32 A Modern Bee-Farm 



Hatching of the Young Queens. 



In about nine days from the issue of the first swarm, one 

 of the young queens bites her way out of the cell, leaving 

 the cap hanging attached at a part of its edge ; this covering will 

 sometimes get back into its original place and be again sealed by 

 the bees, and should a worker be in, clearing out the residue 

 of food at the time, its fate is sealed. Such occurrences, 

 simple to a careful observer, have at times given rise to unfounded 

 theories ; but at the same time it shows how it is quite possible 

 to leave a useless queen cell in the hive when cutting out all but 

 one to prevent after-swarming : a wanton waste of time by the 

 way which cannot be tolerated in a modern apiary. 



As a rule the first hatched young queen leads off, or rather 

 goes with the second swarm ; though the after, and sometimes 

 even the second swarm, is accompanied by more than one virgin 

 queen. Though I am well aware that such queens will, if placed 

 together, immediately fight until one receives its instantaneous 

 death wound ; when several accompany a swarm, or in case two 

 or more swarms settle together, each having a fertile queen, the 

 bees themselves settle the matter by " balling " those not required. 

 After the hive is so weakened that the bees know it is useless to 

 attempt to swarm again, or should the weather be unfavourable, 

 the queens still unborn are destroyed, as I have reason to believe, 

 by the workers tearing open the side of the cells and there sting- 

 ing their helpless victims, or tearing them out piecemeal. 



Within seven days after the issue of the first swarm there is no 

 more uncapped larvae, and therefore no more feeding required 

 from the nurse bees until the last remaining young queen is 

 laying, a period of about twelve days, so that if excessive swarming 

 is not indulged in, stores continue to accumulate while there is a 

 reduced force to gather it. It is well that this is so, as the young 

 queen is generally so very prolific that unless the workers can get 

 in advance of her requirements at the starts they are liable to 

 reach Winter with no stores on hand. 



