THE DRONE. 13 



of Nature in multiplying- them to such an extent. As 

 fecundation cannot be accomplished within the hive, and 

 as the queen is obliged to traverse the expanse of the 

 atmosphere, it is requisite that the males should be 

 numerous, that she may have the chance of meeting- 

 some one of them in her flight. Were only two or three 

 in each hive, there would be little probability of their 

 departure at the same instant with the queen, or that 

 they would meet her in their excursions ; and most of the 

 females might thus remain sterile." It is important for 

 the safety of the queen-bee that her stay in the air should 

 be as brief as possible : her large size and slowness 

 of flight render her an easy prey to birds. It is not 

 now thought that the queen always pairs with a drone 

 of the same hive, as Huber seems to have supposed. The 

 drone that happens to be the selected husband is by no 

 means so fortunate as at first sight may appear, for it is 

 a law of nature that the bridegroom does not survive 

 the wedding-day. Her majesty, although thus left, a 

 widowed, is by no means a sorrowful, bride, for she soon 

 becomes the happy mother of a large family. It cannot 

 be said that she pays no respect to the memory of 

 her departed lord, for she never marries again. Once 

 impregnated, — as is the case with most insects, — the 

 queen-bee continues productive during the remainder of 

 her existence. It has, however, been found that though 

 old queens cease to lay worker eggs, they may continue 

 to lay those of drones. The swarming season being 



