THE SWARM 



be a simple matter for the bees to pierce 

 the intruder with their myriad envenomed 

 Sting-s; she would die on the spot, and 

 the>' would merely have to remove the 

 corpse from the hi\e. But though this 

 :sting is always held read>- to strike, though 

 they make constant use of it in their 

 tights among themselves, flvv ici'll in^cr 

 dra'j) it against a qutrn : nor will a queen 

 ever draw hers on a man, an animal, or 

 an ordinary bee. She will never unsheath 

 her ro3^al weapon — curved, in scimeter 

 fashion, instead of being straight, like 

 that of the ordinary bee — save only in 

 the case of her doing battle wiih an equal : 

 in other >^Kirds, with a sister queen. 



No bee, it would seem, dare taJce on 

 hersdf the horror of direct and blood}' 

 [79] 



