66 
THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 
The process of rearing queens to meet some special 
emergency, is even more wonderful than the one already 
described. If the bees have worker-eggs, or worms not 
more than three days old, they make one large cell out 
of three, by nibbling away the partitions of two cells 
adjoining a third. Destroying the eggs or worms in two 
of these cells, they place before the occupant of the other, 
the usual food of the young queens ; and by enlarging its 
cell, give it ample space for development. As a security 
against failure, they usually start a number of queen-cells, 
although often the work on all, except a few, is soon dis- 
continued. 
In from eleven to fourteen days, they are in possession 
of a new queen, in all respects resembling one reared in 
the natural way; while the eggs in the adjoining cells, 
which have been developed as workers, are nearly a week 
longer in coming to maturity. 
The beautiful representation of comb, in Plate XVIII., is 
taken, with important alterations and additions of my 
own, from Cotton’s “ My Bee-Book,” to which I am also 
indebted for the group of bees in the title-page. The 
royal cell (b), is a perfect queen-cell, from which the 
inmate has not yet emerged. The queen-cell (a), repre- 
sents the cap or lid as it often appears just after the young 
queen has hatched. The queen-cell (d), which is open at 
the side, is one from which a young queen has been vio- 
lently abstracted ; the other (c), is one which the bees 
have nearly reduced to the acorn shape. It also resem- 
wcakened by the extraordinary afflux of light, and the use of microscopes, to con- 
tinue any longer upon such small objects. 
“ He often wished, the better to accomplish his vast, unlimited views, for a year 
of perpetual heat and light to perfect his inquiries ; with n polar night, to reap all 
the advantages of them by proper drawings and descriptions.” 
