New observations on the natural history of beesHuber, François
Science
New observations on the natural history of bees
Huber, François
Bees
The effect produced on the size of drones by the size of the cells their
worms inhabit, may serve as a rule for what should happen to the larvae
of workers in the same circumstances. The large cells of males are
sufficiently capacious for the perfect expansion of their organs. Thus,
although reared in cells of still greater capacity, they will grow no
larger than common drones. We have had evidence of this in those
produced by queens whose fecundation has been retarded. You will
remember, Sir, that they sometimes lay male eggs in the royal cells.
Now, the males proceeding from them, and reared in cells much more
spacious than nature has appropriated for them, are no larger than
common males. Therefore it is certain, that whatever be the size of the
cells where the worms acquire their increment, the bees will attain no
greater size than is peculiar to their species. But if, in their primary
form, they live in cells smaller than they should be, as their growth
will be checked, they will not attain the usual size, of which there is
proof in the following experiment. I had a comb consisting of the cell
of large drones, and one with those of workers, which also served for
the male worms. Of these, my assistant took a certain number from the
smallest cells, and deposited them on a quantity of food purposely
prepared in the large ones; and in return he introduced into the small
cells the worms that had been hatched in the other, and then committed
both to the care of the workers in a hive where the queen laid the eggs
of males only. The bees were not affected by this change; they took
equal care of the worms; and when the period of metamorphosis arrived,
gave both kinds that convex covering usually put on those of the males.
Eight days afterwards, we removed the combs, and found, as I had
expected, nymphs of large males in the large cells, and those of small
males in the small ones.
You suggested another experiment which I carefully made, but it met with
an unforeseen obstacle. To appreciate the influence of the royal food on
the expansion of the worms, you desired me to supply the worm of a
worker in a common cell with it. Twice I have attempted this operation
without success. Nor do I think it can ever succeed. If bees get the
charge of worms, in whose cells the royal food is deposited, and if at
the same time they have a queen, they soon remove the worms and greedily
devour the food. When, on the contrary, they are deprived of a queen,
they change the cells containing worms into cells of the largest kind.
Then the worms will infallibly be converted to queens.
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