SENTINELS AT THE GATES. 



minutes they returned to the charge, and this time the intruder 

 succeeded in mounting on the back of the virgin and giving her 

 several stabs with her sting, which, however, failed to penetrate 

 the flesh. The virgin queen, succeeding in disengaging herself, 

 again retired. Another round succeeded, with the like results, 

 the virgin still coming undermost, and, after disengaging herself, 

 again retiring. The combat appeared for some time doubtful, 

 the rival queens being so nearly equal in strength and power, 

 when at last, by a lucky chance, the virgin sovereign inflicted a 

 mortal wound upon the intruder, who fell dead on the spot. 



In this case, the sting of the virgin was buried so deep in the 

 flesh of her opponent, that she found it impossible to withdraw it, 

 and any attempt to do so by direct force would have been fatal to 

 her. After many fruitless efforts she at length adopted the 

 following ingenious expedient with complete success. Instead of 

 exerting her force on the sting by a direct pull, she turned herself 

 round, giving herself a rotatory motion on the extremity of her 

 abdomen where the sting had its insertion, as a pivot. In this 

 way she gradually unscrctced the sting. 



127. The gates of the hive are as constantly and regularly 

 guarded night and day as those of any fortress. The workers 

 charged with this duty are, of course, regularly relieved. They 

 scrupulously examine every one who desires to enter ; and, as 

 though distrustfulfrof their eyes, they touch all visitors with their 

 antenna}. If a queen happens to present herself among such 

 visitors, she is instantly seized and prevented from entering. 

 The sentinels grasp her legs or wings with their mandibles, and 

 so surround her that she cannot move. As the report of the event 

 spreads through the interior of the hive, large reinforcements of 

 the guard arrive, who augment the dense ranks which hold the 

 strange queen in durance. 



In general, in such cases, the intruding queen is thus detained 

 prisoner until she dies from want of food. It is remarked that 

 the guard, who thus surround and detain her, never use their 

 stings upon her. In one instance Huber attempted to extricate a 

 queen, thus surrounded, by taking her directly out of the ring of 

 guards. This excited the rage of the guard to such a pitch that, 

 putting forth their stings, they rushed blindly not only on the 

 queen but on each other. The queen, as well as several of the 

 guard, were killed in the melee. 



128. When the sovereign of the hive is removed or accidentally 

 destroyed, the population seem at first to be wholly unconscious 

 of their loss, and pursue their usual avocations as if nothing had 

 happened. But after the lapse of some hours they begin to 

 manifest a certain degree of uneasiness. This gradually increases, 



61 



