70 Royal JeUy. 



inability of a queen to lay impregnated eggs, her spermatheca 

 having become emptied ; great number of worker-bees in the 

 hive ; restricted quarters ; the queen not having place to de- 

 posit eggs, or the workers little or no room to store honey; or 

 lack of ventilation, so that the hive becomes too close. These 

 last three conditions are most likely to occur at times of great 

 honey secretion. 



A queen may be developed from an egg, or, as first 

 shown by Schirach, from a worker larva less than three days 

 old. (Mr. Doolittle has known queens to be reared from 

 worker larvae taken at four-and-a-half days from hatching. ) 

 In the latter case, the cells adjacent to the one containing the 

 selected larva are removed, and the larva surrounded by a 

 royal cell. The development of the queen larva is much like 

 that of the worker, soon to be detailed, except that it is more 

 rapid, and the queen larva is fed richer and more plenteous 

 food, called royal jelly. This peculiar food, as also its use and 

 abundance in the cell, was first described by Schirach, a Saxon 

 clergyman, who wrote a work on bees in 1771. According to 

 Hunter, this royal pabulum is richer in nitrogen than that of 

 the common larvse. It is thick, like rich cream ; slightly 

 yellow, and so abundant that the queen larva not only floats 

 in it during all its period of growth, but quite a large amount 

 remains after her queenship vacates the cell. We often find 

 this royal jelly in incomplete queen-cells, without larvse. Mr. 

 Quinby suggested that this is stored for future use. 



What a mysterious circumstance is this : These royal scions 

 simply receive a more abundant and sumptuous diet, and 

 occupy a more ample habitation — for I have more than once 

 confirmed the statement of Mr. Quinby, that the direction of 

 the cell is immaterial — and yet what a marvelous transforma- 

 tion. Not only are the ovaries developed and filled with eggs, 

 but the mouth-organs, the wings, the legs, the sting, aye, even 

 the size, form, and habits, are all wondrously changed. That 

 the development of parts should be accelerated, and the size 

 increased, is not so surprising — as in breeding other insects I 

 have frequently found that kind and amount of food would 

 hasten or retard growth, and might even cause a dwarfed 

 imago — but that food should so essentially modify the struc- 

 ture, is certainly a rare and unique circumstance, hardly to be 

 found except here and in related animals. Bevan has sug- 



