THE QUEEN 91 



recognized as the normal period of development from the egg to 

 maturity. 



The instincts of the newly emerged queen are very different 

 from those of the newly emerged worker. The worker mingles 

 freely with her fellows without the slightest hostile action. The 

 newly emerged queen begins at once to search for possible rivals. 

 Should there be other queen cells, she will at once destroy 

 them, if unmolested by the workers. Should the colony be 

 preparing to swarm, the unemerged queens will be protected 

 by a guard of workers. Ordinarily the needs of the colony are 

 met by a single vigorous queen, and she promptly dispatches any 

 others, either mature or in the cells. On one occasion the 

 author observed three young queens to emerge almost simul- 

 taneously. They immediately gave battle, and but a few 

 moments elapsed until they were in a death grip. 



It sometimes happens that an old and failing queen will 

 remain in the hive for a time with the daughter who will later 

 supersede her. Apparently then there is no antagonism between 

 them, for the mother in the very nature of things must shortly 

 die. Just why there is such a change in the attitude toward 

 each other in cases of this kind is hard to understand. 



Usually when the queen is from five to seven days old, she 

 departs on her wedding flight. The mating takes place in the 

 air during the warm period of the day, when the drones fly in 

 greatest numbers. The organs of the male are torn violently 

 away, and carried back to the hive by the newly impregnated 

 queen. The entire content of the male seminal fluid is absorbed 

 by the queen, who retains it in a special sac, where it continues 

 to fertilize the eggs during the life of the queen mother. It is 

 no longer questioned among practical bee-keepers that the queen 

 mates but once, and that one impregnation is sufficient for life. 



One of the most remarkable things in the life of the bee is 

 the fact that an impregnated queen may produce at will either 

 male or female offspring, while the unimpregnated queen pro- 

 duces male offspring. Apparently, the eggs ftom which drones 



