ORGANS AND PRODUCTS OF BEES. 



21 



speedier fate through intruders, such as wax-moth hirva*., robber bees, 

 wasps, etc., which its weakness wouhl i)reveiit its repelhiig h)iiger; 

 or cold is very likely to finish such a decimated colony, especially as 

 the bees, because queenless, are uneasy and do not cluster compactly. 



Tlieloss of queens while flying out to mate is evidently one of the 

 l^rovisions in nature to prevent bees from too great multiplication, for 

 were there no such checks they would soon become a pest in the land. 

 On the other hand, the risk to the queen is not uselessly increased, for 

 she mates bat once during her life. 



BEE PRODUCTS AND ORGANS USED IN THEIR PREPARATION. 



Pollen and honej' form the food of honey bees and their developing 

 brood. Both of these are plant products which are only modified some- 

 what by the manipulation to which they are subjected by the bees and 

 are then stored in waxen cells if not wanted for immediate use. Pollen, 

 the fertilizing dust of flowers, is carried home by the bees in small pel- 



FiG. 7. — Modifications of the legs of diflTereiit bees: A, Apis: a, wax pincer and outer view of hind 

 leg; 6. inner aspect of wax pincer and leg: c, compound hairs holding grains of ])ollen ; d, anterior 

 leg, showing antenna cleaner; <?, spur on tibia of middle leg. B, Melipona : /, peculiar group of spines 

 at apex of tibia of hind leg; g. inner aspect of wax ])incer and first joint of tarsus. C, Jiombus: 

 h, wax pincer; i, inner view of same and first joint of tarsus — all enlarged. (From Insect Life.) 



lets held in basket-like depressions on each of the hind legs. The hairs 

 covering the whole surface of the bee's body are more or less service- 

 able in enabling the bee to collect pollen, but those on the under side 

 of the abdomen are most likely to get well dusted, and the rows of 

 hairs, nine in number, known as pollen binshes, located on the inner 

 surface of the first tarsal joint (fig. 7, &), are then brought into use to 

 brush out this i)ollen. When these brushes are filled with pollen the 

 hind legs are crossed during flight and tlie pollen combed out by the 

 spine-like hairs that fringe the i)osterior margin of the tibial joint — that 

 above a in fig. 7. The outer surfiice of this joint is depressed, and this, 

 with the rows of curved hairs on the anterior margin and the straighter 

 ones jnst referred to forms a basket like cavitv known as the cor- 



