THE QUEEN'S FLIGHT 



1029 



scoured and nothing was left save the 

 cocoon to teU of the tragedy that had 

 been enactetl. 



Thereafter her rule had not been dis- 

 puted, though it was directed by the 

 worker bees, who had led her in regular 

 order over the cells, determining for 

 themselves what eggs she should lay and 

 of what kind, conscious of their abiUty 

 to increase or limit the number of drones, 

 and raise more queens if they should wish 

 to do so, by isolating a worker cell and 

 feeding the new-born grub with the richest 

 food in most generous fashion. 



A 3^ear had passed since then. Another 

 summer was at its brightest, and count- 

 less fields of flowers offered their nectar 

 to the bees. The hive was full and 

 prosperous, but the Queen Bee knew that 

 a crisis in her hfe had come. Quite un- 

 beknown to her the workers had prepared 

 queen cells ; the first signs of life were 

 audible there, and she knew that the 

 hour was approaching when she must 

 face rivals, and possibly meet her death. 

 Friends she had none, for in the hive 

 friendship is unknown, duty has taken 

 its place. Very bitterly she had rebuked 

 her courtiers — the workers who had fed 

 her with the richest food as long as it 

 was necessary for her to lay eggs, but had 

 left her when the cold weather came to 

 fare on simple honey along with the rest. 

 She had begged and threatened, but all 

 to no purpose ; just as she had been cared 

 for in the early days, so the young queen 

 bees were being cared for now, and at last, 

 in an agony of rage and resentment, she 

 had cried, " To-morrow I will leave the 

 hive, and all who care may follow me." 



In a few moments this threat had 

 penetrated every corner of the citadel, 

 stirring even the lazy drones to conscious- 

 ness of some other interest in hfe than food 

 or play. The various committees that 

 direct the operations of the hive, super- 

 vising the labcjurs of the bees that work 

 the air supply, the sentries, the nurses, 

 the wax makers, the builders, the under- 

 takers, the scav^engers, and the drones, 

 held excited and noisy councils. In 

 place of the regular subdued murmur of 

 the hive that told of the even tenor of 

 work, there were countless jarring sounds 

 in chfferent keys and of varying intensity. 

 Among the laws oi the hi\e — known to 



e\'ery worker — was the one that said, " A 

 Queen Bee may swarm if she care to, 

 while if it be the will of the community 

 to supersede her, and she does not swarm, 

 she may be put to death." Very quickly 

 the vast numbers gave their derision and 

 divided themselves up. More than twenty 

 thousand decided to swarm, while the rest 

 elected to remain where they were and 

 appoint the strongest of the young 

 queens to take the Old Queen's place. 

 All through the night various plans were 

 discussed. Only the fanners, upon whose 

 labours the air of the hive depended, 

 remained constant to their task, while 

 with the break of day those who had 

 decided to follow the Old Queen to exile 

 sent scouts out, north, south, east and 

 west, to look for a new home. 



After deciding where the swarm would 

 light, the Queen Bee waited anxiously 

 for midday. The cries of the imprisoned 

 queens in their guarded cells awoke in 

 her, every now and again, short, sharp fits 

 of frenzy, but for the restraining guards 

 she would ha\'e put the need for swarm- 

 ing beyond further discussion. A spirit 

 of unrest ruled the hive, from the honey 

 cells at the top to the brood cells below 

 and to the ahghting board, beyond which 

 the bees responsible for the air current 

 still laboured as though they alone were 

 unaffected by the coming change. What- 

 ever happened the current of pure air 

 must flow through the hive, and so they 

 fluttered their tireless wings while their 

 fellow workers inside the hive, save the 

 few who were generating a contrary 

 draught, seemed to have forgotten the 

 call to the fields and all the wealth that 

 awaited their gardening. The morning 

 waxed bright and glorious, the song of 

 birds and insects penetrated to the heart 

 of the hive, summer called the workers 

 to the field, but for once her summons 

 was ignored by the most of those it 

 reached. 



" Prepare' yourselves," cried the Old 

 Queen at last, " it is time to go." Scarcely 

 had this signal l)een given when the 

 clamour died down as though some s])iiit 

 of ])eace had descended u])on the po]m- 

 lation. During the next few nunutes 

 every lu-e tliat had arranged to foUow 

 the Queen filled herself witli as much 

 of the hive's store as she rould carry. 



