Mr. Hunter's Observations on Bees. 
173 
Of the Male Bee. 
The male bee is considerably larger than the labourers : he 
is even larger than the queen, although not so long when she 
is in her full state with eggs : he is considerably thicker than 
either, but not longer in the same proportion : he does not 
terminate at the anus in so sharp a point ; and the opening 
between the two last scales of the back and belly is larger, and 
more under the belly, than in the female. His proboscis is 
much shorter than that of the labouring bee, which makes me 
suspect he does not collect his own honey, but takes that which 
is brought home by the others ; especially as we never find 
the males abroad on flowers, &c. only flying about the hives 
in hot weather, as if taking an airing ; and when we find that 
the male of the humble bee, which collects its own food, has as 
long a proboscis, or tongue, as the female, I think it is from all 
these facts reasonable to suppose, the male of the common bee 
feeds at home. He has no sting. 
The males, I believe, are later in being bred than the la- 
bouring bee. As they are only produced to go off with a 
hive, they are not so early brought forth ; for in the month 
of April I killed a hive, in which I found maggots and 
chrysalises, but did not find any males among the latter : 
the maggots are too young for such investigation ; but about 
the 20th of May we observed males: they are all very 
much of the same size. In the month of August, probably 
about the latter end, we may suppose they impregnate the 
queen for the next year, and about the latter end of the same 
month, and beginning of September, they are dying, but 
