The Life of the Bee 



free ; and she will evince the same murder- 

 ous desires, send forth the same cries of 

 anger, until, at last, after three or four 

 days, she will leave the hive in her turn, 

 at the head of the tertiary swarm ; and so 

 in succession, in the case of " swarming 

 fever," till the mother-city shall be com- 

 pletely exhausted. 



Swammerdam cites a hive that, through 

 its swarms and the swarms of its swarms, 

 was able in a single season to found no 

 less than thirty colonies. 



Such extraordinary multiplication is 

 above all noticeable after disastrous win- 

 ters ; and one might almost believe that 

 the bees, forever in touch with the secret 

 desires of nature, are conscious of the 

 dangers that menace their race. But at 

 ordinary times this fever will rarely occur 

 in a strong and well-governed hive. 

 There are many that swarm only once ; 

 and some, indeed, not at all. 

 262 



