138 The Honey- Makers 



in her actions. In two or three days she is in the heyday 

 of strength and beauty. As she grows older and works 

 harder, her youthful down wears off and she becomes 

 darker and harder in appearance, for, as Moffett tells us, — 



" Their young ones be not very nice or tender, nor 

 cockeringly brought up, for being but bare three days old, 

 as soon as ever they begin to have wings, they enjoin them 

 their task, and have an eye to them, that they be not idle, 

 though never so little." 



In reality, they do not have even three days' grace, for 

 their, wings are fully formed when they emerge from the 

 cradle cell, and as soon as their damp hairs are dried and 

 combed these mature infants proceed to " nurse " the ever- 

 hungry occupants of the surrounding cradle cells. 



They stay at home as a rule for two or three weeks and 

 do the " house-work " of the hive, removing dead bees and 

 other foreign matter, attending the queen and feeding her, 

 secreting wax, and building new combs, caring for the larvee 

 and ventilating the hive. 



When first hatched the bee appears to have no desire to 

 collect honey, not even storing it in the cells, when it is 

 given to her. She must first serve her apprenticeship in 

 the hive before the desire awakens to go forth to the honey 

 fields. 



The glands of the bee, as of other creatures, are more 

 active in youth, consequently the young bee is best able to 

 secrete the royal jelly and the wax. She is thus by nature 

 a " nurse," and instinctively goes from cell to cell feeding 

 her little larvee foster-children from her abundant stores. 



Aristotle and Pliny say that bees sit upon their young 

 like hens, and Packard tells us the same, though in more 

 scientific terms. 



" The manner in which the bee performs her incubatory 

 office is by placing herself upon the cell of a nymph (pupa) 



