THE GOVERNMENT OF A HIVE. 21 



anxious for profit than for novelty we would say, wait till 

 you are certain that the Liguiian bees are better than 

 the common sort, ere you pay an extravagant price for 

 them. "We have no words strong enough to express our 

 admiration of the old English bees ; and if a public con- 

 test between them and Ligurian bees could be instituted, 

 we should confidently stand by the old sort. We like 

 to speak well of the good roads and sound bridges that 

 have borne us along for fifty years. 



CHAPTEE V. 



THE GOVERNMENT OP A HIVE. 



The queen bee is monarch of the hive ; and every hive 

 of bees must have a queen reigning or in prospect — that 

 is to say, in embryo. The monarchy of a bee-hive is a 

 very limited one, for the presence of the queen amongst 

 the bees is all the authority she wields, but is enough to 

 secure the greatest order, contentment, and activity. De- 

 prive a hive of its queen, and we presently find the bees 

 thrown into a state of chaos and commotion, tumultuous 

 to a degree. Let her be restored to them, and there is 

 presently a great cahn, and evident tokens of joy and 

 satisfaction. 



The workers are the governors or rulers over both queen 

 and drones. The harmony of a hive is so great and unique 

 that it is but seldom necessary for the bees to exercise 

 their powers of mastership. When queens become old 

 and enfeebled, their governors resolve to have younger 

 ones. Eoyal cells are prepared, eggs aie set in them, and 



