66 OUR INSECT FRIENDS AND FOES 



a suitable temperature. This they accomplish 

 by fanning as hard as they can with their wings, 

 producing currents of air throughout the hive. 

 As soon as the worker population has been 

 re-established and is increasing, the queen 

 begins to lay eggs in the male or drone cells, 

 and when these drones begin to appear, then 

 more eggs are deposited in the worker cells, and 

 also a few in the royal cells. In this way the 

 population increases as the season advances, 

 and by the time that the first of the royal 

 children have completed their metamorphosis, 

 it is necessary that some of the surplus popula- 

 tion should emigrate. The queen-mother 

 becomes greatly excited when she hears the 

 piping of the young imprisoned princesses, and 

 becomes filled with a perfect fury of passionate 

 jealousy at the presence in her household of these 

 possible rivals. And now we see the wisdom of 

 the workers in keeping the young princesses im- 

 prisoned, for unless they were kept thus under 

 watch and ward, the old queen-mother in her 

 blind passion of jealousy would murder them. 

 The excitement of the old queen is infectious ; 

 there is a commotion amongst the drones, whose 

 desires are probably excited by the piping of the 

 princesses, the workers grow tremendously 

 agitated, ceasing from their labours, devouring 

 large supplies of food, rushing in and out of the 

 hive in dense clouds, and sending out scouts to 

 explore the neighbourhood. At last the excite- 

 ment and temperature within the hive becomes 

 unbearable, and the great swarm of emigrants 

 depart, along with their old queen. She is 



