BEE MANUAL. 43 



full working season, will have twice, and sometimes three times, 

 that number of workers. Ihey are all females, but not fully 

 developed as regards their sexual organization — they are incapa- 

 ble of being impregnated by the drones ; but in some rare cases 

 their ovaries are sufficiently developed to admit of their laying 

 eggs, which, however, as will be shown later, are unfertilised, 

 and produce only drones. On the other hand, these workers 

 are specially provided with the means of successfully prosecut- 

 ing their useful labours. They have a wonderfully constructed 

 tongue, or proboscis, which enables them to suck or lap up the 

 liquid sweet from the nectaries of blossoms, and to store it in 

 a " honey sac," which is, in fact, a first or extra stomach, from 

 which they can again disgorge it at will into the cells of their 

 combs. Their hinder legs are provided with, a hollow, or 

 " basket," for carrying pollen, which they are enabled, by the 

 use of their front legs and their proboscis, to work up into 

 little pellets, and pack in these receptacles. They have the 

 power of secreting wax in small scales under the folds of the 

 abdominal rings of their body, and they are furnished with a 

 sting to protect themselves and their stores, and of which they 

 make effective use when provoked. They perform all the work 

 both inside and outside the hive ; collect the materials for 

 honey, beebread, and propolis j carry water, secrete the wax, 

 build the combs, nurse and. feed the young brood, ventilate the 

 hive, and stand guard at the entrance when it is necessary to 

 keep out intruders. Although division of labour is beautifully 

 exemplified in the economy of the hive, still there are not 

 separate classes of worker bees (as was at one time supposed) 

 to perform the different sorts of work; on the contrary, every 

 worker bee is capable of doing all these things, and they take 

 their turns accordingly. " One bee in her time plays many parts." 

 The young bees are employed on " home duty " for the first 

 week or two ; they then take their turn of outdoor work, and 

 are gradually worn out in the service. Their term of life is 

 short, varying from only six or seven weeks in the busiest 

 working season to nearly as many months after that busy time 

 is past. 



PHYSIOLOGY AND ANATOMY OF THE HONEY-BEE. 



I shall now devote some space in the endeavour to place 

 before the reader, as concisely as practicable, and with the 



