Mr. Hunter's Observations on Bees. 
171 
Of the Number of Queens in a Hive. 
I believe a hive, or swarm, has but one queen, at least I have 
never found more than one in a swarm, or in an old hive in 
the winter ; and probably this is what constitutes a hive ; for 
when there are two queens, it is likely that a division may be- 
gin to take place. Supernumerary queens are mentioned by 
Riem, who asserts he has seen them killed by the labourers, as 
well as the males. 
November 18th, 1788, I killed a hive that had not swarmed 
the summer before, and which was to appearance ready to 
swarm every day ; but when I supposed the season for swarm- 
ing was over, and it had not swarmed, I began to suspect that 
the reason why it did not was owing to there being no young 
queen or queens ; and I found only one. This is a kind of 
presumptive proof that I was right in my conjecture ; unless it 
be supposed, that when they were determined not to swarm, 
they destroyed every queen except one. In a hive that died, 
I found no males, and only one queen. This circumstance, 
that so few queens are bred, must arise from the natural secu- 
rity the queen is in from the mode of their society ; for, al- 
though there is but one queen in a wasp’s, hornet’s, and humble 
bee’s nest or hive, yet these breed a great number of queens ; 
the wasp and hornet some hundreds ; but not living in society 
during the winter, they are subject to great destruction, so 
that probably not one in a hundred lives to breed in the sum- 
mer. I have said that the queen leaves off laying in the month 
of July ; and now she is to be impregnated by the males before 
they die. Mr. Riem asserts, he has seen the copulation 
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