22 
THE HONEY-MAKERS. 
ous of rivals, that great pains is taken to keep 
her on her throne unmolested. Having made 
their preparations in anticipation of a swarm- 
ing, the young of the royal family are carefully 
guarded from her attacks ; but if for any reason 
the event does not take place, the old queen is 
permitted to approach the royal cells, when she 
destroys the brood one by one, by stinging them 
as they innocently sleep in their tiny chambers. 
The swarming season, which begins in the 
spring, is a period of no less interest to the bees 
than the departure of a company of emigrants, or 
the settlement of a new country, to human beings. 
Perhaps the reader has seen a family start for 
“ the West,” and has noticed how much prepara- 
tion is necessary, and how much interest each 
one takes in the proposed journey. The travel- 
ers look at the sky and the clouds ; they choose 
the finest weather ; they provide for every want 
so far as is possible. So the bees prepare for the 
expected event with equal care and foresight. 
The time is chosen at the beginning of a long, 
bright summer, for the bees never travel in win- 
ter. The queen bee has seen that the hive is 
