OR, MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 12S 



grasped and firmly pressed by the vulva or enlargement just 

 at the end of the oviduct of the queen, are held as in a vice ; 

 and so we see why they are torn from the drone during coition. 

 As Leuckart has so admirably described, the external organs 

 of the drone are drawn up into the so-called bean or sac (Fig. 

 37,/), as the finger of a glove, to use the words of Girard, often 

 turns in as we draw the glove off the hand. As we press a 

 drone, or hold it in our warm hand as it has just returned from 

 a long flight, when its air sacs are distended ; or when it meets 

 the queen, the sexual act is accomplished wholly or in part, 

 and the external organ is everted or turned out as we turn the 

 glove-finger out. In case of coitus, this eversiou is very com- 

 plete, so that the bean or sac (Fig. 37,/") turns out, and the 

 spermatophore is passed into the oviduct of the queen, and by 

 her muscular oviduct pushed into the spermatheca. This 

 seems a wonderful operation, almost beyond the possible. Yet 

 the passage of the egg from the ovaries in higher animals is 

 almost as surprising. L,euckart is undoubtedly correct in sug- 

 gesting that for full and complete impregnation the drone 

 needs tense muscles, full air sacs, and thus the vehement 

 exercise on the wing is very important in the sexual act. If 

 this be true, then impregnation of the queen in confinement is 

 as undesirable as it seems to be exceptional. While it may not 

 be absolutely necessary to have these conditions for impreg- 

 nation, as I think I have positive proof, it doubtless is better, 

 and usually necessary, that they exist. At this time the 

 queen's ovaries are small, and thus her smaller size before 

 impregnation. Hence, there is lack of high tension within 

 the abdomen of the queen, which also tends to aid in the sex- 

 ual act. 



The drone has not the wax-glands beneath the abdomen. 

 On the ventral plates are scattering compound hairs, which 

 doubtless have importance in the sexual act. The drone, like 

 the queen, is without the lower head or pollen-digesting glands, 

 and so is largely fed by the workers. Schonfeld has proved 

 this by caging drones in full colonies. If caged in a single- 

 walled cage, so as to be accessible to the workers, they live ; 

 if in a double-walled cage they all soon die, though all have 

 abundant honey. While honey is necessary it is not enough. 



