182 



Beekeeping 



back into a common tube or duct, the vagina {Vag), which 

 opens to the outside below the base of the sting. The 



posterior portion 

 of the vagina is 

 enlarged, forming 

 the bursa copula- 

 trix (BCpx). 



Opening from 

 the vagina is 

 the spermatheca 

 (Spm), a sac-like 

 organ which serves 

 to receive the 

 ^■^ male sex cells, the 

 spermatozoa, from 

 the drone at the 

 time of mating 

 and to retain 

 them until they 

 are needed. At- 

 tached to this are 

 two accessory 

 glands (SpmGl) 

 the duct of which 

 opens into the 

 duct from the 

 spermatheca to 

 „ , ,. .. , • the vagina. The 



-Reproductive organs, sting and poison , , ? ,1 



glands of queen, dorsal view. dUCt irom tlie 



spermatheca is S- 

 shaped and is surrounded by muscles forming the "sperm- 

 pump" of Breslau.^ By the contraction of some of these 

 muscles, the lumen of the upper end of the loop is enlarged 

 and a small bundle of spermatozoa is taken from the sperma^ 

 theca. By the contraction of other muscles, the sperma- 



1 Breslau, Ernst, 1905-06. Die Samenblasengang der Bienenkonigin. 

 Zool. Anz., XXIX, pp. 229-323. 



Fig. 92. 



