CHAPTER I. 
PHYSIOLOGY OP THE THREE CLASSES. 
A prosperous colony of bees, at the beginning of the “ swarm- 
ing season,” consists of a fertile queen, a few hundred drones 
and about forty thousand workers. The annexed cuts will give 
a fair representation of the three classes into which this insect 
community is divided. 
The Queen is a perfectly developed female, and the prolific 
parent of the whole colony — the mother of every bee it con- 
tains. “ Mother Bee ” is her most appropriate and truthful 
name, as laying eggs appears to be the sole end of her existence, 
and the only duty she performs. This fact is beautifully demon- 
strated by removing a native queen and introducing an Italian 
queen in her stead. If the change is made in November, few 
common bees will remain by the following May ; or if made in 
June, the yellow workers will begin to appear in a few weeks, 
