7 BEE. 



of workers communicate* her disorder to a great portion of the bee*, 

 o that a large number quit the hive and cluster about the outside, 

 and after a short time the young queen leaves the hire with a swarm. 

 Thus it is that the second swarm is thrown off. It seldom happen* 

 that a hire sends off more than two or three swarma ; after wliicli, 

 unless the hive be an extremely populous one, there are so few bees 

 left that there is not a sufficient number to keep proper guard over 

 the royal cells. The young queens consequently make their escape, 

 two or three at a time, in which case a contest takes place between 

 them, and the strongest remuins queen of the hire, after destroying 

 all the royal larva; and pupiii that remain. 



But if the hire be an unusually populous one there may be four or 

 fire swarms sent off, all accompanied by the same circumstances as 

 those just related. In case a hire is poorly stocked at the time of the 

 great laying of male eggs no royal cells are built, and consequently no 

 swarms leave. After the swarming a general massacre of the drones 

 takes place : then defenceless individuals (for the male baa no sting) 

 are stung to death by the neuters. 



When a swarm quits a hire it usually clusters on a tree or bush in 

 the neighbourhood, and if it be not hired it will shortly leave this 

 situation, and take possession of an old tree or part of an old building. 

 It is said that bees send out scouts before leaving the hive to search 

 for a convenient situation for their new abode, and that they may be 

 seen going backwards and forwards to the spot fixed upon some little 

 time before the swarm departs. The clustering of the swarm probably 

 proceeds from a desire in the bees to be congregated together prior 

 to their last flight As soon as the bees hare taken possession of a 

 new abode, or hare been hired, they commence building the comb. 



It has been stated that the first swarm is always conducted by on 

 old queen, and the following swarms by the young queens as they are 

 successively hatched. The latter are in a virgin state, but not so the 

 former, nor do these require farther intercourse with the male. About 

 two or three days after quitting her cell, and the fifth day of her 

 existence in the winged state, the young queen quits the hive, and 

 after reconnoitring its exterior and making herself acquainted with its 

 situation by flying from it and returning several times, she then soars 

 high in the air, forming spiral circles as she ascends. This ascent is 

 generally preceded by a flight of drones, and it is at this time (whilst 

 on the wing) that the sexual intercourse takes place. The queen is 

 never observed to quit the hive but at this time, and hence it is sup- 

 posed that this one intercourse is sufficient to fertilise all the eggs 

 she may ever lay. Huber decidedly ascertained that it was sufficient 

 for two years. We think it very improbable that a queen would live 

 much beyond that time. In about 46 hours after the intercourse 

 with the male has taken place, at which time a part of the comb would 

 be constructed in the new hive, the queen commences laying her eggs ; 

 those first deposited being such as will turn to workers, as before 

 described. 



The Construction of the Comb. In the 'Introduction to British 

 Entomology ' by Kirby and Spence, after referring to the various 

 accounts of ancient and modern writers on thi subject, it is observed, 

 " Still the construction of the comb of the bee-hire is a miracle which 

 orerwhelniB our faculties." John Hunter, who was the first to discorer 

 the true origin of wax, imagined that the waxen scales (which we 

 shall hereafter mention) bore some proportion to the different parts 

 of the cells in the formation of which they were used, and thus fur- 

 nished a guide to their construction. Some naturalists hare conjec- 

 tured that the antenna;, mandibles, and other parts of the body were 

 used to measure the work, and from this they have endeavoured to 

 account for the accuracy of their proceedings. The latter conjecture 

 appears incompatible with instinct, while the well-authenticated mode 

 of proceeding in the construction of the comb throws great doubt on 

 the former. 



Upon examination of various combs, the partitions between all the 

 ordinary cells (both at the sides and bottoms) are found to be exactly 

 the same in thickness, and the cells hexagonal with angular bottoms. 

 Exceptions to this general rule are occasionally found, and it is by 

 observing these exceptions with attention by observing the various 

 modifications of the work under extraordinary circumstances, that 

 some idea of the principles which guide the bee in its operations may 

 be formed. The royal cell is a remarkable exception ; its form we 

 have already described. In the original construction of this cell, a 

 profusion of material i* always disposed of, particularly at the 

 junction of the cell with the comb. The extra quantity of wax in 

 this part, and on the surface of the cell (which is also unusually 

 thick) is, however, soon reduced by numerous circular excavations, 

 the depth of which varies according to that of the wax, and in the, 

 mass nearest the comb they actually become cells, though in most 

 instances unfit for use. These cells are invariably cylindrical, with 

 concave bottoms, except they come in contact with others, in whieh 

 case the wax is always removed from the interstices thus f.. TIH.I!. 

 either at the sides or at the bottom! ; and the partitions are thus 

 reduced to the same thickness as those between the cells constructed 

 in the ordinary way. Hence we frequently find, hi these parts, cells 

 with one side circular and the other angular ; the situation of the 

 angles being invariably determined by the position of those cells with 

 which they are in contact 



To work in circles or segments of circles appears most compatible 



Fig. 6. 



Fig. 7. 



I;K i-:. :.- 



with animal mechanism acted upon by instinct, for we observe that 

 the works of almost all insect* (perhaps we may say almost all animals) 

 proceed in circles or segments of circles. The cells of almost all the 

 various species of bees arc of this construction, an. I we lin.l that, 

 under peculiar circumstances, those of the hive-bee are so likewise, as 

 in the case of the queen's cell, and in some of those cells clow 

 and sometimes in other parts of the comb, in cases where an accident 

 has been repaired. 



If some hive-bees could be made to work in a large solid mass of 

 wax, the first cell formed would most 

 probably be cylindrical, with a hollow 

 circular bottom ; this would also be 

 the form of the following cells unless 

 they came in contact with each other ; 

 and, in this case, supposing the cir- 

 cumferences of three cylinders were to 

 tourh, the bees working in each of 

 these cylinders would cut away the wax 

 at a, a, a, (Jig. 6). Hut supposing the 

 wax block were excavated on one of 

 its sides, into the greatest number of 

 equal-sized cylinders that it w.ml.l 

 admit of, it would then follow that 

 each cylinder would be surrounded 

 by six others, this being the only number of equal-sized circles which 

 may be placed round one of the same magnitude ; by the same rule 

 of removing the wax from the interstices, each of these cylin.l. i - 



would become hexagons. Again, sup- 



_.-'" " -, .. '%. posing this block to be a flat mass of 



equal thickness in all parts (the ordi- 

 nary thickness of a comb), this block 

 being cut into cylinders of equal 

 diameter on both sides, and the base 

 of each cylinder being exactly over 

 parts of three opposing ones (as repre- 

 sented in fig. 7), when the wax is cut 

 away at the interstices, as at the sides, 

 it follows that the bottoms of the 

 cells will be each composed of three 

 equal rhombus-shaped pieces. Hence 

 wo have cells exactly like those of 

 the hive-bee, but not constructed in 

 the ordinary way, though upon such principles as analogy points 

 out (a circular form being the basis of the work), and in such a way 

 as we hare observed, they do occasionally proceed. If we allow that 

 the basis of the work of the hive-bee be circular, the royal cell forms 

 no exception to the general rule, so far as the principle of its con- 

 struction is concerned. 



Let us now examine the construction of the comb in its usual way 

 of proceeding : 



The first operation is the formation of wax ; this is not, as many 

 have supposed, the farina collected from flowers, but is secreted by the 

 insect at the time of building the combs. For this purpose the wax- 

 workers suspend themselves in festoons from the top of the hive. 

 Those which first reach the top fix themselves by the claw H of the 

 forelegs to the roof, and are followed by others which attach th. Mil- 

 selves to them, until an inverted cone or festoon of beea ia formed, 

 each end of which is attached to the roof of the hive. Before the 

 commencement of the new comb, the interior of a hive presents a 

 series of festoons of this description, intersecting each other in all 

 directions, the bees remaining in perfect repose. 



At this time the wax is secreted and makes its appearance in little 

 scales which exude between the segments on the under side of t he 

 abdomen, eight scales being visible in each bee. The wax being 

 secreted, one of the bees commences the comb; having detailed 

 itself from the festoon, it makes its way to the roof of the hive. ;.n.l 

 after clearing a space by driving away the other bees, it detach, 

 of the scales from the abdomen by means of its hinder legs : this is 

 then conveyed by the fore legs to the mouth, where it is masticated, 

 and impregnated with a frothy liquid by the tjpngue, in which process 

 it obtains a whiteness and opacity which it did not before possess. 

 The particles of wax are then applied to the roof of the hive. 

 Another scale undergoes the same process, and is attached to the first. 

 The bee thus continues labouring until all its scales are disposed of; 

 it then quits its situation and is followed by another bee, vhirh 

 proceeds with its scales in the work already begun, depositing the wax 

 in a straight lino with the former deposition. The same operation is 

 performed by many other bees, until a considerable block is deposited. 

 This block is generally about five or aix lines long (a line is equal to 

 one-twelfth of an inch), the height two lines, and the thickness 

 half a line ; and it is upon this that the formation of the colls 

 commences. 



We have seen that the foundation of the block is the work of one 

 bee, so likewise is the commencement of the cells; the former is the 

 work of what ia called the wax-workers, which, we are informed by 

 Huber, do not possess the power of sculpturing the cells : the cells 

 are made by the sculpturer-bees, who are smaller than the wax-workers. 

 No sooner is the block large enough to admit a sculpturer-bee IK 



