Excerpt: ... intended for young queens Are fattened overmuch, And nursed and petted every hour, That they full growth may reach. For every different kind of egg That makes the different bees, A different kind of cell is made, The queen directing these. For drones or males, six-sided cells, Quite neat, and smooth, and nice; For working-bees a smaller cell, Uncouth, and rough, and coarse; 198 While those for queens are large and free, And fashioned fine with care, And lined with softest, silken shreds So daintily they fare. ...
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Excerpt: ... intended for young queens Are fattened overmuch, And nursed and petted every hour, That they full growth may reach. For every different kind of egg That makes the different bees, A different kind of cell is made, The queen directing these. For drones or males, six-sided cells, Quite neat, and smooth, and nice; For working-bees a smaller cell, Uncouth, and rough, and coarse; 198 While those for queens are large and free, And fashioned fine with care, And lined with softest, silken shreds So daintily they fare. The queen-bee lays the worker-eggs, A dozen days, I ween, And then the drones as many more, Then workers, then the queen. Eggs, two or three, and sometimes four Are laid in worker-cell; While drones and queens have each but one, As oft is proven well. The bluish eggs so close and warm, Hatch out with three days passed; 199 When larvae, white, as little worms, Are watched and fed and nursed. These larvae, when some six days old, Close in their cells are shut, And there at once begin to weave A silken web about. They turn and twist till all around Themselves 'tis woven quite, And then they rest for twenty days, -- 'Tis such a pretty sight. The small cocoons of working-bees, The larger ones of drones, The large and plump and perfect ones Of all the coming queens. 200 In twenty days they now burst forth, Equipped from tip to toe, The working-bees and drones, I mean, For queens come forth more slow. The queen cocoons ope from behind, And I will tell you why, 'Tis that the reigning queen may sting The others till they die. If mother queen leads off a swarm, A young queen they release, And she may take another swarm, And leave the hive in peace. Another queen is then let out, Perhaps a third and fourth, As many as can raise a swarm, To follow them, not loath; 201 But when no more can swarm and go, Because not bees enough, As I have said, the reigning queen Stings all the rest to death. For in each hive and everywhere, One queen alone will reign, And..
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