( 187 ) 



XIX. Observations on the Honey Bee, in Continuation of 

 the Prize Essay of the ^Entomological Society for the Year 

 1852. By J. G. Desborough, Esq. 



[Read 2nd April, 1855.] 



On the 16th July, 1852, the observatory hive was stocked with a 

 cast from a hive which had swarmed on the 4th of July. The 

 object in stocking it with a cast in lieu of a swarm was simply 

 that the space within the hive was thought to be too confined to 

 admit a swarm. It had been stocked three times previously by 

 an Apiarian friend in a situation where I had the opportunity of 

 inspecting it daily, once with a swarm and twice with a cast; on the 

 first occasion the bees deserted the hive entirely on the day after 

 being hived; on the second, though the stock flourished during 

 the summer, and the labours of the bees were constantly under 

 inspection, the approach of winter was fatal ; and on the third 

 occasion, in the month of January, the hive was removed into my 

 bed room, but too late to save the lives of the bees — damp and 

 disease had taken too deep a root, and the stock died; there was 

 plenty of food, and starvation was evidently not the cause of 

 death. This happened in January, 1852. 



My attention was then specially directed to the possibility of 

 keeping a stock alive during the winter, so as to be able to watch 

 the proceedings of the queen during the entire year; and not- 

 withstanding the discouraging results of the previous attempts I 

 resolved to establish the hive in a room in ray own house, and, on 

 the approach of winter, to watch attentively tlie necessities of the 

 stock, and be guided by circumstances. 



The hive was accordingly set up on the 16th July; on the 21st 

 the queen was depositing eggs; at 10 p.m., on the 29th, a con- 

 siderable quantity of the brood was sealed over; on the 5th 

 August I counted 4,090 cells containing brood; on the 10th, 

 young bees coming forth; on the 19th, second course of brood 

 sealed over. 'J'hus, during little more than a month, the queen 

 had laid more than 8,000 eggs; the hive had been about three- 

 fourths filled with comb, and a considerable quantity of pollen 

 and honey had been gathered and stored. The laying of eggs was 

 discontinued by the end of August, and the bees seemed to be 



