Nature of Queen Bees. 



67 



though blind, through the aid of his devoted wife and intel- 

 ligent servant, Frances Bumens, developed so many interest- 

 ing truths, demonstrated the fact of the queen's maternity. 

 This author's work, second edition, published in Edinburgh in 

 1808, gives a full history of his wonderftil observations and 

 experiments, and must ever rank with Langstroth as a classic, 

 worthy of study by all. 



The queen, then, is the mother bee ; in other words, a fully 

 developed female. Her ovaries (Fig. 13, a, a) are very large, 

 nearly fiUing her long abdomen. The tubes already described 

 as composing them are very numerous, while the spermatheca 

 (Fig. 13, e) is plainly visible. This is muscular, receives 

 abundant nerves, and thus, without doubt, may or may not be 

 compressed to force the sperm cells into contact with the eggs as 

 they pass by the duct. Leukart estimates that the spermatheca 

 will hold more than 25,000,000 spermatozoa. 



Fig. 18. 



Fig. 17. 



Fig. 16. 



Queen Bee, magnified. 



Labium, of Queen. 



a— Llgnla. 



d, <i— Paraglossse. 



6— Labial palpi. 



As 



«— Tibia. 



t, »— Tarsal joints, 



Part of Leg of Queen, magnified. 



i)— Broadened tibia and basal tarsus. 



The possession of the ovaries and attendant organs, is the 



