14"1< PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 



her prisoner too long, she dies either from the want of 

 food or air, but never from their stings *. 



Here you may perhaps feel curious to know, supposing 

 the reigning queen to die or be killed, and the bees to 

 have discovered their loss, whether they would then re- 

 ceive a foreigner that offers herself to them or is intro- 

 duced amongst them. Reaumur says the}- would do this 

 immediately^ ; but Hubei', who had better means of ob- 

 serving them, and studied them with more undivided at- 

 tention, affirms that this will not be the case, unless 

 twenty-four hours have elapsed since the death of the old 

 queen. Previously to this period, as if they were absorb- 

 ed by grief at their calamity, or indulged a fond hope of 

 her revival, an intruder would be treated exactly as I 

 have described. But when the period just mentioned is 

 passed, they will receive any queen that is presented to 

 them with the customary homage, and she may occupy 

 the vacant throne '^. 



I must now beg you to attend to what takes place in 

 the second case that I mentioned, where queens are want- 

 ed to lead forth swarms. Here you will, with reason, 

 suppose that nature has instilled some instinct into the 

 bees, by which these necessary individuals are rescued 

 from the fury of the reigning sovereign. 



Did the old queen of the hive remain in it till the 

 young ones were ready to come forth, her instinctive jea- 

 lousy would lead her to attack them all as successively 

 produced ; and being so much older and stronger, the 

 probability is that she would destroy them; in which 

 case there could be no swarms, and the race would pe- 

 rish. But this is wisely prevented by a circumstance 

 ' Hiiber, i. 186. '' Reauni. v. 268. ' Huber, i. 190. 



