98 ARTIFICIAL QUEENS. 



maturity. Within the space of six weeks, we saw 

 the foundations laid of fourteen or fifteen royal cells, 

 and at the last removal, no fewer than three Queens 

 were visible at the same moment on the surface of the 

 comb ; yet we had not the good fortune to witness a 

 regular combat between any two of them. The first 

 hatched of the three, we had reason to conclude, 

 dispatched two of her rivals, but without our wit- 

 nessing the deed of death. The third we saw her 

 sting repeatedly, at the instant of the former emerging 

 from her cell, and without any attempt on the part 

 of the bees to restrain her. The wounded Queen 

 had strength enough to move a few inches across the 

 comb, when she paused, and seemed to sicken from 

 tfhe effects of the venom ; she moved again, with a 

 very languid step, an inch or two, and then stopped ; 

 her limbs became visibly paralyzed, and in a few 

 minutes she dropped lifeless to the bottom of the hive. 

 From all these experiments, it seems now a fact 

 established beyond all doubt, that Bees can at all times 

 procure a Queen for themselves, provided they have 

 a comb containing larvae not more than three days old, 

 in the common cells, and that nothing but certain im- 

 portant conditions, such as a particular kind of food 

 and more spacious lodgment, are requisite for the con- 

 version of common larvse into Queens. 



At the same time, it ought to be candidly con- 

 fessed, that while the fact itself seems now com- 

 pletely established, there are circumstances connect- 

 CQ with it which we are unable satisfactorily to ex- 

 pmin. That a more abundant supply of food, and 



