BEE. 
419 
is to collect all the bees, and spread them on white 
paper, or put them into water, in a broad, flat- 
bottomed, shallow, white dish, in which they swim ; 
and by looking at them singly she may be disco- 
vered. As the queen breeds the first year she is 
produced, and the oviducts never entirely subside, 
an old queen is probably thicker than a new bred 
one, unless indeed the oviducts and the eggs form 
in the chrysalis state, as in the silkworm ; which I 
should suppose they did. The queen is perhaps at 
the smallest size just as she has done breeding ; for, 
as she is to lay eggs by the month of March, she 
must begin early to fill again ; but I believe her 
oviducts are never emptied, having at all times eggs 
in them, although but small. She has fat in her 
belly similar to other bees.” 
Speaking of the number of queens in a hive, 
Mr. Hunter says, “ 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 win- 
ter ; for, when there are two queens, it is likely that 
a division may begin 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 swarming was over, and it 
had not swarmed, I began to suspect that the rea- 
son why it did not was owing to there being no 
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