THE HONEY-BEE 63 



aided by some of the remaining workers, and steps 

 into the hive ; but this does not take place until 

 eight days have elapsed since the swarming. 

 As soon as the young queen has been cleaned 

 and has acquired a little strength and her wings 

 have hardened, she begins to move about, and 

 when she becomes aware of the other royal-cells 

 with the pupae of her sisters therein she becomes 

 violently excited, utters a well-known war-note, 

 and attempts to tear open the cell of the oldest. 

 Sometimes this is permitted, and the ruthless 

 young monarch slays with her sting in turn the 

 whole succession of royal infants. Should her 

 strength fail her the slaughter is continued by 

 the workers, who in any case greedily consume 

 what royal- jelly is left in the cells, and draw 

 the corpses of their victims out of the cells and 

 cast them out of the hive. 



This process of slaughter is, however, a very 

 risky proceeding, for if anything should happen 

 to the conquering and sole remaining queen 

 on her wedding-flight, or at any other time, 

 and if there were no larvae under three days 

 of age (these can be reared into queens by a 

 continuous diet of royal- jelly) the hive would 

 become queenless, and a queenless hive rapidly 



