The Neater, or Worker, is of a dark-brown colour, approaching to black ; the head and thorax resemble those of the female, but the head has black hair on the vertex. The abdomen is conical, and composed of six distinct segments: the basal one is thickly covered with hair, the other segments are sparingly clothed. The legs are black : the plant re of the hinder legs are transversely striated on the inner side. The wings when closed nearly reach to the apex of the abdomen.
In about four days after the egg of the Worker has been deposited the larva is hatched, and in five or six days more (according to the weather) it is full grown ; it is then sealed up in its cell by the nurse bees with a covering of farina mixed with wax. As soon as the larva in inclosed it spins its cocoon, which operation requires about 36 hours : it then turns to the pupa, and in about eight days more to the perfect insect ; having been 21 days in existence, that is, from the time the egg was laid until the insect has attained its perfect state. The numbers of workers in a well-stocked hive is about 15,000 or 20,000. The occupation of these bees is to collect honey, pollen, and propene ; to build the combs, and to attend upon the young.
we extunine the proboscis through a lens of very moderate power, we find that it is composed of flee very distinct parts, a central stalk and four lateral ones, two on each side. The central part is that which is principally used in collecting honey: this part is not perforated, but is a flat cartilaginous substance, and is used as a tongue in lapping up the honey, which is then conveyed to the pharynx, and is Afterwards disgorged into the cells of the comb, part being used for the purpose of feeding the young, and the remainder stored up for the winter's consumption.
Pollen is collected from the anthers of flowers, and is carried on the outer surface of the tibile, or middle joint of the hinder leg: this part of the leg is very broad ; on one side it is concave, and furnished with a series of strong curved hairs on its margins, forming a natural basket admirably adapted to the purpose for which it is used. This substance mixed with honey forms the food of the lame, for which purpose alone it is collected.
In many instances it is only by the bees travelling from flower to flower that the pollen or ferule is carried from the male to the female flowers, without which they would not fructify. One species of bee would not be sufficient to fructify all the various sorts of flowers, were the bees of that species ever so numerous, for it requires species of different sizes and different constructions. 5L Spend
found, that not only are insects indispensable in fructifying different species of Iris, but that some of them, as I. Xiphium, require the agency of the larger humble bees, which alone are strong enough to force their way beneath the stile flag; and hence, as these insects aro not so common as many others, this Iris is often barren, or bears imperfect seeds." Propolia is a resinous unctuous substance, of a reddish colour, and is collected from the buds of trees : it is not only used in lining the cells of a new comb, but it is sometimes kneaded with wax and used in rebuilding weak parts. It is also used in stopping all the crevices in the interior of a hive. The workers which arrive laden with this substance are relieved of their burden by others ; these in their turn distribute it among many, who employ it for the purposes above mentioned.
Nature has provided checks to prevent the too rapid increase of the various species of insects. Among those of the Hive-Bee, the hornet and wasp, and two or three species of moths, commit great devasta tion. Weeps frequently take possession of a hive, and after destroy ing, or causing their weaker neighbours to desert the hive, consume all the honey it contains, and sometimes even construct their own nests in the hive. Acheron:la afropos, the Sphinx, or the Death's Head Hawk-Moth, which is almost as large as our common bat, sometimes makes its way into hives, and consumes much of the bees' stores. This insect has the power of emitting a peculiar sound, not unlike that of the queen-bee : this sound is supposed to have the same effect (that of rendering the workers motionless) as that emitted by the queen.
Two other moths commit great devastation in hives : those are small species (Galleries alrearia, and C. melonella--tho Honey-Moth, and the Honeycomb-Moth, which, in spite of the guards constantly kept at the entrance of hivca, gain admittance, and deposit their eggs in the combs. The ]arum hatched from these eggs form passages through the comb in all directions, spinning a silken tube as they proceed, which it appears is too strong for the bees to destroy, and of course they cannot sting the larvie. These lame generally oblige the bees to desert the hive after a short time.