THE BEE. 



only one inhabiting this part of the world that constraets a 

 nest in conjunction with its fellows, and is afterwards content 

 to labour as one of a republic, and for the general good. The 

 colonies of the humble-bee, however, are, as a rule, much 



smaller than those of the 

 hive-bee, about a hundred 

 of the former being the 

 average of each societv 

 They are governed by a 

 queen, and count among 

 them males, females, and 

 neuters. 



Towards the dose of 

 TftE mJMBLE BEE. autumn, and when the 



cold winds of winter 

 begin to blow, and the honey-yielding flowers die, the male 

 and neuter humble-bees close their hves. Most often the 

 female does not die, but before the intense cold sets in finds a 

 convenient chink, — sometimes in the soft wood of a decayed 

 tree, or in a m.oss-clump, or among the dead leaves, where she 

 lies in a torpid state, never once stirring to eat or exercise her 

 hmbs till the genial warmth of spring rouses her and calls her 

 to new life. Then she begins to found new colonies of her 

 kind, by constructing a nest, and depositing therein the eggs 

 with which she was impregnated before the close of the pre- 

 ceding year. 



A grassy bank is generally ths,site chosen by the mother for 

 the construction of her nest ; but sometimes a flat surface is 

 selected, and by one species particularly in a gravelly situation ; 

 on this account this particular bee was named by Linnasus 

 Apis lapidwimis. There are burrowing-bees of this species, 

 and bees that construct a nest on the surface. Concerning the 

 architectural abilities of the burrowing-bee little is positively 

 known. Huber observes : " I have not discovered in what 

 manner they excavate the holes which lead to their nests, nor 

 do I know how they form the vaults in which they are placed ; 

 neither am I aware whether they always construct these vaults 

 themselves, or whether they do not sometimes avail themselves 

 of the holes made hj moles or other animals." Other authors 

 observe, that although the female bee has been observed to 

 remove particles of earth from a certain spot, as though with 

 the intention of constructing a burrow, she has never been seen 

 to proceed any farther with the business, neither has a partially- 



