
340 THE INSECT WORLD. 
The first swarm having set out, those bees which remain in the 
hive pay particular attention to the royal cells. If the young queens — 
make efforts to escape from them, their guardians watch them | 
narrowly, and as the prisoners destroy their covers of wax the | 
guards restore them; but, as they do not desire the death of | 
the inmates, they pass in some honey through the opening before 
they close it, so as to ameliorate their captivity. At the appointed 
moment, the issue of the first egg laid quits her cradle. Very 
soon she yields to the murderous instinct which impels her to 
destroy her rivals, so that she may reign with undivided sway over 
the community. She searches for the cells in which these are 
shut up, but the moment she approaches them the workers pinch 
her, pull her about, drive her away, and oblige her to move 
on, and, as the royal cells are numerous, she finds with difficulty 
any corner in her hive where she may be at rest. Incessantly 
tormented by the desire of attacking the other females, and 
incessantly driven back by the guard, she becomes very much 
excited, passes through the different groups of workers at a run, 
and communicates to them her agitation. She leads the inmates 
of the hive the same sort of dance frequently in the course of 
the day. | 
Sometimes the young queen at the end of her attempts utters a) 
shrill song, analogous to that of the grasshopper. ‘This song, 
so unusual among these insects, has the effect of petrifying the 
bees. So says Francis Huber, speaking of a queen which had 
just been hatched, and which was trying in vain to satisfy her 
jealous instincts. ‘She sang,”’ says he, “twice. When we saw her 
producing this sound, she was motionless, her thorax rested against 
the honeycomb, her wings being crossed on her back, and she 
moved them about without uncrossing them, and without opening) 
them. Whatever cause it was that made her choose this attitude, 
the bees seemed affected by it, all of them now lowered their heads) 
and remained motionless. Next day, the hive presented the same) 
appearances, there remained still twenty-three royal cells which} 
were all assiduously guarded by a great number of bees. The) 
moment the queen approached these, all the guards were in a state 
of agitation, surrounded her, bit her, hustled her in every way, 
and generally finished by driving her off; sometimes when this’ 



