CH. II.'I THE HIVE BEE. O 



queen, while their own is still in the hive, deserves 

 to be mentioned. The entrance of their habitation 

 is carefully guarded, and sentinels are placed, so 

 that nothing-, not even one of their own companions, 

 can move either by day or by night, without first 

 undergoing a strict scrutiny. As soon as a stranger 

 queen enters the hive, a circle of bees imprison the 

 intruder so closely, that not only is it impossible for 

 her to move, but she is often suffocated. One 

 queen, it would seem, is alone required for a hive ; 

 nature, therefore, among other curious knowledge, 

 has not failed to impart this to the bees. As soon 

 as the stranger is imprisoned, another set of workers 

 go and confine the original queen ; and for what 

 reason 1 ? to force the two to fight for the throne. 

 This fact is corroborated by repeated experiments. 

 If there be the least disposition on the part of either 

 to move towards the other, the workers make way 

 and allow them to approach : if, on the contrary, 

 they attempt to flee, the workers return and pinion 

 them closely. But it is seldom necessary to stimu- 

 late queen bees to combat ; for nature has taken care 

 to secure her own ends, by inspiring them with the 

 most determined antipathy towards those of their 

 own sex and grade. Huber repeatedly introduced 

 stranger queens into the hive already supplied with 

 a sovereign, and in every instance a mortal combat 

 ensued. 



The intervals between the rings of the belly are 

 the vulnerable points, the rest of the body being- 

 encased in armour impervious to the sting. As 

 soon as they come within view of each other, they 

 rush impetuously to the fight, endeavour to hit each 

 other at an advantage, dart out the sting furiously, 

 and the weapon may be seen to glance off the 

 corslet and scales; at last the strongest or the 

 most fortunate contrives to mount upon her enemy, 

 or fix her by the wing against a comb, and curving 

 her body under her antagonist's belly, inflicts a 



