104 MONEY IN BEES IN AUSTEALASIA 



very similar in shape and size to the caps of acorn 

 seeds — ^bnilt along the bottom of the combs, month 

 downwards. These are embryo queen-cells. A close 

 search will reveal eggs stuck end on, or suspended as 

 it were, from the dome of the cell — similar to the worker 

 egg shown in No. 3, Fig. 25 — and when placed in the 

 cell by the queen, it is coated with an agglutinative 

 substance that makes it adhere in the manner described. 

 After a day or so the eggs lay over and rest in the cells. 

 With everything just right the larva will hatch from 

 the egg on the third day, (if the temperature is below 

 normal this period is extended) and is similar to the 

 larva in Fig. 25, No. 4. 



At this stage the eye will detect a huge difference in 

 the amount of food given to the queen larvae and that 

 found in cells of worker brood. 



QUEEN POOD OR ROYAL JELLY. 



The queen larvse fairly float in a tiny sea of milky 

 food. It tastes something like cream turned slightly 

 acid, and is very rich; bee-keepers always refer to this 

 queen food as "royal jelly." The amount of food 

 continues to increase together with the growth of the 

 larvae for five days. Just before the cell is sealed (No. 2, 

 Fig. 51) — which, by the way is not made air-tight — 

 usually on the ninth day, the food is so plentiful as to 

 half fill the cell. That there is more food than the larva 

 can possibly eat is proved by looking into a cell after 

 the queen has hatched. There is left, invariably, a piece 

 of dried brown jelly about the size of a pea. 



The wonderful metamorphosis that takes place 

 between the sealing of the cell and the hatching of the 

 perfect insect on the sixteenth day, has been observed 

 by scientific men of high attainments. The ordinary 

 apiarist, however, must be content to witness the queen 

 cutting her way through the end of the cell with her 

 powerful mandibulce (jaws). It is a very neat cut too. 

 As she presses against the inside the circular piece 



