68 PHYSIOLOGY OF THE HONEY-BEE. 



debris, close up all the cracks, and secrete the greater part 

 of the wax which is produced in the hive. 



The old bees may, if necessary, do a part of the same work'; 

 but, as we have seen, (39), old age renders some unfit to 

 prepare the food of the larvEe. More alert than the young 

 bees, they do the outside work, gather honey (346), pollen 

 (263), and water (271), for the use of the family, and 

 propolis (336) to cement the ctacks. 



160. "Dzierzon states it as a fact, that worker-bees attend 

 more exclusively to the domestie eoncerns of the colony in the 

 early period of life; assuming the discharge of the more active 

 out-door duties only during the later periods of their existence. 

 The Italian bees (551 ) furnished me with suitable means to 

 test the correctness of this opinion. 



"On the 18th of April, 1855, I introduced (533) an Italian 

 queen into a colony of common bees; and on the 10th of May 

 following, the first Italian workers emerged from the cells. 

 On the ensuing day, they emerged in great numbers, as the col- 

 ony had been kept in good condition by regular and plentiful 

 feeding. I will arrange my observations under the following 

 h^ads : 



161. "1. On the 10th of May, the first Italian workers 

 emerged; and on the 17th they made their first appearance out- 

 side of the hive. On the next day, and tlien daily till the 29th, 

 they came forth about noon, disporting in front of the hive in 

 the rays of the sun. They, however, manifestly, did not issue 

 for the purpose of gathering honey or pollen, for during that 

 time none were noticed returning with pellets; lione were seen 

 alighting on any of the flowers in my garden; and I found no 

 honey in the stomachs of such as I caught and killed for exam- 

 ination. The gathering was done exclusively by the old bees of 

 the original stock, until the 29th of May, when the Italian bees 

 began to labor in that vocation also — being then 19 days old. 



162. "2. On the feeding troughs placed in ,my garden, and 

 which were constantly crowded with common bees, I saw no 

 Italian bees till the 27th of May, seventeen days after the first 

 had emerged from the cells. 



"From the 10th of May on, I daily presented to Italian bees, 

 in the hive, a stick dipped in honey. The younger ones never 



