilisation of queens, 4 



Where fertilisation takes place, 6 

 Sometimes lost on their mar- 



rlage-tonr, 6 



Egg-laying, 7 



How many eggslaiddaily? 8 



Theaezes of eggs, 8 



The ovaries of queens 9 



The eggs of virgin or unmated 



qneens, 10 



CHAPTER 11. 



Drones, 10 



How long in their cells ? 11 



Why so many? 11 



Their idleness 11 



Their sorrowful end, 12 



CHAPTER III. 



Working hees, 13 



Imperfect females, 13 



PAGE 



Possess five senses, 14 



Their industry, 14 



Their ingenuity, 16 



Their courage, 17 



How to tame and domesticate 



vicious bees, 18 



Have bees a language ? 19 



CHAPTER IV. 

 Ligurian or Italian bees, 20 



CHAPTER V. 

 Government of a hive, 21 



CHAPTER VI. 



Swarming, 22 



Preparations made for it, 23 



The signal and the rush, 24 



Piping, 25 



Second and third swarms, 26 



Royal battles, 27 



CHAPTER VII. 



Honey, 27 



Crude and perfect honey, 28 



No two kinds of different plants 

 yield honey alike, 28 



