1 1 8 Trails to Woods and Waters 



veritable empire in wjiich, in a certain sense, 

 she is supreme, yet it is a limited monarchy, 

 and her powers are more like those of a 

 limited monarch than those of a despot. 



The colony would even go so far as to kill 

 their queen if they didn't like her, or thought 

 she was not serving the best interests of the 

 hive, quite as the human family have disposed 

 of royalty that had become obnoxious. 



Although the hive can do almost nothing 

 without the presence and assistance of the 

 queen, yet she is not its whole power. This 

 is located in the body politic, just as it is in a 

 limited monarchy. 



In many ways the hive can be controlled 

 through its queen. For instance, if the hive 

 swarms, and a part of its members leave and 

 take up quarters on the limb of an adjacent 

 tree, they ascertain if the queen has come with 

 them, and if she is not discovered in the clus- 

 ter, they at once return to the hive. So when 

 the bee-keeper does not wish to have the hive 

 swarm, he keeps what is called a drone-trap 

 over the front door of the hive. This enables 



