62 



PHYSIOLOGY OF THE HONEY-BEE. 



cells had been contraetert, as mentioned )\y Mr. Root. This 

 contraction of the cell mouth seems indispensable to enable 

 the queen to put in motion the muscles of her spermatheca. 

 149. We will add, with Mr. Root, that in the Spring, or 

 late in the Fall, when the crop is not abundant, the queen 

 will travel over drone-combs without depositing a single egg 

 in them. Even by feeding the colony, when in these con- 

 ditions, the queen cannot be readily induced to lay in 

 drone-cells. Our conclusions on this point differ from those 

 of Mr. Root. We think that the queen prefers worker- 

 cells to drone-cells, because the fecundation of the eggs by 

 the action of the muscles of the spermatheca probably gives 

 her a pleasant sensation, which she does not experience in 

 laying drone-eggs. 



G " Gb 



Fig. 22. 

 ABDOIIEX OF THE QUEBX-BEE. 



(Magnified. From the "Iltuatrierte Bienenzeitung.") 

 ,d,e,T'mgs of tlie abdomen; N. nerve-chain; M, honey-saek; 



E, 



ovaries ; 

 .S7, stin; 



D, stomach; H, rectnm; O, ganglions; A, 

 ;; F, muscles; H, gland; S, poison-sack. 



anus; Ss, ovipositor; 



ISO. Some very prolific queens occasionally lay drone- 

 eggs in worker-cells. It may be due to fatigue. This will 

 readily be admitted when we consider the number of eggs 

 laid in one day. (98.) 



161. Dzierzon found that a queen which had been refrig- 

 eratediox a long time, after being brought to life by warmth, 



