The Life of the Bee 
free ; and she will evince the same murder- 
ous desires, send forth the same cries of 
anger, until, at last, after three or four 
days, she will leave the hive in her turn, 
at the head of the tertiary swarm; and so 
in succession, in the case of “ swarming 
fever,” till the mother-city shall be com- 
pletely exhausted. 
Swammerdam cites a hive that, through 
its swarms and the swarms of its swarms, 
was able in a single season to found no 
less than thirty colonies. 
Such extraordinary multiplication is 
above all noticeable after disastrous win- 
ters; and one might almost believe that 
the bees, forever in touch with the secret 
desires of nature, are conscious of the 
dangers that menace their race. But at 
ordinary times this fever will rarely occur 
in a strong and well-governed hive. 
There are many that swarm only once; 
and some, indeed, not at all. 
262 
