62 STUDIES IN INSECT LIFE, ETC. 



in a state of delirious tumult. Soon, however, 

 they settle on some bough or wall chosen by the 

 queen. Some hang to the support, the others 

 hang on to them. The queen is hidden within 

 the living, seething mass. Here the swarm may 

 hang for hours and even for days, but as a rule 

 within a few hours they are guided by certain 

 scouts, who have been investigating the possi- 

 bilities of the neighbourhood, to some hollow 

 tree or shelter under a roof and to this retreat 

 the whole swarm flies by the shortest possible 

 route. The workers at once set to work to clean 

 the new hive and to prepare the comb and as 

 soon as possible the queen resumes her intermin- 

 able egg-laying. It may be noted that whilst 

 thus swarming the queen sees the light for the 

 second time in her life. When swarming, bees 

 are very loath to sting, and, according to Latter, 

 should they do so the sting is " comparatively 

 innocuous/ ' An average swarm is about the 

 size of a football and weighs about 4 Ibs. 



The hive which the swarm has left has for 

 the time no queen, though potentialities of 

 royalty exist in the numerous royal-cells. As 

 soon as the first of these young queens is ready 

 to emerge she bites through the cover of her cell, 



