RELUCTANCE OP THE QUEEN TO STING. 85 



is always spoken of as the king, and it was the generally- 

 received opinion, that he had no sting. It is, however, 

 certain that the queen bee has a sting, although she seldom 

 makes use of it. A French naturalist, M. La Grenee, says 

 that he held a queen bee in his hand for some length of 

 time, and even teazed her, without having had the honour of 

 being stung. We have always been averse from provoking 

 the queen bee to sting, as the consequence of such an act 

 would most probably be the loss of the hive. 



This apathy or reluctance on the part of the queen to 

 act on the defensive, or to revenge an affront, which is so 

 very conspicuous in the common bee, arises entirely from 

 a powerful natural instinct, and a consciousness which she 

 possesses, that the welfare of the hive depends wholly on her 

 preservation. The monarchy would be exposed to many 

 frequent and alarming dangers, were she addicted to the 

 same ebullitions of irascibility, and inflicted her sting on the 

 least act of provocation, which is so observable with the 

 common bee. She is the soul of the hive : if she perish, the 

 labours of the monarchy cease, and the bees immediately 

 forsake their domicile. This is in itself a very cogent 

 reason why she is not fructified h la Huber, for were she 

 in the habit of leaving the hive, for the purpose of copu- 

 lation with the drones, she would have to encounter such a 

 host of enemies, who are ever on the alert for the bees, that 

 her safe return to the hive would become a matter highly 

 problematical. 



The attachment of the bees to their queen can only be 

 equalled by the importance which they attach to her welfare 

 — without her, the community would disperse, and be an- 

 nihilated ; without her, or at least without the hope of 

 another being soon born, everything would be in languor, 

 dejection, and consternation. The bees would immediately 

 leave the hive, and become a horde of vagabonds, when 

 they would fall a prey either to their enemies, or die from 

 e 3 



