194 SUMMEB. 



enough, they are almost certain to contain eggs. I 

 could add other proof, but the attentive observer -mil 

 discover it himself. 



MK. weeks' theory NOT SATISFACTORY. 



Mr. J. M. Weeks, in his work on bees, says, " Two 

 causes and two only can be assigned why bees ever 

 swarm : the first, the crowded state of the hive ; the 

 second, to avoid the battle of the queens." The first 

 cause producing first swarms, the other second, third, 

 &c. Mr. Colton's patent hive, it is said, can be made 

 to swarm " at any time within two days," merely for 

 want of room. By removing the six boxes attached 

 to it, the bees are compelled to crowd into the main 

 body of the hive, and swarm out in consequence. 

 Now, if merely crowding the hive with bees is the only 

 cause of first swarms, how is it that half or more of 

 mine refused to swarm, when a great many, for want 

 of room, were crowded outside for weeks, and great 

 numbers maturing every day to crowd them still more ? 

 To me the reason is plain, that some of the before- 

 mentioned requisites were wanting. Mr. "Weeks fur- 

 ther says, when the first swarm has left, " not a single 

 queen, in any stage of minority, is left in the old hive ; 

 the bees, destitute of a queen, set about constructing 

 several royal cells, take larvse or eggs and put in them, 

 and feed with royal jelly, and in a few days have a 

 queen." Although I had not had much experience 

 at the time of getting his work, I had some doubts, be- 

 cause I found that all hives that became ftdl and be- 

 gan to run over, did not swarm, and some others 



