140 The Honey-Makers 



hold of her legs or wings with their teeth, and crowding so 

 closely around her that she cannot move." 



Worker-bees never sting a queen. Royalty hurls lance 

 at royalty ; but the common folk desiring to dispense with a 

 royal personage politely but fatally cluster about her so 

 closely that she is smothered to death. 



When young bees leave the hive for the first time it is 

 said they fly close to it for awhile to get their bearings and 

 learn the exact locality of their home, and that when hives 

 are moved the bees upon flying forth note the spot to which 

 they are to return. 



When bees enter a new hive their first care is to build 

 the combs, those marvellous structures that have given the 

 bee such a high place in man's regard. 



A full meal and quiet favor wax production and bees 

 leaving their old home always go with full honey sacs, to 

 provide food for a time in case of need, and we may sup- 

 pose to aid in the production of wax for the new combs. 



" When a swarm is placed in an empty hive," says 

 Cheshire, " the bees climb the sides, and gradually and in 

 close order advance along the roof, carefully securing them- 

 selves by the hooks (toes) of the fore-legs, in order to sus- 

 tain the weight of lengthened chains of their comrades, 

 formed by bee after bee hooking her fore-feet into the 

 hind-feet of the one above. In this manner, the whole 

 swarm will in an hour or so suspend itself in festoons, 

 which are usually in part attached beneath to the neigh- 

 borhood of the hive door, in order that an efficient guard 

 may be kept up, and to give ready ladder-way should any 

 arrive with supplies. 



" This arrangement complete, all is hushed in perfect still- 

 ness, no bee of the living chain moves, whilst a high tem- 

 perature is sustained ; and now the abundant food with 

 which each emigrant charged herself before she left the old 



