THE BEE. 



■antil the entire Hve becomes a scene of tumult. The wax- 

 makers abandon their work, the nurses desert the infant brood 7 

 they run here and there in all directions through the streets and 

 passages of the hive as if in delirium. That aU this disorder 

 and alarm is produced by the report spreading that the sovereign 

 has disappeared, was proved to demonstration by Huber, who- 

 restored to the hive the queen he had purposely withdrawn. 

 Her majesty was instantly recognised by those who happened to' 

 be assembled at the place of her restoration ; but what is remark- 

 able is that the intelligence of her return was immediately spread, 

 through every part of the hive, so that the bees in its most remote- 

 streets and alleys, who had no opportunity of personally seeing 

 her majesty, were informed of her re-appearance, as was proved, 

 by the restoration of order and tranquillity, and the resumption 

 of their usual labours by all classes of the population. 



129. If, instead of restoring to the hive the queen herself, a new- 

 queen, stranger to the population, be introduced, she will not 

 at first be accepted. She will, on the contrary, be guarded and 

 imprisoned by a ring of bees, in the same manner as a strange- 

 queen is treated in a hive which still retains its reigning sovereign. 

 But if she survives sixteen or eighteen hours in this confinement,^ 

 the guard around her gradually disperses itself, and the lady 

 enters the hive and assumes without further question the state 

 and dignity of queen, and becomes the object of the homage paid. 

 to the sovereign. 



As we have already stated, the first work which the population, 

 undertakes, after being assured of the loss of its queen, is directed, 

 to obtain a successor to her. If there be not royal cells prepared, 

 they set about their constructicfti. While this work was in. 

 progress, and in twenty-four hours after their queen had been, 

 taken from them, Huber introduced into the hive a fruitful queen 4 

 in the prime of life, being eleven months old. Not less than, 

 twelve royal cells had been already commenced and were in a 

 forward state. The moment the strange queen was placed on. 

 one of the combs, one of the most curious scenes commenced which 

 was probably ever witnessed in the animal world, and which has. 

 been described by Huber. 



The bees who happened to be near the stranger approached her, 

 touched her with their antennse, passed their probosces over 

 all parts of her body, and presented her with honey. Then they 

 retired, giving place to others, who approached in their turn and 

 went through the same ceremony. All the bees who proceeded 

 thus clapped their wings in retiring and ranged themselves in a. 

 circle round her, each, as it completed the ceremony, taking a 

 position behind those who had previously offered their respects. A. 

 62 



