THE WORKER-BEE. 78 



confirmed by the report of A. Saunier, in the South of 

 France. Having deprived a hive of all its inhabitants, he 

 found bees, hatching twenty-three days afterwards, that had 

 not even been sealed in their cells, since there had been no 

 nurses there to do this work. (" L'Apiculteur." Paris, 

 1870.) As these were already full-grown larvse, when the 

 hive was deprived of its bees, they must have been twenty- 

 seven days old when hatching. In this experiment, the 

 heat produced by the larvte, coupled with that of the atmos- 

 phere, had been sufficient to keep them alive and help their 

 slow development. 



We have often noticed the brood of swarms, that had de- 

 serted their hives, still alive after a cold night, but in each 

 case its development was delayed. 



172. A newly hatched worker, like a newly hatched 

 queen, is easily recognized by her small size, her pale gray 

 color, and her weak appearance. After a few days, she has 

 grown considerably larger. She is then in the bloom of 

 health ; her color is bright, she has not yet lost a single hair 

 of the down which covers her body. These hairs fall grad- 

 ually from age and work, and sometimes disappear almost 

 entirely. 



1 73. The first excursion of the young bee out of the hive 

 takes place when she is about eight days old. (See Don- 

 hoff's experiment 160.) The disturbing of the colony, or 

 the lack of old bees may cause them to go out earlier. 



The first flight of young worker-bees is easily remembered 

 when once seen. It usually takes place in the afternoon of 

 a sunny day. Ihey first walk about on the platform in a 

 hesitating manner and then take flight. Their humming, 

 and joyous and peaceable circles to reconnoitre the location 

 of their home, recalls to memory the gay playing of children 

 in front of the school-house door. Their second trip is 

 made about a week after the first ; it is then that they bring 

 in their first load. A young bee coming home is readily 



