nation, a wee drop of a clear liquid will be perceived exuding from 

 its tip. This is the poison. If a magnifying glass is available, a 

 more thorough and closer examination of this painful weapon 

 may be undertaken and its action studied. 



A microscope is however essential if a more detailed study is 

 desired, either of the sting or any other part of the bee's anatomy. 

 If one is not possessed, resource should be made to the Hon. 

 Microscopist of the local bee-keepers' association. (Every bee-keeper 

 worthy of his name and craft is strongly advised to join the nearest 

 association, for it leads to better kept bees and bigger honey harvests.) 

 It will invariably be found that the microscopist is only too willing 

 to show slides and explain the various functions of the objects 

 examined. 



On comparing the sting of the bee with the similar organ of 

 other insects, it will, after consideration, be realised that its location 

 and relation to the internal anatomy of the bee shows it to be the 

 ovipositor. This is the means whereby the egg of the female when 

 laid is guided from the posterior end of the bee to the place where 

 it is to be laid, i.e., the base of a cell. It will, therefore, be evident 

 that for this reason the sting, as found in the queen bee, is almost 

 as Nature originally intended it to be, but in the case of workers 

 whose sex organs are atrophied or useless, the ovipositor as such has 

 been developed into a weapon of pugnacious defence. For the same 

 reason, it will be apparent that neither the drone, nor in fact the 

 male of any insect species, such as wa^s for instance, are equipped 

 with a sting. They may therefore be picked up with impunity and 

 studied at leisure. It should be noted that it is only the more highly 

 developed species of the insect world that possess a sting and in the 

 lower orders whose ovipositor is adapted to meet the various 

 requirements of its owner, it is never found in sting form. 



The queen's sting is curved and is seldom used either for 

 attack or defensive purposes, except possibly when she is contending 

 in a duel to the death with a rival virgin or queen in defence of her 

 right to be the queen-mother of the colony. A mated queen in- 

 variably succumbs to a virgin in such a contest, for reasons given later. 



Just as a gun is not composed only of its barrel, but comprises 

 an under-carriage, loading, sighting and firing mechanism as well 

 as the recoil system and other features, so the bee's sting does not 

 consist solely of a single sharp spike which is stuck into her victim 

 when required. Instead, it is a complicated structure composed 

 of a number of beautifully designed members which, working 

 together, form the whole intricate organ. 



Broadly speaking, the entire structure is composed of three 

 component parts shown diagramatically in Figs. 1 and 3, which 

 are as follows: — 



Component parts of sting. Fig. 1. 



(1) The sting prbper. 



(2) The operating mechanism. 



(3) The poison supply. 



These are the main essentials, but it should not be overlooked 



12 



