The Stages of the Working Bee

The larva is no sooner perfectly enclosed than it begins to line the cell by spinning round itself. The working bee nymph spins its cocoon in 36 hours. After passing about three days in this state of preparation for a new existence, it gradually undergoes so great a change as not to wear a vestige of its previous form. It becomes armed with a firmer male and with scales of a dark brown hue. On its belly, six rings become distinguishable, which by slipping one over another enables the bee to shorten its body whenever it has occasion to do so. When it has reached the 21st day of its existence, counting from the moment the egg is laid, it comes