218 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



colony, we can easily see how they find it out ; for as a 

 tender mother, in time of danger, is all anxiety for her 

 helpless children, so bees, when alarmed, always seek first 

 to assure themselves of the safety of their queen. If, 

 however, the queen is very carefully removed, a day, or 

 even more, may elapse, before they realize their loss.* 

 How do they first become aware of it ? Perhaps some 

 dutiful bee, anxious to embrace her another, makes diligent 

 search for her through the hive. The intelligence that 

 she cannot be found being noised abroad, the whole family 

 is speedily alarmed. At such times, instead of calmly 

 conversing, by touching each other's antennae, they may 

 be seen violently striking them together, and by the most 

 impassioned demonstrations manifesting their agony and 

 despair. 



I once removed the queen of a small colony, the bees 

 of which took wing and filled the air, in search of her. 

 Although she was returned hi a few minutes, royal cells 

 were found two days later. The queen was unhurt, and 

 the cells untenanted. Was this work begun by some that 

 did not believe the others, when assured that she was 

 safe ? or from the apprehension that she might be removed 

 again ? 



All colonies whose queens are to be impregnated should 

 be watched, that the Apiarian may be seasonably apprised 

 of their loss. Such colonies, if provided with suitable 

 brood-comb, will seldom forsake the hive, if the queen is 

 lost. An old stock which cannot be suppplied with a 

 queen or the means of raising one, should be broken up, 



* " For eighteen hours after the queen was taken away, the usual labors of the 

 hive proceeded as regularly as if she were still present; but no sooner was her loss 

 discovered than all was agitation and tumult the bees hurried backward and for- 

 ward over the combs, with a loud noise, rushed in crowds out of the hive, as if 

 going to swarm, and in short, exhibited all the symptoms of bereavement and de- 

 spair." BEVAN, p. 24. 



