LOSS OF QUEENS. 
243 
THE QUEEN LIABLE TO BE LOST IN HER EXCURSIONS. 
This excursion of the queen, whenever I have wit- 
nessed it, always took place a little after the middle of 
the day, when the drones were out in the greatest num- 
bers. At such times I have seen them leave amid 
rather more commotion than usual among the workers. 
I have watched their return, which varied from three 
minutes to half an hour, and seen them hover around 
their own hive, apparently in doubt whether they be- 
longed in that, or the next ; in a few instances they 
have actually settled on the neighboring hive, and 
would have there perished, but for my assistance in 
putting them right. 
THE TIME WHEN IT OCCURS. 
Thus we see that queens are lost on these occasions 
fiom some cause, and part of them by entering the 
wrong hive, perhaps most of them ; if so, it is another 
good reason for not packing stocks too close. The 
hives are very often nearly alike in color and appear- 
ance. The queen coming out for the first time in her 
life, is no doubt confused by this similarity. 
The number of such losses in a season has varied: 
one year the average was one in nine, another it was 
one in thirteen, and another one in twenty. The time 
from the first swarm also varies from twelve to twenty 
days. The inexperienced reader should not forget 
that it is the old stocks which have cast swarms, 
where these accidents happen ; the old queen having 
left with the first swarm. Also all after swarms are 
liable to the same loss. I would suggest that these 
