360 
BRITISH BEES. 
labour is suspended. They group about in clusters of a 
dozen or more, and after about a day’s intermission of 
the ordinary routine of labour they appear to have come 
to a resolution. Bustle is again renewed, and several, 
as the delegates of the general body, pass into the midst 
of the neuter brood cells, tear down the separating walls 
of three, kill two of the very young larvae, convert these 
three cells into one by fitting alterations, and transfer 
the care of this vermicle to the nursing bees. Under 
their care, they heedfully feeding her with the royal 
jelly, her transformations speedily are completed, and 
whilst this is being done, drones are coming forth. As 
soon as she is ready she is aided to quit her cell. She 
now leaves the hive, and the drones which are already 
perfected accompany her; she makes her wedding tour 
in the air, and quickly returns as the queen-regnant of 
the rejoicing monarchy, whose vacant throne is again 
royally occupied, and the entire harmony of the hive re¬ 
newed. 
The quantity of pollen that is collected in the course 
of a season, by the diligence of the bees, has been esti¬ 
mated at from sixty to seventy pounds; and the weight 
of the honey, so affluent a hive will produce by abstrac¬ 
tion from the bees, is calculated at as much as sometimes 
fifty pounds. This, however, must be vastly exceeded 
by the quantity collected, as it is being constantly 
consumed for sustenance, and for the secretion of the 
raw material of wax, as well as for the production of 
the liquid which converts this into its mouldable con¬ 
sistency. It is possible to estimate pretty nearly the 
quantity of honey required for each secretion of the raw 
material, by finding what the honey-bag will contain 
when gorged, as it is this quantity which seems to make 
