THE COMB-BUILDERS 199 



of the hive. Vermin do not prey upon it : so far 

 as is known there is only one creature that will eat 

 it — a peculiar kind of moth-larva, against which, 

 however, a strong stock can always hold its own. 

 And then, as the raw materials for its production 

 are secretions of the bee's own body, the work of 

 preparing it can be carried on when darkness or 

 stress of weather have put an end, for the time 

 being, to work out of doors. 



The first labour undertaken by a swarm, directly 

 it has gained possession of its new quarters, is the 

 building of combs. The apparent revulsion of 

 feeling which succeeds the excitement of swarm- 

 ing soon passes off, and the energies of the whole 

 party are at once concentrated on furnishing and 

 victualling the new hive. The older bees com- 

 mence foraging, each bee as she goes forth hover- 

 ing a moment with her head towards the hive, to 

 fix its location and appearance in her memory. By 

 far the greater portion, however, remain at home 

 and unite in a dense cluster for wax-making. Time 

 is everything in these first operatibns of the new 

 colony. The queen, with whom egg-laying has 

 probably been suspended for a day past, or even 

 longer, is overburdened with fecundity, and must 

 be supplied with thousands of brood-cells without 

 delay. The foragers will be coming home laden 

 with nectar and pollen, and will need instant 

 storage-room. Wax must be made with all possible 

 expedition, and the young bees crowd together in 



