194 
SUMMER. 
enough, they are almost certain to contain eggs. I 
could add other proof, but .the attentive observer will 
discover it himself. 
MR. WEEKS’ THEORY NOT SATISFACTORY. 
Mr. J. M. Weeks, in his work on bees, says, “Two 
causes and two only can bo assigned why bees ever 
swarm : the first, the crowded state of the hive ; the 
sffcond, to avoid the battle of the queens.” The first 
cause producing first swarms, the other second, third, 
&c. Mr. Colton’s patent hive, it is said, can be made 
to swarm “ at any time within two days,” merely for 
want of room. By removing the six boxes attached 
to it, the bees are compelled to crowd into the main 
body of the hive, and swarm out in consequence. 
Now, if merely crowding the hive with bees is the only 
cause of first swarms, how is it that half or more of 
mine refused to swarm, when a great many, for want 
of room, were crowded outside for weeks, and great 
. numbers maturingevery day to crowd them still more ? 
To me the reason is plain, that some of the before- 
mentioned requisites were wanting. Mr. Weeks fur- 
ther says, when the first swarm has left, “ not a single 
queen, in any stage of minority, is left in the old hive ; 
the bees, destitute of a queen, set about constructing 
several royal cells, take larvm or eggs and put in them, 
and feed with royal jelly, and in a few days have a 
queen.” Although I had not had much experience 
at the time of getting his work, I had some doubts, be- 
cause I found that all hives that became full and be- 
gan to run over, did not swarm, and some others 
