14 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



queen in fourteen days, or into a working bee in twenty- 

 one days. Whether the queen is developed and made 

 perfect by special treatment in the cell, or whether the 

 working bee is dwarfed and made imperfect by special 

 treatment, is a question yet unanswered — and is, perhaps, 

 beyond the powers of human investigation. 



It is a fact established beyond all doubt that bees can 

 procure a queen for themselves, provided they have larvae 

 not more than three days old in worker-cells. Eoyal 

 cells and a particular kind of food only appear necessary 

 for the conversion of common larvsB into queens. 



The development of queens from worker-eggs or grubs 

 is a most marvellous transformation, and comprehends 

 far more than the development of the reproductive organs 

 in queens, or the repression of them in worker-bees. The 

 transformation alters the aqatomical structure and in- 

 stinctive propensities. Queens are different in form, 

 colour, and habit from, and live six times longer than, 

 working bees. They have more slender trunks and more 

 crooked stings than bees ; they have no downy brushes 

 at the joints of their Umbs, or basket-shaped cavities on 

 their legs for holding bee-bread. Queens in numerous par- 

 ticidars are very different from the working bees. In this 

 transformation there is a world of wonders and mystery. 



Bees, like the human family, possess five senses — 

 viz., sight, feeling, taste, hearing, and smelling; and a 

 very interesting and instructive chapter could be written 

 in proof of their existence and acuteness. We must 

 hasten to notice the industry, ingenuity, and courage of 

 bees. 



The Industry of Bees. 



How few bee-keepers know the worth of their own ser- 

 vants — the value of their own stock ! No writer can get 

 near enough to touch the hem of the garment of the in- 



