76 MANUAL OP THE APIARY. 



the actions of bees are controlled and influenced by the sur- 

 rounding conditions or circumstances, but I have yet to see 

 satisfactory proof of the old theory that these conditions 

 impress differently the queen and the workers. The condi- 

 tions which lead to the building of queen-cells and the 

 peopling of the same are — loss of queen, when a worker 

 larva from one to four days old will be surrounded by a cell ; 

 inability of a queen to lay impregnated eggs, her spermatheca 

 having become emptied ; great number of worker-bees in the 

 hive ; restricted quarters ; the queen not having place to 

 deposit eggs, or the workers little or no room to store honey ; 

 . and lack of ventilation, so that the hive becomes too close. 

 These last three conditions are most likely to occur at times 

 of great honey secretion. 



A queen may be developed from an egg, or from a worker 

 larva less than three days old. Mr. Doolittle has known 

 queens to be reared from worker larvae taken at four-and-a- 

 half days from hatching. In this latter case, the cells 

 adjacent to the one containing the selected larva are removed, 

 and the larva surrounded by a royal cell. The development 

 of the queen larva is much like that of the worker, soon to 

 be detailed, except that it is more rapid, and is fed richer and 

 more plenteous food, called royal jelly. This peculiar food, 

 as also its use and abundance in the cell, was first described 

 by Schirach, a Saxon clergyman, who wrote a work on bees in 

 1771. According to Hunter, this royal pabulum is richer in 

 nitrogen than that of the common larvae. It is thick, like rich 

 cream ; slightly yellow, and so abundant that the queen larva 

 not only floats in it during all its period of growth, but quite 

 a large amount remains after her queenship vacates the cell. 

 We often find this royal jelly in incomplete queen-cells, with- 

 out larvae. Mr. Quinby suggests that this is stored for future 

 use. 



What a mysterious circumstance is this : These royal sciona 

 simply receive a more abundant and sumptuous diet, and 

 occupy a more ample habitation — for I have more than once 

 confirmed the statement of Mr. Quinby, that the direction of 

 the cell is immaterial — and yet what a marvelous transforma- 

 tion. Not only are the ovaries developed and filled with eggs, 

 but the mouth-organs, the wings, the legs, and the sting, aye> 



