26 



THE HONET-BEB. 



the barbs or small points with which they are fur- 

 nished. The portions at each side are muscles, etc., 

 which remain attached when the sting is drawn from the 

 bee, as happens when the darts are thrust into the flesh 

 and cannot be withdrawn on account of the barbs; the 

 bee is compelled to leave it behind, and loses its life. 

 The workers are all females with undeveloped organs 

 of generation, yet they possess 

 enough of the maternal instinct 

 to make them good nurses for 

 the brood of the real mother. 

 For several days after the 

 young worker emerges from its 

 cell, it is almost exclusively 

 engaged within the hive, there- 

 after it assists in collecting 

 stores. 



The life of the worker varies 

 from one to eight months, ac- 

 cording to the time at which 

 it is hatched. In the busiest 

 season it lives but a few weeks, 

 but when hatched at the be- 

 ginning of cool weather, its life is extended through 

 several months. 



Fig. 4.— THE STINQ OP 

 WORKER. a, DART. 



DKONES. 



The Drones (fig. 5), are the males ; their bodies are 

 large and clumsy, and without the symmetry of the queen 

 and worker. Their buzzing when on the wing, is loud, 

 and different from that of the workers. They have no 

 sting, and may be taken in the fingers with impunity. 

 They seem to be the least valuable class in the bee-com- 

 munity. They assist, sometimes, in keeping up the 

 necessary animal heat in the hive ; but one only, out of 



