Mr. Newport 07i the Habits, Sfc. 183 



XXVI. — On the Habits, and on the Striicture of the Nests 

 of Gregarious Hymenoptera, particularly those of the 

 Hive Bee and Hornet. By George Neavport, Esq., 

 V.P.E.S. 



[Read 1st April, 1839.] 



The frequent discussions that have arisen at tlie meetings of the 

 Entomological Society, on the habits as well as on the structure 

 of the nests of the Ilymenoptera, have induced me to detail the 

 results of my own observations on these interesting insects ; and, 

 although some of the facts I am about to communicate on the 

 hive bee have already been observed by Huber, Bevan, and others, 

 I trust that they may still merit attention, from the testimony 

 which they bear to the general correctness of the observations of 

 those distinguished naturalists. 



Of the Honey Bee. — On the 27th May, 1836, one of my hives 

 threw a swarm. During the few days immediately preceding this 

 occurrence, there had been a continuance of cold and brisk 

 easterly winds, and there were no signs of swanning on the 

 morning of the present day, although there had been symptoms 

 of such an occurrence during some warm weather about ten days 

 previously. At ten o'clock in the morning the temperature of 

 the atmosphere was 61.5 Fahr., and that of the hive only 92 Fahr. 

 But the weather was then rather cloudy, with light easterly 

 winds, and occasional glimpses of sunshine. At midday it was 

 fine, but windy, and the males and many bees were flying around 

 the hive, but there was nothing more remarkable on this occasion 

 than on some preceding days. At two o'clock in the afternoon 

 the wind had subsided, there was a dead calm, and the sky was 

 perfectly clear. At half-past two the bees swarmed suddenly, 

 but after hovering for a few minutes in the air, settled on a branch 

 of an espalier apple tree, about thirty feet from the hive, and from 

 which they were immediately taken into a glass hive prepared to 

 receive them. The temperature of the hive which the swarm had 

 just left was then only ^Q) Fahr., and at sunset at eight o'clock on 

 the same evening it had sunk to 85 Fahr. At that time the new 

 swarm was perfectly quiet, and the bees were suspended in a great 

 cluster from the top of the glazed hive, which I then removed to 

 the bee house. At the expiration of an hour all was still quiet, 

 and there was not a single insect ventillating at the entrance hole 

 or in any part of the hive, every bee having joined the cluster. 

 At half-past six on the following morning, May 28th, I again 



