THE HONEY-BEE. 137 



attention to her wishes from every member of the 

 community. She is their common mother, and is 

 never opposed hy them, and might destroy all the 

 embryo-queens without any opposition. And this, 

 in fact, does sometimes take place ; for if the wea- 

 ther at this period set in and continue intemperate 

 and stormy, no swarming takes place, for the old 

 Queen destroys the whole of the royal brood. But 

 it is otherwise in ordinary circumstances ; and while 

 she is left at perfect liberty to act as she pleases with 

 regard to the unhatched queens, we are led to be- 

 lieve that she is induced to emigrate, not on account 

 of the presence of her embryo rivals, but in obedience 

 to the wise provision of nature for the increase of 

 the species. Whatever may be the real cause, the 

 proceedings of the Queen and the workers at the 

 approach of summer evidently show that matters are 

 ripening for some great internal movement. About 

 the beginning or middle of May, the bees, as if 

 aware of the necessity, begin to form large cells, in 

 which the Queen immediately deposits the eggs of 

 males, and continues to do so for about thirty days. 

 At the same time, some royal cells are formed ; for 

 there appears to be a secret relation between the 

 production of the eggs of males and the construction 

 of royal cells ; and about the twentieth day of her 

 laying this species of eggs, the Queen, discovering 

 the royal cells, deposits an egg in one of them, and, 

 at intervals of a day between each, in all the other 

 cells of this description. The bees know to close 

 them at the moment when the larvae are ready to be 



