66 Account of the Queen Bee. 
appears clearly proved, by Schirach’s experi- 
ments and my own. On the other hand, if we 
hold it to be of a nutritive nature, then we 
fuppofe the Queen to be a hermaphrodite, or 
felf-prolific, without the afliftance of any other 
creature. It is indeed reported, that the whole 
genus of {nails are hermaphrodites, and that 
each individual of the {pecies is endued with 
both fexes. re 
But although I have not a doubt as to the fact, 
that an egg inacommon cell is capable of being 
nourifhed up to produce a Queen, yet I rather 
doubt, whether any great improvement can be 
made of this difcovery, fo.as to increafe the 
quantity ef honey and wax; as itis not a great 
number of hives that will produce that effec, 
but only real good ones, I alfo doubt, whether 
more hives can be reared by this method, as 
our bees generally produce more Queens natu- — 
rally, than they are able to fupply with a fuf- 
ficient number of common bees to compofe a 
proper {warm with; as appears from their kil- 
ling the {upernumerary ones, which they have 
no need of.—Often, for inftance, in a garden 
containing four ftock hives in May, they will 
breed perhaps 24 Queens during the fummer, 
but will kill two thirds of them, and fend off 
the 
