LOSS OF THE QUEEN. 293 



The bees appear to me, to have, as it were, an instinctive 

 perception of tiie clangers which await their queen, when she 

 makes her excursion in search of the drones, and often 

 gather around her, and confine her, as though they could 

 not bear to have her leave ! I have repeatedly noticed 

 this, although t cannot affirm with positive certainty, that the 

 fear of losing her, is the cause of such conduct. They are 

 usually excessively agitated when the queen leaves,- and 

 often exhibit all the appearance of swarming. If the queen 

 of an old stock is lost in this way, her colony will gradually 

 dwindle away. If that of an after-swarm fails to return, 

 the bees speedily dwindle aw^y, if they remain in the hive; 

 as a general rule, however, they soon leave, and attempt to 

 add themselves to other colonies. 



It would be highly interesting to ascertain how bees be- 

 come informed of the loss of their queen. When she is 

 taken from them, under such circumstances as to excite the 

 whole colony, we can easily see how they find out that she 

 is gone ; for when greatly excited, they always seek first to 

 assure themselves of her safety ; just as a tender mother, in 

 time of danger, forgets herself in her anxiety for her help- 

 less children ! If, however, the queen is carefully removed, 

 so that the colony is not disturbed, a day, or even more, may 

 sometimes elapse, before they realize their loss. How do 

 they first become aware of it? Perhaps some dutiful bee, 

 feeling that it is a long time since it has seen its mother, and 

 anxious to embrace her, makes diligent search for her 

 through the hive ! The intelligence that she cannot any- 

 where be found, is soon noised abroad, and the whole com- 

 munity are at once alarmed. At such times, instead of 

 calmly conversing, by merely touching each other's anlennse, 

 they may be seen violently striking, as it vifere, their antennae 

 together, and by the most impassioned demonstrations mani- 

 25* 



