9 
laborers. The head of the bee is furnished with two 
antennae, by means of which they reciprocally obtain 
a knowledge of each other, of their young, and their 
queen, all communicated by the sense of feeling. It is 
by these simple organs that they are guided in the dark, 
and enabled to construct their combs and cells, and to 
feed their young brood. When deprived of both their 
antennae, bees can no longer recognize objects ; their 
instinctive powers are lost ; and, like Samson after his 
locks were shorn, they are feeble, helpless, and soon 
perish.” These facts have been demonstrated by that 
accurate naturalist, Mr. Huber. 
In speaking of a hive of bees, we mean the machine 
which contains the insects, the swarm, or cluster, de- 
Signecl to lOTui a new family, and -vrhicli is sometimes 
called colony. Each perfect hive contains three differ- 
ent kinds of bees ; females or queens, drones or males, 
and workers or neuters. Not more than one queen can 
ever live in one hive, and no hive can subsist long with- 
out her presence. The drones, of which there are some- 
times thousands in the same hive, are called males ; 
and the remainder are called neuters, from being sup- 
posed to belong to neither sex. From the queen the 
whole race is perpetuated, she being the only bee in the 
colony that produces eggs. The workers collect honey, 
form wax, construct combs, and administer to the wants 
of the young. The females and workers are furnished 
with a sting, of which the males are destitute. The 
sting is furnished with several barbs, like those of a 
dart, which prevents its retraction from the wound it 
has inflicted, until the discharge of the poison be effect- 
A 
