﻿162 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Desboroiigh 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  hive 
  at 
  that 
  season, 
  yet 
  the 
  population 
  will 
  exceed 
  that 
  

   number, 
  consequently 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  bees 
  in 
  the 
  hive 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  

   September 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  must 
  be 
  still 
  alive 
  ; 
  if 
  we 
  repeat 
  

   this 
  calculation 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  April 
  we 
  shall 
  again 
  find 
  (making 
  

   allowance 
  for 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  bees 
  produced 
  since 
  January 
  

   by 
  accidents, 
  enemies, 
  &c.) 
  that 
  the 
  population 
  again 
  exceeds 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  young 
  bees, 
  thus 
  showing 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  6,000 
  bees 
  

   have 
  still 
  survived. 
  If 
  we 
  take 
  the 
  census 
  of 
  the 
  hive 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  

   May, 
  we 
  shall 
  find 
  that 
  17,280 
  bees 
  have 
  been 
  bred 
  since 
  the 
  

   1st 
  January, 
  and 
  this 
  number 
  (even 
  after 
  deducting 
  for 
  losses 
  

   by 
  enemies, 
  bees 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  showers 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  other 
  causes) 
  

   will 
  exceed 
  the 
  whole 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  hive 
  at 
  that 
  period 
  ; 
  conse- 
  

   quently 
  we 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  bees 
  living 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  

   September 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  are 
  dead 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  1st 
  May 
  

   in 
  the 
  next 
  year, 
  thus 
  confirming 
  our 
  previous 
  calculation 
  that 
  

   eight 
  months 
  is 
  the 
  maximum 
  period 
  of 
  life 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  also 
  

   seen 
  that, 
  though 
  all 
  the 
  bees 
  are 
  dead 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  eight 
  months, 
  

   yet 
  that 
  some 
  have 
  lived 
  longer 
  than 
  seven 
  months. 
  

  

  The 
  portion 
  of 
  tlie 
  year 
  comprised 
  between 
  the 
  1st 
  Septem- 
  

   ber 
  in 
  one 
  year, 
  and 
  the 
  1st 
  May 
  in 
  the 
  succeeding 
  year, 
  being 
  

   that 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  bee 
  is 
  passed 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  quiet 
  state, 
  

   in 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  winter 
  even 
  approaching 
  torpidity, 
  and 
  conse- 
  

   quently 
  the 
  wear 
  and 
  tear 
  of 
  the 
  muscular 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  nervous 
  

   system 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  least, 
  it 
  is 
  fair 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  duration 
  

   of 
  life 
  is 
  the 
  longest, 
  and 
  that 
  therefore 
  eight 
  months 
  is 
  in 
  truth 
  

   the 
  maximum 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  worker 
  bee. 
  

  

  We 
  ought 
  now 
  to 
  inquire 
  into 
  the 
  minimum 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  : 
  — 
  

   we 
  have 
  plainly 
  sliown 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  bees 
  produced 
  previously 
  to 
  

   the 
  1st 
  of 
  July 
  are 
  dead 
  or 
  gone 
  by 
  the 
  1st 
  September, 
  a 
  period 
  

   of 
  two 
  months 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  vigour 
  of 
  

   the 
  worker 
  bee 
  is 
  called 
  into 
  the 
  greatest 
  activity, 
  when 
  the 
  mus- 
  

   cular 
  system 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  taxed 
  to 
  the 
  utmost, 
  when 
  the 
  nervous 
  

   system 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  greatest 
  excitement, 
  and 
  when 
  in 
  fact 
  

   night 
  or 
  day 
  there 
  is 
  scarcely 
  a 
  moment's 
  rest, 
  it 
  is 
  reasonable 
  to 
  

   assert 
  that 
  the 
  frame 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  sooner 
  worn 
  out, 
  and 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  that 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  is 
  shortened 
  to 
  the 
  minimum 
  period 
  

   of 
  two 
  months. 
  It 
  will 
  as 
  a 
  natural 
  result 
  follow, 
  that 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  

   life 
  will 
  vary 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  eight 
  months, 
  according 
  as 
  the 
  powers 
  

   of 
  the 
  insect 
  have 
  been 
  taxed, 
  so 
  that 
  those 
  bees 
  produced 
  in 
  

   January 
  may 
  survive 
  six 
  months, 
  February 
  a 
  shorter 
  period, 
  

   March 
  a 
  shorter 
  period 
  still, 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  minimum 
  of 
  two 
  months. 
  

  

  The 
  non-uniformity 
  in 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  honey 
  bee 
  is 
  

   not 
  a 
  singular 
  instance 
  in 
  Entomology 
  ; 
  in 
  all 
  double 
  brooded 
  

  

  