146 SWARMS. 



When the swarming is over in any particular hive, 

 the new Queen, on the departure or death of the rest, 

 and the restoration of the ordinary tranquillity of the 

 community, goes abroad on the following day, gene- 

 rally the fifth of her existence, to meet the males, 

 and is impregnated. Forty-six hours afterwards, she 

 commences laying the eggs of workers, and continues 

 to do so for the eleven succeeding months. This 

 does not, however, hold strictly true in every case ; 

 for it sometimes happens, if the season he favourable, 

 that the swarm led off by the old Queen, produces, 

 in about a month afterwards, a new colony, which is 

 also headed by the same female. Before leaving the 

 old hive, she had terminated her^rart laying of drone 

 eggs, and thus became able to fly from her greater 

 lightness, and to set out to found a new colony. In this 

 she recommences the laying the eggs of workers, and 

 continues to do so for ten or twelve days, after which 

 she deposits a few drone eggs in cells which the bees, 

 as if aware that she would require them, have already 

 prepared for their reception. These male eggs, 

 though few, are enough to encourage the bees to 

 construct royal cells ; and if, in these circumstances, 

 the weather be favourable, a swarm may be formed, 

 and the same Queen depart at its head. Nor is this 

 variation in the swarming operations restricted to the 

 instance of the old Queen ; we have known two or 

 three instances in which a young Queen, that is. a 

 Queen of the current year, after leading off, as in 

 ordinary circumstances, an after-swarm, has again 

 issued with another swarm from her new habitation. 



