2 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



more like a worker than a drone, but more genteel and 

 beautiful than either. Her abdomen or belly is compara- 

 tively long, and gradually tapers to a point — giving her 

 an appearance quite distinguishable from all in the hive. 

 She is reaUy a queenly creature, modest and graceful in 

 all her movements. 



Being mother and monarch of the hive, her life is very 

 precious. The loyalty of her people, and the activity of 

 her body-guard, are remarkable. ISTo human monarch was 

 ever half so well attended to by his subjects as a queen 

 bee is by hers. The life and prosperity of a hive depend 

 on the presence of a queen — a queen moving and reigning 

 in it — or in prospect — that is, in embryo ; for when a queen 

 dies, or goes with a colony or swarm, she leaves behind 

 her some princesses in their cells — that is to say, in their 

 infant state — or eggs which the bees hatch into queens. 

 If a hive lose its queen, and is without expectation of 

 getting another, all prosperity comes to an end — the con- 

 tentment, loyalty, and industry of the bees depart from 

 them : their stores of honey are often undefended by 

 themselves, and stolen by the bees of prosperous hives. 



Tlie Age of Queens. 



They live about four years. In this the worth of their 

 lives to the community is seen. The working bees live 

 but nine months, and the drones are not permitted either 

 to live or die ; they are destroyed. The climax of their 

 history is not a pleasing one. But queens, generally 

 speaking, live four years. Some die when they are three 

 years old : very few die a natural death sooner. 



Queens are fourteen days in being hatched — that is to 

 say, perfect queens are produced on the fourteenth day 

 after eggs have been put into royal cells. To a thought- 

 ful bee-keeper the length of their days is not so great a 



