"Their short proboscis sips
No luscious nectar from the wild thyme's lips;
From the lime leaf no amber drops they steal,
Nor bear their grooveless thighs the foodful meal:
On others' toils, in pampered leisure, thrive
The lazy fathers of the industrious hive;
Yet oft, we're told, these seeming idlers share
The pleasing duties of parental care;
With fond attention guard each genial cell,
And watch the embryo bursting from the shell."