﻿Duration 
  of 
  Life 
  in 
  the 
  Honey 
  Bee. 
  147 
  

  

  a 
  peculiar 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  combs, 
  the 
  bees 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  widely 
  

   distributed 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  unicomb 
  hive. 
  Both 
  sides 
  of 
  every 
  

   comb 
  can 
  at 
  any 
  moment 
  be 
  inspected, 
  and 
  this 
  without 
  the 
  least 
  

   interruption 
  to 
  the 
  labours 
  of 
  the 
  bees; 
  the 
  queen 
  can 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  

   be 
  found, 
  and 
  the 
  laying 
  of 
  eggs 
  by 
  her 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  frequently 
  

   seen, 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  ceased 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  curiosity 
  (he 
  will 
  not 
  

   say 
  of 
  interest) 
  to 
  the 
  writer. 
  The 
  difficulty 
  heretofore 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  

   keep 
  the 
  stock 
  in 
  this 
  hive 
  alive 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  and 
  this 
  has 
  not 
  

   yet 
  been 
  attained 
  (three 
  trials 
  having 
  proved 
  unsuccessful 
  1 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  

   season 
  the 
  hive, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  in 
  an 
  apiary, 
  has 
  been 
  established 
  

   in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  rooms 
  of 
  the 
  writer's 
  dwelling-house, 
  — 
  in 
  fact 
  his 
  bed- 
  

   room 
  ; 
  and 
  at 
  this 
  period 
  (December) 
  he 
  has 
  the 
  satisfaction 
  of 
  

   seeing 
  the 
  stock 
  in 
  perfect 
  health 
  and 
  strength, 
  and 
  has 
  every 
  

   prospect, 
  by 
  the 
  means 
  he 
  is 
  adopting, 
  of 
  overcoming 
  the 
  difficulty 
  

   before 
  experienced 
  of 
  keeping 
  the 
  bees 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  hive 
  is 
  

   stocked 
  alive, 
  and 
  thus 
  actual 
  daily 
  observation 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  winter. 
  

  

  After 
  these 
  few 
  introductory 
  remarks, 
  and 
  the 
  above 
  short 
  

   sketch 
  of 
  the 
  means 
  we 
  possess 
  for 
  observation, 
  we 
  proceed 
  at 
  

   once 
  to 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  essay. 
  

  

  Age 
  of 
  the 
  Queen. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  very 
  pecidiar 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  queen 
  bee, 
  differing 
  in 
  all 
  

   respects 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  hive, 
  in 
  her 
  constantly 
  

   abiding 
  within 
  the 
  hive 
  or 
  stock 
  of 
  which 
  she 
  is 
  solely 
  the 
  monarch, 
  

   and 
  from 
  the 
  difficulty 
  and 
  almost 
  total 
  impracticability 
  of 
  any 
  at- 
  

   tempt 
  to 
  identify 
  her 
  by 
  marking 
  or 
  mutilation 
  of 
  any 
  kind, 
  nothing 
  

   short 
  of 
  the 
  closest 
  observation 
  during 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years, 
  a 
  diligent 
  

   noting 
  of 
  facts, 
  and 
  a 
  careful 
  and 
  unprejudiced 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  

   whole, 
  will 
  enable 
  an 
  apiarian 
  to 
  venture 
  an 
  opinion, 
  much 
  less 
  to 
  

   form 
  a 
  conclusion, 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  this 
  insect. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  queen 
  bee 
  exists 
  for 
  a 
  longer 
  period 
  than 
  one 
  year 
  is 
  

   easily 
  to 
  be 
  shown, 
  but 
  for 
  how 
  much 
  longer 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  not 
  so 
  

   readily 
  answered. 
  Trace 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  queen 
  ; 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  

   purpose 
  select 
  a 
  stock 
  of 
  bees 
  which 
  has 
  already 
  thrown 
  off 
  its 
  

   swarm 
  led 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  queen, 
  and 
  also 
  its 
  cast 
  led 
  by 
  a 
  young 
  

   queen; 
  the 
  stock 
  will 
  then 
  be 
  left 
  to 
  the 
  government 
  of 
  one 
  young 
  

   queen, 
  which 
  was 
  in 
  embryo 
  at 
  the 
  departure 
  of 
  the 
  swarm 
  (all 
  

   the 
  other 
  young 
  queens 
  we 
  will 
  presume 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  killed 
  with 
  

   the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  selected 
  to 
  reign); 
  this 
  young 
  queen 
  was 
  

   of 
  course 
  produced 
  from 
  an 
  egg 
  laid 
  at 
  some 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  

   summer,* 
  say 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1849, 
  and 
  for 
  sake 
  of 
  identity 
  we 
  will 
  

  

  * 
  Proved 
  by 
  my 
  observatory 
  hive, 
  see 
  note 
  in 
  p. 
  149. 
  

   L 
  2 
  

  

  