The Worker-Bee is an imperfectly developed queen or female. The
worker-bees vary in number in a prosperous hive from ten to twenty
thousand. They are divided into orders or sections. Some produce wax;
others build combs; others feed the young; others ventilate the hive;
others, as sentinels, guard the entrance; while the great body traverses
gardens and commons, gathering honey for themselves and the bee-master.
There are various estimates of the age of the worker-bee. Dr. Bevan thinks
the limit of their life is six or eight months. Probably this is the
average, from taking into account the accidents of a laborious life, the
battles they must wage with enemies, and the wear and tear of ceaseless
toil. About the end of August they appear exhausted; their wings become
ragged, and the stroke of the sting feebler.