ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 
197 
and it is, hence, probable that the brood* is chiefly 
attended to and nursed by the younger bees. The evi¬ 
dence, however, is not so conclusive as in the case of comb¬ 
building, inasmuch as they may have congregated on the 
brood-combs because these are warmer than the others. 
“I may add another interesting observation. The 
faeces in the intestines of the young Italian bees was viscid 
and yellow; that of the common or old bees was thin and 
limpid, like that of the queen-bee. This is confirmatory 
of the opinion, that, for the production of W'ax and jelly, 
the bees require pollen; but do not need any for their 
own sustenance.”— B. Z. 1855, p. 163. S. Wagner. 
If the colonies are to be multiplied rapidly, the nuclei 
must never be allowed to become too much reduced in 
numbers, or to be destitute of brood or honey. With 
these precautions, the oftener their queen is taken from 
them, the more intent they usually become in supplying 
her loss. 
There is one trait in the character of bees which is wor¬ 
thy of profound respect. Such is their indomitable energy 
and perseverance, that under circumstances apparently 
hopeless, they labor to the utmost to retrieve their losses, 
and sustain the sinking State. So long as they have a 
queen, or any prospect of raising one, they struggle vigor¬ 
ously against impending ruin, and never give up until 
their condition is absolutely desperate. I once knew a 
colony of bees not large enough to cover a piece of comb 
four inches square, to attempt to raise a queen. For 
* I once had a colony which, after it had been quoenless for some time, not only 
wfused to make royal cells, but even devoured the eggs which were given to them. 
Similar facts have been noticed by other observers. When a colony which refuses 
to rear a queen, has a comb given to it containing maturing bees, those motherless 
innocents will at once procood to supply their loss. Dr. DiinhofTs observation* 
account for these facta. 
