File:Image from page 050 of "Introduction to zoology; a guide to the study of animals, for the use of secondary schools;" (1900) (14598293119).jpg

Identifier: introductiontozo00dave Title: Introduction to zoology; a guide to the study of animals, for the use of secondary schools; Year: 1900 (1900s) Authors: Davenport, Charles Benedict, 1866-1944 Davenport, Gertrude Anna Crotty, 1866- Subjects: Zoology Publisher: New York, Macmillan company London, Macmillian and co., ltd. Contributing Library: MBLWHOI Library Digitizing Sponsor: MBLWHOI Library

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Text Appearing Before Image: they makecells for their young. Of the social bees, our native species belong to thegenus Bombus, — the bumble bees. The bumblebeesbuild nests in the ground.The queens only survive thewinter. In the spring eachqueen chooses some mousenest or other ready-formedcavity in a meadow, and places within it a ball of TT , . „ , , FIG. 31. — Bombus, the bumblebee. pollen. Jpon this iood she Nat. size. Photo, by W.H. c.i.lays eggs, which develop into worker bees. As soon as the workers are full grown theybegin the task of gathering food, and the queen then de-votes all her energy to egg-laying. Later in the seasonmales and young queens also appear in the nest. Theold and young queens dwell together in harmony untilautumn, when all the members of the colony perish except-ing the young queens, which pass the winter in somesheltered spot and form new colonies in the spring. 1 A key to the principal families of the Hymenoptera is given in theAppendix to this Chapter, p. 42. 2 From apis, bee.

Text Appearing After Image: ZOOLOGY The introduced, semi-domesticated honey-bees havequite a different social economy. In the first place, thenest is perennial; consequently the young and old queenscannot remain in the same hive, else the nest wouldbecome overcrowded by the presence of too many families.As }roung queens mature, the old queen seeks to destroy them ; but she is usnsillyforced out of the hiveby the workers, a num-ber of which accompanyher. This migration iswhat we call swarm-ing. 1 When severalyoung queens mature atthe same time, duels orrepeated swarmings en-sue until only one queenremains. When a newcolony is started in ahive or hollow tree, acomb is formed of waxsecreted by the workerbees, and into this thequeen deposits eggs des-tined to develop into workers. Still later, eggs destined to form drones are laid incells larger than those in which workers develop. The de-veloping young workers and drones are fed with honey andbee-bread. Honey is derived from the nectar of flowers,which is lapped up

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