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The lofs of the prime fwarms,- which is fof com- 

 mon, is in my o()inic/n of greater confcquehce In the 

 culture of bees, than even that imf)oHtic prafticeof 

 fufFocation, which I have lately found reafon to think 

 not fo very detrimental to the publick intereft, as 

 has been imagined. 



If the Society Ihould adopt any of my hints, I fhall 

 be thankful for a line of communication, or from 

 any member, or experimenter in the apiarian art. 



From a treatife which I mentioned in nSy fbrrfief 

 letter, Schirach on tke ^een Bee,* I hoped to have 

 derived rfiijch' infoTiViation, as feeming to promifc 

 the mod eflfential fervice ; unhappily I h^ve beeh 

 totally difappointed, He affirms, that ail the w6rk- 

 ing bees of a hive are females in difguifej and that 

 every one of thcfe bees, in an early (lat^ of their 

 cxiftcnce, was capable of becoming a queen: from 

 a knowledge of which, fwarms may artificially be 

 obtained from the early months of fpring, and in 

 any fucceeding month, even to November. His 

 experiments have been very numerous; and to ob- 

 viate every doubt and objecfcion, he performed the 

 operation upon one^ and the fame ftocky every four 

 days, for at leaft^^ ox fixty times; all which pro-^ 



• Paftor of Klcin-Bautzcn, in Uppcr-Lufatia, and Sccretan' to a 

 Society of Naturalilts there. 



y z duced 



