The Habits of the Honeybee 11 



might as well be confessed that we know but very little 

 about this remarkable instinct of the bee. In the first 

 queens are ready to leave their cells, the old queen 

 would not allow queen-cells to be constructed in her 

 colony, nor has any one told us why she allows it now. 

 Neither do we know what starts the actual swarming, 

 or what bees, workers, or queen first sets the hive in 

 motion. Neither do we know what is the thing whicli 

 compels certain bees to leave with the old queen, and 

 why the others stay in the old hive with the young 

 queen. Here is plenty of interesting work for any one 

 who desires to investigate some phase of the life- 

 history of bees; and for the encouragement of the 

 beginner it may be added that there are plenty more 

 open fields. Since our original hive has now divided 

 we will follow the swarm with the old queen, and, 

 later, return to the old hive to observe the actions of 

 that. 



In the hands of a beekeeper the departing swarm 

 will be put into another hive provided he wishes to 

 increase the number of his colonies; but in a state of 

 nature the swarm will find an old hollow tree or some 

 similar place in which to establish itself. The bees, 

 before leaving their old hive, fill themselves with honey 

 until the abdomen is greatly distended, and for this 

 reason it is not necessary for them to collect nectar for 

 a day or two, for they have other work to do. Some 

 of the bees begin to clean out tlie new quarters and get 

 it fit for occupancy; but most of them begin the con- 

 struction of new combs. To do this they suspend 

 themselves in curtains from the top of the hive, and 

 remain motionless for some time. The wax used in 

 building comb is secreted by the workers in eight small 

 pockets on the lower side of the abdomen while tliey 



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