321 
THE BEE. 
morning to evening, in gathering this meal ; but when the 
weather becomes too hot in the midst of summer, they work 
only in the morning. 
The bee is furnished with a stomach for its wax, as well as 
its honey. In the former of the two, their powder is altered 
digested and concocted into real wax ; and is thus ejected 
by the same passage by which it was swallowed. Every comb 
newly made is white : but it becomes yellow as it grows old’ 
and almost black when kept too long' in the hiver Besides 
the wax thus digested, there is a large portion of the powder 
kneaded up for foot!, in every hive, and kept in separate cells 
for winter provision. This is called, by the country people 
bee-bread ; and contributes to the health and strength of the 
animal during winter. Those who rear bees, mayrob them 
of their honey, and feed them, during the winter with treacle ; 
but noproper substitute has yet been' found for the bee-bread ; 
and without it, the animals become consumptive and die. 
How numerous soever the multitude of bees may appear 
in one swarm, they all owe their origin to a single parent 
which is called the queen-bee. It is indeed surprising that a 
single insect should in one summer give birth to above twenty 
thousand young: but, upon opening Iter body, the wonder 
will cease; as the number of eggs appearing, at one time 
amounts to five thousand. This animal whose existence is 
of such importance to her subjects, may easily be distinguish- 
ed from the rest by her size and the shape of her body” On 
her safety depends the whole welfare of the commonwealth ; 
and the attentions paid her by all the rest of the swarm 
evidently shew the dependence her subjects have upon her 
security. If this insect be carefully observed, she will be 
seen at times attended with a numerous retinue, marching 
from cell to cell, plunging the extremity of her body into 
many of them and leaving a small egg in each. 
The bees which generally compose her train, are thought 
to be males, which serve to impregnate her by turns. These 
are larger and blacker than thecominon bees ; without stinos 
and without industry. They seem formed only to transmit 
a posterity. It must be observed, however, that all this fer- 
tility of the queen-bee, and the great attentions paid to her 
by the rest, are controverted by more recent observers. They 
assert, that the common bees are parents themselves ; that 
they deposit their eggs in the cells which they have pre- 
pared ; that the females are impregnated by the males, and 
bring forth a progeny, which is wholly their own. 
The egg is fixed to the bottom of the cell, and touches i 
but in a single point. A day or two after itis deposited, the 
Vol. II. 2 s 
