206 
THE I1IVE AND HONEY-BEE. 
began to piece out and repair the comb which needed a 
corner. The queen at once commenced laying, and soon 
filled the unoccupied cells, when she Avas again removed, 
and the bees once more began the construction of queen- 
cells. 
“ ‘ The young bees noAV began to hatch forth, and in two 
Aveeks the family increased so fast as to make it necessary 
for them to prepare to emigrate. They had built six queen- 
cells, and in about tAvdve days the first queen Avas hatched. 
As soon as she Avas fairly born, she marched rapidly, and 
in the most energetic manner, over the comb, and visited 
the other cells in which Avere the embryo queens, seeming 
at times furious to destroy them. The workers, hoAvever, 
surrounded her, and prevented such Avholesale murder. 
But for tAvo days she was intent upon her fell purpose, and 
kept in almost continuous motion to effect it. On the 
fourteenth day, the second queen was ready to come out, 
piping and making various noises to attract attention. 
“ ‘ A part of the colony then seemed to conclude that it 
Avas time to take the first queen and go, but by some mis- 
take she remained in the hive after the SAvarm had left. 
The second queen came out as soon as possible after the 
others had gone, and then there Avere noAV two hatched 
queens in the hive ! they ran about on the comb, Avhich 
Avas noAV nearly empty, so that they could be distinctly 
seen. But they had not, apparently, noticed each other, 
Avhile the workers Avere in a state of great uneasiness and 
commotion, seeming impatient for the destruction of one 
of them. The mode they adopted to accomplish it was 
of the most deliberate and cold-blooded kind. A circle 
of bees kept one queen stationary, while another party 
dragged the other up to her, so that their heads nearly 
touched, and then the bees stood back, leaving a fair field 
for the combatants, in which one Avas to gain her laurels, 
