THE HONEY BEE FAMILY 41 



bees will go with the new swarm and the old 

 stock will be so badly reduced that excess queen 

 cells will be destroyed, and the bees will there- 

 after attend to business. It is well, also, to 

 open the hive and remove all queen cells but 

 one, or if a virgin queen has already issued and 

 is present in the hive to remove all remaining 

 queen cells. 



The Mating Flight. — When the young 

 queen has been out of her cell from four to eight 

 days she takes her mating flight. In the mean- 

 time she takes short flights outside the hive, 

 apparently for the purpose of marking the lo- 

 cation. When time for mating arrives she 

 circles high in the air, pursued by drones that 

 chance to be flying near at hand. The mating 

 always takes place in the air, the act being fatal 

 to the drone. One mating is sufficient for life, 

 under normal conditions, and the queen returns 

 to the hive to remain until such time as she shall 

 leave with a swarm. If perchance the queen 



