72 



AUSTRALASIAN 



The cells in which queen, or perfect female bees are laid and 

 developed differ widely from those of the workers and drones : 

 in the natural state, they are only built in the swarming season, 

 or in cases where the colony has become queenless ; in the 

 former case the cells are laid out for the purpose on the under 

 side or on the edges of the comb, as shown in the following 

 engraving, which exhibits, on an enlarged scale, the top view 

 of a number of worker cells, with the egg and larva in the dif- 

 ferent stages of development up to the time of capping the 

 cells (in the line marked a) ; a section of a queen cell (b), 

 showing the larva and a supply of the royal jelly, and a similar 

 one completed and closed (at c). 



Fig. 22.- WORKER LARVA AND QTTEEN CELLS. 



Langstroth, in describing the queen cells, says : — 



" These cells somewhat resemble a small pea-nut, and are about an 

 inch deep and one-third of an inch in diameter. Being very thick, 

 they require much wax for their construction. They are seldom seen 

 in a perfect state after the swarming season, as the bees, after the 

 queen has hatched, cut them down to the shape of a small acorn cup." 



The material of which these cells are composed is not pure 

 wax; there is much pollen mixed with it. The outside surface 

 is uneven and indented like the sides of a thimble. The num- 

 ber built at one time varies much, according to circumstances — 

 sometimes only two or three, but ordinarily not less than five, 



