﻿Duration 
  of 
  Life 
  in 
  the 
  Honey 
  Bee. 
  163 
  

  

  insects 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  at 
  different 
  periods 
  

   of 
  the 
  year 
  is 
  unequal 
  ; 
  * 
  and 
  when 
  a 
  palpable 
  reason 
  can 
  be 
  

   adduced 
  why 
  the 
  frame 
  of 
  an 
  insect 
  should 
  be 
  sooner 
  worn 
  out 
  at 
  

   one 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  than 
  another, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  justification 
  to 
  

   our 
  assigning 
  a 
  shorter 
  period 
  to 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  worker 
  bee 
  at 
  that 
  

   particular 
  season, 
  more 
  especially 
  when 
  the 
  various 
  calculations 
  we 
  

   have 
  followed 
  out 
  lead 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  result 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  may 
  remark, 
  

   that 
  some 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  season, 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  longest 
  

   duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  bee, 
  is 
  passed 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  quiescence 
  

   nearly 
  approaching 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  chrysalis 
  of 
  the 
  double 
  brooded 
  

   insects. 
  

  

  We 
  must 
  now 
  turn 
  our 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  20,000 
  bees 
  composing 
  

   the 
  swarm 
  thrown 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June, 
  and 
  follow 
  up 
  the 
  

   calculation 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  them. 
  Now 
  these 
  bees 
  we 
  have 
  here- 
  

   tofore 
  seen 
  were 
  all 
  young 
  bees 
  of 
  that 
  year, 
  as 
  we 
  proved 
  that 
  

   none 
  of 
  the 
  6,000 
  bees 
  existing 
  in 
  January 
  had 
  lived 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   1st 
  May, 
  and 
  the 
  swarm 
  does 
  not 
  depart 
  until 
  June. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  1st 
  September 
  we 
  shall 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  this 
  

   swarm 
  does 
  not 
  reach 
  20,000, 
  nor 
  nearly 
  so 
  ; 
  we 
  shall 
  also 
  find 
  

   that 
  the 
  old 
  queen, 
  after 
  establishing 
  this 
  new 
  stock, 
  will 
  have 
  

   produced 
  above 
  12,000 
  brood, 
  and 
  as 
  this 
  number 
  (12,000) 
  does 
  

   not 
  exceed 
  the 
  actual 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  hive 
  at 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  

   which 
  we 
  are 
  now 
  speaking, 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  number 
  of 
  

   bees 
  leaving 
  the 
  stock 
  hive 
  as 
  a 
  swarm 
  have 
  died, 
  and 
  their 
  place 
  

   supplied 
  with 
  young 
  bees. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  same 
  test 
  is 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  cast, 
  the 
  same 
  result 
  will 
  

   follow, 
  so 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  confirmatory 
  of 
  our 
  assertion 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  

   part 
  of 
  this 
  essay, 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  bees 
  produced 
  previously 
  to 
  the 
  1st 
  

   July 
  have 
  died 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  1st 
  September. 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  now 
  able 
  to 
  appreciate 
  the 
  advantage 
  possessed 
  by 
  a 
  

   stock 
  of 
  bees 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  swarmed, 
  in 
  point 
  of 
  working 
  num- 
  

   bers, 
  over 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  swarmed. 
  

  

  The 
  loss 
  sustained 
  by 
  the 
  hive 
  swarming 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  20,000 
  bees 
  

   ready 
  for 
  work, 
  and 
  ready 
  to 
  take 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  in 
  

   gathering 
  and 
  storing 
  honey. 
  If 
  these 
  bees 
  were 
  to 
  remain, 
  and 
  

   the 
  season 
  proves 
  favourable, 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  honey 
  gathered 
  by 
  

   them 
  will 
  be 
  surplus 
  store, 
  and 
  will 
  amount 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  quantity 
  ; 
  

   if 
  they 
  depart 
  as 
  a 
  swarm, 
  but 
  just 
  sufficient 
  bees 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  carry 
  

   on 
  the 
  ordinary 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  hive, 
  no 
  surplus 
  honey 
  store 
  

   will 
  be 
  produced. 
  The 
  departure 
  of 
  a 
  swarm, 
  therefore, 
  is 
  a 
  

   serious 
  loss 
  in 
  an 
  economical 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  to 
  the 
  stock 
  from 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  swallow-tailed 
  butterfly 
  is 
  a 
  familiar 
  example. 
  

   u 
  2 
  

  

  