146 PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 
towards her, that it is impossible for her to penetrate with- 
in. If they retain her prisoner too long, she dies either 
from the want of food or air, but never from their 
stings*. 
Here you may perhaps feel curious to know, supposing 
the reigning queen to die or be killed, and the bees to 
have discovered their loss, whether they would then re- 
ceive a foreigner that offers herself to them or is intro- 
duced amongst them. Reaumur says they would do this 
immediately>; but Huber, who had better means of ob- 
serving them, and studied them with more undivided at- 
tention, affirms that this will not be the case, unless 
twenty-four hours have elapsed since the death of the old 
queen. Previously to this period, as if they were absorb- 
ed by grief at their calamity, or mdulged a fond hope of 
her revival, an intruder would be treated exactly as I 
have described. But when the period just mentioned is 
passed, they will receive any queen that is presented to 
them with the customary homage, and she may occupy 
the vacant throne *. 
I must now beg you to attend to what takes place in 
the second case that I mentioned, where queens are want- 
ed to lead forth swarms. Here you will, with reason, sup- 
pose that nature has instilled some instinct into the bees, 
by which these necessary individuals are rescued from 
the fury of the reigning sovereign. 
Did the old queen of the hive remain in it till the 
young ones were ready to come forth, her instinctive jea- 
lousy would lead her to attack them all as successively 
produced; and being so much older and stronger, the 
probability is that she would destroy them; in which 
* Huber, i. 186. » Reaum. y. 268, © Huber, i. 180. 
