CREATION BY EVOLUTION
a functional female and produces a continuous flow of eggs.
_p190_comb_of_bee_hive.png)
Fig. 7.—Comb of hive bee (Natural Size).
A, empty queen cell; B, the same, torn open; C, the same, cut down; D, drone larva; E, F, sealed drone cells; G, sealed worker cells; H, old queen cell; I, sealed honey; K, masses of pollen; L, pollen cells; M, abortive queen cell; N, emerging bee; O, eggs and larva. (After Cheshire.)
The queen moves along on her egg-laying journey, exploring every empty waxen cell with her feelers and inserting a single egg into each cell. She never seems to tire, and she never misses a cell. During her progress she is surrounded by a small court of worker bees, who act as courtiers, walking backward. Some of them fan her with their wings; others stroke her with their tongues; still others feed her with half-digested pap, or “royal jelly,” and all are humming most agreeably and soothingly. During May and June
[ 190 ]
