
HYMENOPTERA. 339 
hive sends forth many swarms, the interval between the first and 
the second is from seven to ten days; the third and the fourth 
‘follow at shorter intervals. But these late casts have rarely 
vitality enough to exist long. 
| A swarm never returns to a hive it has once left. I¢ is sur- 
/prising then that a hive can furnish a second swarm after the 
interval of a few days, without being too much weakened. But 
'the old queen, in quitting her domain, leaves behind her a con- 
isiderable quantity of eggs. These larve are not long in re- 
\peopling the hive, so as to furnish a second swarm. The third 
land the fourth casts weaken the population more perceptibly ; 
Ibut there remain still enough workers to continue operations. In 
some cases the agitation of the cast is so great as to cause all the 
bees to quit the hive together, leaving it deserted ; but this deser- 
tion only lasts an instant, one part of the swarm wisely returning 
to their home. 
All those which start away become members of the new colony. 
When the general delirium we have spoken of has taken possession 
of them, they precipitate themselves together, they pile themselves 
up all at the same time by the door of the hive, and get so hot as 
to perspire freely. Those which are in the midst of the mélée bear 
ithe weight of the whole crowd, and seem. bathed in sweat. Their 
wings become damp, and they are no longer able to fly, and even if 
they manage to escape, they get no further than the stand, and 
are not long in re-entering the hive, instead of following the main 
body of the emigrants. We must not forget that a part of the 
jpopulation, about one-third, is always out at those hours of the 
jlay when the swarms take place, engaged in collecting provisions, 
jand having collected the spoil, these workers return to the hive 
ubandoned by the greater part of their companions, and betake 
themselves to their usual occupations as if nothing had happened. 
\hey form the nucleus of the new population, which is soon en- 
arged by the hatching of the pups. We have already said that 
he first swarm is always led by the old queen or mother, and 
[hat it starts before the hatching of the young females. If she 
aad not gone out before their birth she would have destroyed 
hem, and the new hive would have been unable to reorganize itself 
‘or the want of a chief. 







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