32 
THE HIVE AND IIONEY-BEE. 
to give facts, however wonderful, just as they are ; confi¬ 
dent that in due time they will be universally received ; 
and hoping that the many wonders in the economy of the 
honey-bee will not only excite a wider interest in its cul¬ 
ture, but lead those who observe them to adore the 
wisdom of Him who gave them such admirable instincts. 
The fertility of the queen-bee has been entirely under¬ 
estimated by most writers. During the height of the 
breeding season, she will often, under favorable circum¬ 
stances, lay from two to three thousand eggs a day ! In 
my observing-hives, I have seen her lay at the rate of six 
eggs a minute. The fecundity of the female of the white 
ant is, however, much greater than this, being at the rate 
of sixty eggs a minute ; but her eggs are simply extruded 
from her body, and carried by the workers into suitable 
nurseries, while the queen-bee herself deposits her eggs in 
their appropriate cells. 
It has been noticed that the queen-bee usually com¬ 
mences laying very early in the season, and always long 
before there are apy males in the hive. IIow then, are 
her eggs impregnated ? Francis Huber, of Geneva, by a 
long course of the most indefatigable observations, threw 
much light upon this subject. Before stating his discov¬ 
eries, I must pay my humble tribute of gratitude and ad- 
. miration to this wonderful man. It is mortifying to every 
naturalist, and I might add, to every honest man acquaint¬ 
ed with the facts, to hear such an Apiarian, as Huber, 
abused by the veriest novices and imposters; while others, 
who are indebted to his labors for nearly all that is of 
value in their works, 
“Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, 
And, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer.’’ 
Huber in early manhood lost the use of his eyes. His 
opponents imagine that to state this fact is to discredit all 
