i6 THE BEE AS AN INSECT. [Ch. i. 



queen, it is said, will sting her rival unless she has her 

 at an advantage, and can thrust her body beneath the 

 other's, and inflict the fatal thrust without fear either of 

 receiving another simultaneously, or of being unable to 

 withdraw her own sting. If on the contrary each has 

 grappled the other in readiness for mutual slaughter, they 

 will at once separate and commence the battle anew. 



After perusing the description given above of the 

 attachment of bees to their queen, it may be easy to 

 imagine the consternation a hive is thrown into when 

 deprived of her presence. The bees first make a diligent 

 search for their monarch in the hive, and then afterwards 

 rush forth in immense numbers to seek her. If the 

 search is unavailing they will return to the hive and com- 

 mence what Langstroth calls " a succession of wailings 

 in the minor key,'' which no experienced bee-master 

 can mistake. When such a commotion is observed in 

 an apiary the competent apiarian will repair the loss 

 by giving a queen. The bees have generally their own 

 remedy for such a calamity, in their power of raising a 

 new queen from amongst their larvse ; but if neither this 

 nor the former means is available, the whole colony 

 gradually dwindles and in time dies off. The following 

 is the method by which working bees provide a successor 

 to the throne when deprived of their queen by accident, 

 or in anticipation of the first swarm, which is always led 

 by the old queen : — 



They select, when not more than three days old, an 



