The social bees live in communities like those of ants, which also, like theirs, con sist of males, females, and neuters—these last being females with ovaries imperfectly developed, and clinracterized by peculiarities of form and structure, as well as of instinct and employments. remarkably different from those of the perfect females. The social flees are conveniently divided into humble bees (q.v.) and honey bees, of the latter of which the common hive 13. (see the next section of this article) may be regarded as the type. Before proceeding to a more particular account of the hive B., it nifty be proper to remark that the species of honey B. (the restricted genus apis) are not few, and that they are natives of the warm parts of the old world: the hive, bees (apis which now abound in some parts of America, and which have become naturalized in the forests to a considerable distance beyond the abodes of civilized men, being the progeny of those which were conveyed from Europe. The hive B. is said not to have been found to the w. of the Mississippi before 1797, but in fourteen years it had advanced 600 rn. further in that direction. The different species of honey B. in a wild state generally make their nests in hollow trees, or among the branches of trees, sometimes under ledges or in clefts of rocks; and their stores of honey are not only sought after by man, but afford food to numerous animals, .SOI1N of which equally delisslit to prey upon their lame. The 13. was amongst the ancient the hieroglyphical einbleni of royalty.
The B. domesticated or cultivated in Egypt, is not, however, our common hive B., but another species called apis fasciata; and in Italy and Greece a species called A. ligustics is employed, which has been recently introduced into England, and is now domesticated at the B. house of the apiarian society, Muswell hill, near London. These species differ little from the common hive B., and their honey is very similar; but that of some species is considerably different. A. ttnicolor, of 3Iadagascar and the Isle of Prance, yields an esteemed honey of a green color. It is domesticated, or is the object of human care and attention there, as are also A. Indira in some parts of India, and A. adaneonii in Senegal. We regret that our limits do not permit us to give a particular account of any of these species.—The genus melilxaut is nearly allied to apis. The species are natives of South America, and their honey is extremely sweet and agreeable, but very liquid, and apt to ferment. They make their nests in the cavities or on the tops of trees.
The Hive instincts and social economy of the HIVE B. (apis mellifica) have been studied with great attention both in ancient and modern times, and discoveries—than which, perhaps, nature presents nothing more interesting and wonderful—have rewarded the patient observations of Huber and others who have devoted themselves to this subject. Apiarian societies have been formed for the purpose of pros ecuting this single branch of natural history, and of promoting successful apiculture, or the economical keeping of bees.
The hive B. is probably not a native of Britain, and may even have been brought to Europe from the cast. Its communities seem ordinarily to number from 10,000 to 60,000 individuals, and there appears no reason to think that the care bestowed upon the insect by man, or the hires which he has provided for it, have made any iinportaut difference in this respect. One member of each community is a perfect female—the queen or mother 13.; from 600 to 2000 at certain seasons are males; aud the remainder are neuters or workers, the real nature of which has been explained in the previous part of this article.
The workers have a body about half an inch in length, and about one sixth of an inch in greatest breadth, at the upper part of the abdomen. The antennm are twelve-jointed, and terminate in a knob. The abdomen consists of six joints or rings, and under the scaly coverings of the four middle ones are situated the or organs for the secretion of wax. The extremity of the abdomen is provided with a string, which is straight. The basal joint of the hind tarsi is dilated to form a and the legs are well provided with hairs for collecting the pollen and brushing it into this recep tacle.—The males or drones, so called from the peculiar noise which they make in their flight. are much larger than the neuters, and thicker in proportion. The antenna have an additional joint. The eyes are remarkably large, aud meet upon the crown.—The perfect females are considerably longer than either the workers or males; they are also distinguished by the yellow tint of the under part of the body, and very remarkably differ from all the other inmates of the hive in the shortness of their wings, which, instead of reaching to the extremity of the abdomen, leave some of its linos uncovered. —Neither males nor queens have wax-pockets, nor have they pollen-baskets. Their legs also are less hairy. The sting of the queen B. is curved. The mandibles both of the males and perfect females are notched or toothed beneath the tip, which those of the workers are not.—It will be seen from this brief description that the sexes differ so widely as to appear. if the contrary were not well known, insects of different species; but still more remarkable is the difference between the females and the workers when we consider that it is all to be ascribed to the different forms of the cells in which the eggs are hatched and the young bees reared, and to the different kinds of food with which they are supplied. All doubt upon this point is removed by the interesting discovery of Sehirach. that when a hive is deprived of its queen. the bees provide them selve3 with another, if there. are eggs or very young larvae in the cells appropriated to the breeding of workers; proceeding immediately to transform, for this purpose, one of these cells, and sacrificing, without scruple, the eggs or larvie in the cells adjoining that selected for transformation and enlargement. These are facts well ascertained, but of which science has yet been unable to give any explanation.