425 



BEE. 



BEE. 



sionally with the antennae they proceed as if she were lost. This has 

 been satisfactorily proved by some ingenious experiments by Huber. 

 If by accident the Queen be killed, or if she die, her dead body is still 

 treated with attention, and for a time even preferred to any other 

 queen. 



The Queen being accidentally or intentionally removed from a hive, 

 her absence is soon discovered and great disorder follows ; but this is 

 only temporary, for in a few hours preparation is made to replace her 

 loss. The larvfe of neuters from two to three days old are selected 

 for this purpose : the cells containing them are each enlarged by 

 sacrificing three adjoining cells, and in this space the workers build a 

 cylindrical tube which surrounds the young larvae, which are then 

 supplied with the same food as that given to the ordinary royal larvic, 

 and which is more pungent than that given to common larvae. In 

 about three days' time a perpendicular tube is constructed and joined 

 to the mouth of the cell just described ; into this the larva gradually 

 makes its way, moving in a spiral direction. It then remains two 

 days in a perpendicular position, the head being downwards, after 

 which it turns to the pupa and then to a queen. As several hatch 

 nearly at the same time, the strongest stings the others to death, and 

 becomes ruler of the hive. From this it is evident that the worker- 

 bees are imperfect females, requiring only a slight difference of treat- 

 ment in the larva state to become queens or fertile females. 



If the Queen be removed from a hive, and a stranger be immediately 

 introduced, she is surrounded and kept prisoner until she dies of 

 hunger ; for the workers never sting a Queen. If, however, 18 hours 

 have elapsed since the loss of the former queen, the stranger is 

 better received, for although she is at first surrounded, she is ultimately 

 set at liberty, and treated with all the usual attention ; but if 24 hours 

 have elasped before the strange queen be introduced, she is at once 

 admitted to the sovereignty of the hive. 



While the Queen remains in a hive, the introduction of a strange 

 queen will occasion a disturbance, somewhat similar to that which 

 takes place when two or three young queens escape from their cells at 

 the same time : both the stranger and the reigning queen are sur- 

 rounded by the workers, and the escape of either being thus prevented, 

 they are soon brought into contact. A battle ensues, which ends in the 

 death of one of them, and the other then becomes ruler of the hive. 



The sole occupation of the Queen is to lay eggs in the various cells 

 prepared by the workers for that purpose, for she takes no care of the 

 young herself. Until she is about eleven months old, the eggs laid 

 are nearly all such aa will turn to workers, but at the completion of 

 that period, which most frequently happens in the spring time, the 

 queen commences the great laying of the eggs of males ; at this time 

 the queen will lay from 2000 to 3000 eggs, sometimes from 40 to 50 

 a day being laid during the months of March and April . There is also 

 another laying of the eggs of males in the autumn, but this is not so 

 considerable. In the interval, the eggs of workers are almost exclu 

 sively laid. 



There seems to be a relation between the laying of the eggs of males 

 and the construction of royal cells, for the workers always commence 

 the construction of the latter at the time that the female is laying the 

 eggs that are to turn to drones. 



The royal cells are very different from those of the male or worker, 

 and are generally suspended from the edges or sides of the comb 

 their number varies 

 from two or three to 

 twenty, though the 

 latter is a very un- 

 usual number. In 

 form they are very 

 much like a pear, 

 having the thickest 

 end joined to the 

 comb, the other end, 

 at which part the 

 month or entrance of 

 cell is situated, 

 hanging downward*. 



In these cells the 

 queen deposits tlje 

 eggs of future queens, 

 at intervals of at least Fl *' *'~ Thc ( ' U( ' cn ' s Cell; a, tide view of the same. 

 a day, and always during the period of laying the eggs of males 

 When the Queen is about to lay, she thrusts her head into a eel 

 to ascertain its fitness ; she then inserts her abdomen, and in a few 

 seconds withdraws it, leaving an egg at the bottom of the cell fixec 

 in an upright position by a glutinous substance at one of its ends. 



The egg is about one-twelfth of an inch long, and of a cylindrica 

 form, with rounded ends. When the larva emerges from the egg, it it 

 immediately supplied with food by the nurse-bees. This larva may be 

 seen lying in a curved position at the bottom of the cell, where it con 

 tinues to grow until it has completely filled up the space ; when it is 

 full grown it lies horizontally with its head towards the entrance 

 The food given to the larva is a mixture of farina, honey, and water 

 which is converted into a whitish jelly by elaboration in the stomachf 

 of the nure-bees : the proportions of farina and honey vary according 

 to the age of the young, and we believe that the food is not given 



lirectly to the larva, but disgorged into the cell, so that the insect is 

 urrouuded with it. But when the larva is nearly full grown, its food 

 s sweeter (probably containing a greater proportion of honey), and 

 s applied by the nurse-bees directly to its mouth, somewhat in the 

 manner of a bird feeding its young. 



Fig. 5. a, the Egg ; b, the Larva ; c, the Pupa of the Worker-Bee j and 

 d, the head of the Larva magnified. 



The drone and worker-bees are of a grayish colour when they first 

 leave their cells, and several days elapse before they are strong enough 

 '>o fly ; but the queen is kept prisoner in her cell for some time after 

 she has assumed the imago state. The reasons for this imprisonment 

 we shall presently show. 



When the larvte in the queens' cells are about to change into pupffi 

 ;he old queen begins to exhibit signs of agitation running carelessly 

 over the cells, occasionally thrusting her abdomen into some of them 

 as if about to lay, but withdrawing without having done so, or 

 perhaps laying them on the side of the cell instead of at the bottom, 

 ihe is no longer surrounded by her usual circle of attendants, and 

 ier agitation being communicated to all she passes, at length a general 

 confusion is created, till at last the greater portion of the bees rush 

 out of the hive with that queen at their head. It is thus that the 

 first swarm quits the hive, and it is invariably conducted by the old 

 queen. 



At any other time the queen would have been unable to fly, the 

 ?reat number of eggs contained in her abdomen rendering her too 

 heavy ; this however is sufficiently reduced after the great laying just 

 described to enable her to fly with ease. 



An unerring instinct obliges the Queen to leave the hive at this 

 time, for two sovereigns never can co-exist in the same community ; 

 and had she not left it the young queens (now just about to quit their 

 cells) would inevitably have been killed by her. Let us now observe 

 what is going on in the hive which has just been deserted by its 

 queen. It would seem as if it were too much reduced by the departure 

 of the swarm, but it must be borne in mind that this event never 

 occurs except in the middle of the day and during very fine sunny 

 weather, when a large portion of the bees are abroad gathering honey 

 and pollen ; and if the hive contain a numerous colony, these on their 

 return, together with those which have not been disturbed during 

 the general confusion, and a considerable number of young brood 

 continually hatching, form a sufficient stock, and perhaps even enough 

 to send off another swarm. 



In two or three days' time from the leaving of the first swarm 

 perfect order is restored in the hive, and the nurse-bees continue to 

 attend upon the young, carefully watching the queens' cells, and 

 working at the outsides by removing the wax from the surface. It 

 is said that the wax is removed in order to facilitate the exit of the 

 young queen ; but although the removal of it may thus be of service, 

 we are not inclined to think it is done for that purpose. 



and it consequently follows that the completion and closing of these 

 cells must take place at different times : we say completion, for at 

 the time the queen lays the eggs the cells are only half formed, and 

 resemble the cup of an acorn. .When the cells have been closed about 

 seven days the young queen cuts away with her jaws the part of the 

 silken covering at the mouth of the cell, and if permitted would make 

 her escape ; but the bees guarding the cells solder the covering with 

 some particles of wax, and keep her prisoner about two days, in which 

 time she obtains sufficient strength to be able to fly immediately on 

 quitting her prison. It is difficult to imagine by what means the bees 

 guarding the royal cells can judge of the fitness of the inclosed female 

 for liberation. The most probable conjecture is, that they judge by 

 the quality of the sound emitted by the prisoner at this time. This 

 sound consists of a number of monotonous notes so rapidly repeated 

 as almost to appear one continuous sound. The sound is produced 

 by the vibration of the wings, and probably becomes sharper and more 

 audible as the bee acquires strength. 



g 



The young queen upon being liberated immediately approaches the 

 __maining royal cells, and would destroy their contents by tearing 

 them open and mortally wounding her rivals with her sting ; but this 

 irf not permitted, for so long as there is a sufficient number of guards 

 they bite and drive her away. She has the power however of arresting 

 this ill-treatment for awhile by emitting a peculiar sound, which has 

 such an effect on the sentinels that they remain motionless ; and she 

 sometimes takes advantage of this to make an attack upon the royal 

 cells. But as the sound ceases when she moves the charm is dissolved, 

 her guards recover their power, and she is again driven back. 



After a time the young queen, owing to her strong desire to attack 

 the royal cells and the constant repulses she meets with, becomes 

 extremely agitated, and by running quickly over the cells and groups 





