SOCIALISM AMONG BEES. 





thoroughly covered with the powder. 

 The bees immediately received her 

 as their communal mother, cleaning 

 her, and warming her, even turning 

 her on her back for this purpose. 

 Even when bees have commenced to 

 rear a queen from worker larvae, they 

 stop when a queen is given them. 

 They know that their great aim is ac- 

 complished and that there is no ne- 

 cessity for further labor in queen- 

 making. While a queen remains a vir- 

 gin she is treated almost with indif- 

 ference, but as soon as impregnation 

 has taken place, thehomageof thebees 

 becomes unbounded. Wherever she 

 goes she is surrounded by a circle of 

 devoted courtiers. They offer her 

 honey, caress her with their antennae, 

 and lick her with their tongues. 



Reaumer relates an instance of this 

 affection of bees for their queen that 

 is startling in its pathos. He found 

 a queen drowned, and apparently 

 quite dead. Bringing her home, he 

 placed her among some workers he 

 had found in the same place and in 

 the same condition, most of which he 

 had restored by warmth. No sooner 

 had these revived workers perceived 

 their queen than they appeared to be 

 filled with compassion, and at once 

 began to lick her. They did not cease 

 their ministrations until she showed 

 signs of returning animation. Then 

 they loudly hummed their joy at her 

 recovery. Half dead and bedraggled 

 themselves, yet their great love for 

 their communal mother made them 

 totally forgetful of self, and they went 

 at once to her assistance. 



The honeymoon of the queen and 

 the drone takes place in mid-air. The 

 queen returns to the hive, but the 

 king of a day dies shortly after his 

 nuptials. He rarely survives his mar- 

 ital felicity longer than 6 hours. In 

 48 hours after impregnation the queen 

 begins to oviposit. She lives abouttwo 

 years and during that time lays 250,- 

 003 eggs. The laying of worker eggs 

 begins early in the spring. After this, 

 the male eggs, generally some 2,000, 

 are laid. Queens can lay fertilized 

 eggs, i. e., male and female, at will. 

 They are enabled to do this through 



their having a curious organ called 

 spermatotheca. 



Bees swarm generally from the 

 middle of May to the Latter part of 

 June, though I have seen swarms in 

 April and in August. I saw one swarm 

 in 1890 as late as September > ( >n 

 the morning of the day on which 

 bees intend to swarm, few bees will 

 be seen to leave the hive. The ni 

 previous has been spent in busy pi 

 aration for the migration. There has 

 been a hum and a bustle noticeable 

 during the entire night. In all pr< 

 ability, those who are to go out with 

 the queen in her search for a new 

 house have told all their relations 

 good-by. The queen has harangued 

 her subjects and exhorted them to 

 follow wherever she may lead. Sud- 

 denly she rushes to the entrance, fol- 

 lowed by a vast crowd of emigrants. 

 Accompanied by these she mounts 

 into the air, and wings her way into 

 that new country where a new com- 

 munity is to be established. 



The drones, or males, are born in 

 May and are put to death in July Of 

 August. The bees chase them about 

 the hive and sting them to death. 

 They not only kill the mature drones, 

 but the young and immature 1 

 also. In hives deprived of a qui 

 and where the bees are rearm 

 queen from worker larvae, they 

 never molested. Their fury against 

 the drones is governed entirely by 

 the utility or inutility of the latter in- 

 sects. When the queen is impi 

 nated, which lasts tor a lifetime, they 

 know that they have no further 

 for the: males', which, if let- 

 would only consume their wi 

 stores of provisions, without 

 ring any benefit on tin- comn 

 wealth, so they destroy them. 

 workers make the wa 

 honey and take cai 

 The 'wax from which tlx 

 made is secreted in their Ian 

 scales between tin- \ 

 A bee will rest h< 

 the hive, firmly fix hei 

 toes and vibrate her abdom< 

 idly. Thi 

 to become dislodged and 



