HYMENOPTERA: BEES. 145 



structures, and is arranged in the hive in the most 

 regular manner. The cells are six-sided, and are built 

 in just the shape to save all the room, to be the 

 strongest, to contain the greatest amount of honey, 

 and to require the least amount of wax in their con- 

 struction. 



There are certain cells in which the queen lays her 

 eggs, depositing one in each cell ; and when the eggs 

 are laid, the workers fill the cells with the pollen of 

 flowers mixed with water and honey, — this is food for 

 the larvae. In about two days the eggs hatch into small 

 white larvje, and in five or six days these begin to spin 

 a cocoon, and soon go into the pupa state. A queen 

 comes forth from this state in sixteen days, workers in 

 twenty days, and drones in twenty-four days. As only 

 one queen can live in a hive, whenever a young queen 

 is hatched she is carefully guarded from the old one by 

 the workers, till it is settled whether the old queen will 

 be wanted to lead forth a swarm. If a new swarm is 

 not to go forth, the old queen is allowed to approach 

 the young queen and royal cells, and destroy the brood, 

 with her sting. If the old queen leaves with a swarm, 

 a young queen is set free and immediately endeavors 

 to destroy the others, but is prevented by a guard of 

 workers, while there is a prospect of another swarming ; 

 if she departs with a swarm, another queen is set free, 

 and so on till further swarming is impossible; then the 

 young queen is allowed to kill all her sisters. If two 

 queens hatch at the same time, they instantly engage 

 in conflict, the other bees favoring the battle, and 

 when one is killed, the survivor is recognized as queen. 

 When a hive loses its queen, there is the greatest con- 

 fusion ; after several hours they become quiet, and if 



NAT. HIST. AN. — lO 



