ig4 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



indeed, generally, she loses, not only the sting and the 

 venom gland and sac, but also the lower portion of 

 the bowel, so that her death follows in an hour or 

 two. The queen, whose individual life is bound up 

 with the very existence of the colony, carries a sting 

 which her instinct forbids her to use, except possibly 

 in the sole case of contest with another queen. She 

 may, by violent usage, be induced to protrude the 

 weapon of offence, but never does she in human 

 hands inflict a puncture. The instrument she carries 

 is also especially planned to prevent the catastrophe 

 which so frequently follows its use in the case of 

 the worker, while she receives from it superior protec- 

 tive power because of its larger calibre and greater 

 length, the sheath being able to penetrate -iVin., and 

 the darts -3^-in. more, making together ^-in., while 

 the darts are ^-g-in. in diameter. The sheath is more 

 heavily barbed than the worker's, carrying two rows of 

 retrorse teeth, five or six in a row ; but the darts are 

 occasionally plain, though more often provided with 

 three minute teeth, which scarcely rise above the 

 general surface. It will be remembered, that the 

 venom escaped from the worker's sting by tiny holes 

 beneath the lower barbs of the darts. Since the 

 queen's sting is here practically barbless, exit for the 

 poison is given by hollowing out the inner faces of 

 the extremity of each dart into the form of a gouge. 

 When a worker stings, and becomes — as a friend 

 observed — quite unpleasantly attached to us, it will, 

 if allowed time, generally carry its sting away by 

 travelling round upon the wound, giving the instru- 

 ment a screw movement, until it is free. The queen 



