THE INSECT WORLD. 



415 



the eggs producing drones are not fertilized : this matter being 

 under direct volition of the female. The larvae are carefully fed 

 by the workers, and each variety receives a different kind of 

 "bread," especially prepared for it. The workers are fed on 

 what seems to be best adapted tor them ; the drones receive 

 another kind ; while the future queens live on a specially prepared 

 product, or " royal food," supposed to be much richer in nitroge- 

 nous materials. When the; larvae are full-grown, the cells are 

 capped and the pup^e form in.'ide of them. In due time the 

 adults issue, either drones or workers. In the former case they 

 idle about, doing nothing, except to find food for themselves. In 

 the latter case they at once assume their full share of the duties 

 of the hive, gathering honey or pollen, or attending to whatever 

 else is to be done. Of course, by this continuous increase the 

 hive soon becomes overcrowded, and then the question arises, Is 

 the colony in condition to stand a swarm ? If the store combs 

 are tolerably well supplied, and everything is running smoothly, 

 the question is decided in the affirmative, and arrangements are 

 made to have a portion of the inhabitants leave it. Meanwhile 

 the queen larvae have continued to develop, and are now ready 

 to assume the adult form. When this period arrives, the ruler 

 of the hive becomes uneasy, and does her best to get at the 

 queen cells to kill her maturing rivals. If the workers have 

 decided that they need a swarm, she is ke[)t from doing mischief 

 and they simply block her way. When the new females have 

 issued, every effort is made to prevent a meeting between the 

 young and old, or even between the young queens, if there is 

 more than one. With the new queen or queens fully developed, 

 and a larger number of workers than can be readily accommo- 

 dated, the members of the hive become uneasy, cease work, and, 

 from the noise, appear to l)e holding a caucus, which finally 

 results in a considerable proportion leaving the hive under the 

 leadership of either the old or one of the new queens. This is a 

 " swarm," and it flies a longer or shorter distance before it settles 

 in a solid mass, usually surrounding the queen. If the swarm 

 is not hived at once, the bees sooner or later find a hollow tree 

 or other cavity, where they start a colony ; but if the insects are 

 under the care of a proper keeper, the indications are noted, and 

 when the swarm leaves the hive it is induced to alight near by, 



