26 BEGINNER'S BEE BOOK 



mitted to raise and by improving the strain by 

 selecting queens from the most vigorous stock, 

 it is possible to secure several times the amount 

 of surplus that could be taken from bees in the 

 old-fashioned box hive or gum, managed on the 

 let-alone plan. 



Other insects, such as ants, termites, etc., 

 have formed communitites and live from a com- 

 mon store. However, none of the others are of 

 direct service to man as is the bee. For cen- 

 turies their habits have been studied and much 

 still remains to be learned concerning them. 



The Bee Family. — The life of the hive 

 centers in the queen, which is the mother of the 

 colony and upon whose vigor the prosperity of 

 the hive depends. Should she die, and the bees 

 be unable to replace her, the colony would soon 

 perish. While the workers are also females, 

 the sexual organs are undeveloped and they 

 could not supply the place of the queen mother. 

 In queenless colonies laying workers often ap- 



