BOOK of 
But as nature, all-powerful in herfelf, is tied 
down by no laws, in other nefts of infects, and 
even in different f{pecies of Bees, a different 
order and other regulations have place. This is 
manifeft in Hornets and Wafps ; for thefe in- 
fects fuffer many females at once in the neft. 
It is proper to obferve here this remarkable 
difference, that each of thefe females lay only 
a few eggs, and that they fly abroad together 
with the males to catch lefs infeéts ; with 
which, after the manner of {parrows, they 
feed their young; for of them only two kinds, 
namely the male and the female, live in one 
houfe : whether among thefe infects the male 
too, on account of getting food for the young, 
flies abroad, and fo is not, like the males among 
the Bees, exempted from labour, I have not hi- 
therto obferved ; though I make no doubt but 
that the male likewife contributes its help 
towards bringing up the young ; for though 
Hornets are much fewer in number than Bees, 
they have fometimes no lefs than 1500 young 
to rear at once. In a Wafp’s neft, which I 
keep by me, there are more numerous cells 
than thefe, and I found an infinite number. as 
it were of young ones, eggs, and Nymphs in 
it. This male Hornet, like the male Bee, has 
no fting. From thefe examples it is manifeft, 
what wonders are difplayed to our eyes in in- 
feéts, and with what ardency the fearching 
into them fhould influence us to magnify the 
glory of God: “ For he doeth great things 
« paft finding out; yea, and wonders without 
«© riumber.” * Job. ix. 
That the office of rearing up the Worms, or 
the young brood of the Bees, is really intrufted 
to the common or working Bees alone, and 
that all their care, and every thing they do, is 
direGted to that end, this fignal obfervation 
fhews plainly, which was communicated to 
me bya certain breeder of Bees yet living, who 
is thoroughly skilled in the management of 
them. He told me, that by a certain and in- 
fallible method, a prodigious number of fe- 
males, vulgarly called kings, might be pro- 
‘created, and that from hence, in the fpace of 
one year, three or four times more fwarms 
might be obtained, than otherwife is ufual in 
our cold climate. It is done in this manner, 
viz. in the month of April, when on inverting 
a hive you fhall find fome eggs or Worms in 
the peculiar cells deftined for the females, take 
out the elder female, together with fome few 
Bees, and put them into another hive apart; 
thefe will fettle in this new place, build their 
cells, lay their eggs, and raife up a progeny : 
then fometime afterwards look again into the 
firtt hive, and if you find there a female 
newly come our, fprung from the egg left 
before in the hive, take this likewife in the 
Igo The 
manner mentioned above, out from thence, 
and, in company with fome other Bees, put 
her into a hive of her own, that fhe may bring 
forth there. If in the fame manner you {hall 
manage afterwards the reft of the females, 
which fhall be one after another produced 
Ni ACT @ RE: er, 
from the eggs depofited in the firft hive, in 
the {pace of one fruitful fummer, from a fing!le 
hive, you will thus be able to get ten, nay, 
fometimes fourteen females, each together 
with a ftock of Bees, their fubjeéts as it were, 
that is fo many efwarms. It muft be obferved 
that this can only be done ina fruitful year, 
for at other times the Bees not only will not 
multiply faft enough, but they will not be 
able to provide a quantity of wax and honey 
to fubfift themfelves during the winter: care 
muft alfo be taken to prevent that firft hive 
from {warming, fince each female, which 
with its working Bees is taken out from thence 
in the manner here mentioned, fhould be 
looked upon as conftituting a feparate {warm. 
I fhall finally fubjoin this caution,, that almoft 
all thefe hives will prove barren, unlefs males 
likewife are admitted into them at the fame 
time with the females. The breeder of Bees 
who told me this, did not know how, accord- 
ing to their received opinions of the Bees 
fitting on their eggs, to folve this difficulty; he 
allowed only this, that it might eafily happen, 
that fome of the Bees that are the fitters, for 
by this names the males are called, might fly 
ever, from the firft, or the other neighbouring 
hives, to thofe before mentioned ; for unlefs 
the females were impregnated by thefe, no 
generation, as I myfelf think alfo, could 
follow. 
It appears evidently from this experiment, 
how induftrious the common working Bees 
are, and that they continue to perform theis 
office, though the female be taken out of the 
hive; but if you carry off the brood from the 
hive immediately, they will give over their 
labours: fo long as they have the eggs or young 
ones, you will never fee the leaft appearance 
of confufion in the hive. Hence I demonttrate 
clearly what is the office of the working Bees ; 
they, together with the female, have no other 
office: but to nourifh the young, and build 
little cells for them; whatever tume they can 
{pare from this work, they employ in collect- 
ing honey and Bee-bread. Thefe common 
Bees are in truth kept in flavery, and appear 
to have been created by God to labour in- 
ceffantly. 
In countries that are warmer and.more 
fertile than ours, the Bees fwarm more fre- 
quently, without the artifice mentioned before,, 
This is confirmed by the following incident, 
which a creditable breeder of Bees now living 
related to me as an abfolute fact, which had 
happened to himfelf. He told me, that when 
the count de Manfveldt about fixty years be- 
fore had over-run the province of Embden, 
he had left him after that irruption one hive 
of Bees, from which the following year thirty 
fwarms iffued forth: that hive proved indeed 
extraordinary fruitful, after the reft of his 
hives, as well as thofe of his neighbours, were 
deftroyed, for on that occafion a vaft multitude 
of Bees had betaken themfelves to it. The farit 
{warm from this hive he fawon Afcenfion day,” 
and 
