AUSTRALIAN BEES O 



Lovell, botanist, U.S.A., conducted a number of experi- 

 ments dealing with this peculiarity. He suggested the 

 theory that bees on emerging from the darkness of the 

 hive were unable to perceive white objects, whereas 

 darker colours were plainly visible. Whatever the cause, 

 experience shows the advisability of working in light- 

 coloured cotton clothes where practicable. The writer 

 finds cotton khaki to answer every requirement. 



The sting of the bee is composed of that hard material, 

 chitine. The "shell" or, if it is permissible to so describe 

 it, the external skeleton (bees have no internal bony 

 structure) is also of the same substance. The abdomen 

 of both queen and worker is composed of six rings 

 or belts of chitine, and is capable of expansion and 

 contraction; the "plates" slide over one another with a 

 telescopic action. The "bands" are not continuous, but 

 are divided into dorsal (on the back) and ventral (on 

 the underpart) plates. The overlapping plates are 

 clearly shown on the chrysalis Fig. 25, and the larva 

 Fig. 63A. 



Chitine forms the scaly covering of most insects, and 

 is of varying degrees of hardness. It is also moulded 

 into tiny hooks at the extremities of the bees ' legs, which 

 enable the insects to hang in graceful chains whilst comb- 

 building. 



Few indeed have never observed a swarm hanging 

 by the roadside, and wondered at the sustaining power 

 of the few hees attached to the bough or fence rail. 



In walking over a smooth surface the hooks are folded 

 out of the way, and a specially adapted portion of the 

 foot called the pulvillus is brought into action. This 

 acts somewhat like a small damp pad, capable of auto- 

 matic expansion as a step is taken. High microscopical 

 power is required to trace the minute clammy secretion 

 left by the pulvillus on glass or some other suitable 

 medium. (Cheshire — Scientific Beekeeping, Vol. 1). 



The most important sections of the legs of the 

 "worker-bees," i.e. those bees that perform the honey- 

 gathering, food supplying and other duties of the social- 



