﻿160 
  Mr, 
  J. 
  G. 
  Desboiough 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  have 
  40,128 
  as 
  the 
  population 
  in 
  the 
  nniddle 
  of 
  June. 
  Let 
  the 
  

   stock 
  now 
  throw 
  off 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  20,000 
  bees 
  ; 
  this 
  reduces 
  the 
  

   number 
  to 
  20,128. 
  We 
  now 
  add 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  bees 
  bred 
  

   in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June, 
  which 
  raises 
  our 
  number 
  to 
  26,608 
  ; 
  let 
  a 
  

   cast 
  now 
  be 
  thrown 
  off, 
  which 
  sonnetimes 
  will 
  nearly 
  equal 
  in 
  

   bulk 
  the 
  swarm 
  — 
  take 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  bees 
  at 
  12,000 
  — 
  which 
  

   reduces 
  our 
  population 
  to 
  14,608. 
  We 
  now 
  add 
  the 
  bees 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  bringing 
  our 
  numbers 
  up 
  again 
  to 
  

   27,568, 
  as 
  the 
  total 
  quantity 
  of 
  bees 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  hive 
  on 
  the 
  

   1st 
  September. 
  Breeding 
  may 
  be 
  prolonged 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  subse- 
  

   quently 
  to 
  this 
  date 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  number 
  produced 
  is 
  small, 
  and 
  of 
  

   no 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  our 
  subject. 
  

  

  Now 
  every 
  observant 
  apiarian 
  will 
  be 
  aware 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  

   September 
  in 
  any 
  season, 
  he 
  will 
  not 
  have 
  27,568 
  bees 
  existing 
  in 
  

   a 
  stock, 
  even 
  if 
  it 
  happens 
  to 
  be 
  exceedingly 
  strong 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  

   swarmed 
  ; 
  but 
  according 
  to 
  our 
  calculation 
  that 
  number 
  ought 
  to 
  

   be 
  existing, 
  and 
  forming 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  hive. 
  We 
  must, 
  

   therefore 
  inquire 
  how 
  and 
  to 
  what 
  amount 
  their 
  numbers 
  have 
  

   been 
  reduced. 
  The 
  answer 
  is, 
  partly 
  by 
  accident, 
  partly 
  by 
  ene- 
  

   mies, 
  such 
  as 
  birds, 
  spiders, 
  &c., 
  and 
  partly 
  by 
  natural 
  death, 
  

   the 
  numbers 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  down 
  to 
  something 
  like 
  12,000 
  ; 
  

   so 
  that 
  by 
  taking 
  the 
  census 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  stock, 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  loss, 
  

   and 
  we 
  have 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  disappearance 
  of 
  15,568 
  bees 
  in 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  eight 
  months. 
  

  

  It 
  cannot, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  all 
  these 
  bees 
  die 
  a 
  natural 
  

   death 
  ; 
  the 
  enemies 
  and 
  casualties 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  worker 
  bees 
  are 
  

   exposed 
  are 
  so 
  numerous, 
  that 
  the 
  deaths 
  arising 
  from 
  these 
  

   causes 
  must 
  evidently 
  form 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  ; 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  conceded 
  that 
  natural 
  death 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  great 
  

   agent 
  at 
  work 
  to 
  cause 
  the 
  disappearance 
  of 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  number 
  as 
  

   15,568 
  from 
  one 
  stock 
  in 
  so 
  short 
  a 
  time, 
  and 
  we 
  shall 
  therefore 
  

   be 
  justified 
  in 
  assigning 
  the 
  limit 
  to 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  

   worker 
  bee 
  to 
  the 
  period 
  answering 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  result 
  of 
  our 
  

   calculation. 
  

  

  Now 
  if 
  we 
  add 
  the 
  32,000 
  bees 
  which 
  departed 
  with 
  the 
  swarm 
  

   and 
  cast 
  from 
  the 
  hive, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  47,568, 
  and 
  we 
  find 
  

   that 
  this 
  number 
  will 
  absorb 
  all 
  the 
  bees 
  produced 
  in 
  the 
  hive 
  to 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  June 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  further, 
  and 
  including 
  therein 
  the 
  

   6,000 
  bees 
  existing 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  January;* 
  it 
  follows, 
  therefore, 
  

  

  * 
  Bees 
  produced 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June, 
  see 
  table, 
  p. 
  159 
  . 
  . 
  40,608 
  

   Bees 
  existing 
  in 
  Januaty 
  6,000 
  

  

  46,608 
  

  

  