CHAPTER X
THE JAWS
WE have seen that the bee possesses maxillæ, or inner jaws, and we are now to consider the outer jaws. On (a) Plate IX. is a photograph showing these jaws, which have been separated from the mouth in order to show them better. They are very hard, and have extremely sharp edges, like a joiner’s chisel. If you have ever watched a caterpillar feeding, you will know that its jaws work sideways. It places itself upon the edge of a leaf, and moves its jaws from left to right, one on each side of the leaf. This action therefore resembles the opening and shutting of a pair of scissors, placed flat upon the table, and the jaws of all insects work in a similar manner.
The jaws of the bee are very powerful, and this is necessary, for it is by their aid that the wax, which forms the comb, is cut up or thinned out. Sometimes the bee may come to a flower which is too long for its tongue to reach the bottom. It does not waste time trying, but simply bites through the flower, inserts its tongue through the hole, and in this way obtains the nectar.
A short time ago I imprisoned a wild bee in a cardboard box. Soon afterwards I heard a great noise coming from the inside of the box, and found that the little captive was hard at work, endeavouring to bite a way through the cardboard. The noise made by its tiny jaws, as it tore away shred after shred of cardboard, was like a mouse gnawing a plank. I fed the bee with honey, and the next day found the floor of the box covered with pieces of cardboard, whilst quite an appreciable amount had been bitten away. In four days the bee had cut a way through the side, making a hole large enough for herself to pass through. Seeing that she had worked so hard, for the box was really a very substantial one, I rewarded the little worker by setting her free.
Plate IX
(a)
Photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks
The Jaws
(b)
Photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks
Claws, showing Hooks and Feeling Hairs