354 CLASS vin. 



cells is from two to twenty 1 . They usually hang like stalactites at the 

 margin of the honey-combs. Much wax is bestowed on these cells, which 

 sometimes weigh as much as 150 common cells. 



Copulation, concerning which there has been much of fable, seems to 

 occur during flight, and the lazy drones require to be excited to it by the 

 queen. According to HUBER the penis remains in the queen, and the male 

 dies in consequence ; the rest of the males also, as well as the male larvae, 

 are put to death at the end of the summer, and cast forth from the hive. 



The larvae leave the egg after three days. After five days they prepare for 

 changing. They surround themselves with a fine web, on which they are 

 busied i^ days, and three days afterwards change into pupae. From the 

 pupa after seven or eight days the perfect insect comes to view. This 

 metamorphosis requires a shorter time in the queen, and a longer in the 

 drones than we have here given for the workers (HuBEE). The working 

 bees, when the perfect insects make their appearance, purify the empty 

 cells, that they may be ready for the reception of new eggs. If the queen, 

 as occasionally happens, should lay more than one egg in a cell, they carry 

 out the supernumerary one. In the first beginning of spring (from 

 February to April) no other eggs are laid by the queen than those which 

 are to produce working bees ; the eggs of the drones are laid at a later 

 period (April, May), and in succession ; shortly afterwards follow queen- 

 bee eggs. In this way the society increases, and then sends colonies forth. 

 The old queen is at the head of the colony, and leaves a daughter behind 

 in the kingdom which she is leaving. This is called swarming. Bees 

 swarm several times in the summer ; sometimes three or four swarms 

 proceed from one hive ; but the last swarms are small and commonly perish. 

 That a hive is about to swarm, may be known by a certain noise or song, 

 and an unusual movement within it. The swarm leaves the hive on a 

 favourable day, and gathers on the branch of a tree, on which the bees 

 hang like a large bunch of grapes. 



Respecting the age which bees attain, there is difference of opinion. 

 It is probable, however, as the experiments of HUBER shew, that they do 

 not form an exception to other insects in this respect, and that, however a 

 beehive may last five, ten, or even thirty years, there is no cause for 

 believing that the bees themselves reach such an age as ARISTOTLE sup- 

 posed, according to whom they may be six or seven years old. The 

 queen lives longer than the working bees 2 . 



Bees have many enemies, especially amongst birds and insects ; we shall 

 afterwards have occasion to mention some of them. They are also exposed 

 to many diseases. 



Amongst the numerous works on bees we must limit ourselves to noting 

 some. The two chief authors on Natural History amongst the ancients, 



1 Occasionally, even more numerous according to some observations (REAUMUR once 

 saw 40), but if ten be met with in a hive it must be considered to be a great number. 



2 F. G. DESBOROUGH, On the durat. of Life in the Queen, Drone, and Worker of t/ie 

 Honey-bee. Trans, of the Entomoloy. Soc. of London. New Series, London, 1853, II. 

 pp. 145 lyr. 



