76 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN 



My new Masters observed me closely, 

 opening my hive occasionally to be certain 

 of my presence, ascertain if I were a vigor- 

 ous layer, if my bees were gentle, if we 

 were producing honey rapidly, and capping 

 it in a superior manner. They knew their 

 business as well as we knew ours. W^hen 

 my colony became so populous that my in- 

 stinct suggested to me the propriety of 

 soon leading out a swarm, as my royal 

 mother had done in Italy, the Maids began 

 upon Queen Cells. This was evidence of 

 what my purposes were, and my Masters 

 determined to frustrate them and oblige us 

 to use the spirit of the colony in a direction 

 more to their advantage, similarly as peo- 

 ple harness horses to get loads hauled, use 

 mill wheels to secure the power of water, 

 or as directors manage the energies of 

 laborers so that more and better work may 

 be accomplished than if they followed less 

 effective methods. So then, they cut out 

 these Queen Cells, gave us additional room 

 by putting more honey sections over our 



