22 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



then comes the dethronement of the old ones. Frequently 

 the old queens are cast out aKve. We have known one 

 such crawl hack into the hive four or five times. It was 

 a sad end to a useful life. But the bees mercifully ab- 

 stained from hurting her. The welfare of the community 

 demanded her removal, and a worthy successor in her 

 place. Hence they cast her out, and reared another. . 

 If they had let her die a natural death, it might have 

 taken place when there were no eggs in the hive, and thus 

 have doomed the whole colony to extinction. 



In times of threatened poverty and starvation, a queen 

 may lay many eggs ; but the bees often wisely remove 

 them, rather than ccmsume the little food left for them- 

 ■ selves in rearing brood. Frequently half-hatched brood 

 is torn out of the cells and cast out of the hives by the 

 workers. Commands are often given not to swarm, after 

 arrangements have been made for swarming. When we 

 come to explain swarming, it will be seen that it is by the 

 wiU and authority of the working bees that it does or 

 does not happen— weather not interfering. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



SWARMING. 



It is our intention to explain this more fuUy when we 

 come to the practical part of this work. Though it is 

 one of the most interesting parts of bee-history, swarming 

 and aU its adjuncts are very difficult to explain, or put in 

 a tangible form. The building of drone-combs, and the 

 formation of royal cells, long before they are needed, indi- 



