50 



THB bbb-kbbpbr's guide ; 



to horizontal branches of trees. In one case, Mr. Benton found 

 them in the crevice of a rock, nearly surrounded by the same. 

 This indicates that they may be kept in hives. The combs 

 hang side by side, so do those of our common bees, but are one- 

 half inch apart. Mr. Benton found the tops of the combs, 

 which contain the honey, from three to six inches thick, while 

 those where brood is reared, are one and one-half inches thick. 

 Drones and workers are all reared in the same cells, which are 

 about the size of the drone brood-cells of our honey-comb. The 

 worker-bees, some specimens of which I have received from 



Fig. 7. 



Worker-Cells, — A. mdica. 

 (From Department of Agriculture.) 



Mr. Jones, in size and general appearance much resemble our 

 Italian queens. They have blue-black wings, black bodies, 

 which are ringed very much as are our Italians, only the yellow 

 largely predominates. Mr. Benton writes me that in form and 

 style of flight they much resemble wasps. They are the same 

 size as the drones, varying from three -fourths to seven-eighths 

 of an inch in length. They are easily handled by aid of 

 smoke, and are very clumsy in their attempts to sting. Their 

 sting is no larger than that of our common bees, while the 

 pain from their sting, Mr. Benton says,%is not so great. The 

 drones are dark brown, marked with yellow. Strangely 

 enough, they only fly, unless disturbed, after sundown. This 

 is unfortunate, as with the same habits we might hope to mate 

 them with our common bees, and thus procure a valuable 

 cross. This may be a developed peculiarity, to protect them 

 from birds, and so might very likely disappear with domesti- 

 cation. The queens are leather-colored, and smaller, as com- 

 pared with the workers, than are our common queens. The 

 queens are more restless than are the workers while being 



