96 Se NATURAL HISTORY. » 
' the place where they are to alight, for many of the ftragglers, wh 
feem to be pleafed with a particular branch, go and fettle upon it 5 0- 
thers are feen to fucceed, and at latt, the queen herfelf, when the finds 
a fufficient number there before her, goes to make it the place of her 
head quarters. When the queen is fettled, the reft of the {warm foon 
follow ; and; in about a quarter of an hour, the whole body feem to | 
be at eafe. It fometimes is found, that there are two or three quéens 
to a fwarm, and the colony is divided into parties ; but it moft ufually 
happens, that ‘one of thefe is more confiderable than the other, and the 
bees by degrees, defert the weakeft, to take fhelter under the mot 
_ powerful protector. The deferted queen does not long furvive this de- | 
_ feat; the takes refuge under the new monarch, and is foon deftroyed 
by her jealous rival. Till this cruel execution is performed, the bees 
never go out to work ; and if there fhould be a queen bee belonging to 
the new colony left in the old hive, the always undergoes the fate of 
the former. - However, it muft be obferved, that the bees never facri- . 
fice any of their queens, when the hive is full of wax and honey ; for 
there is at that time, no danger in maintaining a plurality of breeders. 
When the {warm is thus conducted to a place of reft, and the policy 
of government. is fettled, the bees foon refume their former labours- 
The making cells,, {toring them with honey, impregnating the queens 
making proper cells for the reception of the rifing progeny, and pro- 
tecting them from external danger, employ their unceafing induftry. 
But ‘foon after, and towards the latter end of fummer, when the co- 
lony is fufficiently ftored with inhabitants, a mof cruel policy enfues- 
The drone bees, which are (as has been faid) generally in a hive, to 
the number of an hundred, are marked for flaughter. Thefe, whick 
had hitherto led a life of indolence and pleafure, whofe only employ- 
ment was in impregnating the queen, and rioting upon the labours of 
the hive, without aiding in the general toil, now fhare the fate of moft 
voluptuaries, and fall a facrifice to the general refentment of fociety. 
The working bees, in a body, declare war againit them; and in two 
or three days time, the ground all round the hive is covered with their 
dead bodies. Nay, the working bees will kill fuch drones, as are yet. 
in the worm fate, in the cell, and eject their bodies from the hives 
among the general carnage. 
When a hive fends out feveral {warms in the year, the firft is always 
_ the beft, and the moft numerous. Thefe, having the whole fummer 
before them, have the more time for making wax and honey, and con- 
fequently their labours are the moft valuable to the proprietor, Al- 
though the fwarm chiefly confifts of the youngelt bees, yet it is ofte 
found that bees of all ages compofe the multitude of emigrants, and it 
often happens, that bees of all ages are {een remaining behind, ‘The 
aumber of them is always more confiderable than that of fome popu- 
lous cities, for fometimes upwards of forty thoufand are found in 2 
ingle hive. So large a body may well be fuppofed to work with great 
- expedition ; and in faét, in lefs than twenty-four hours, they will make’ 
combs above twenty inches long, and feven or eight broad. Some- > 
times they will half fill their hives with wax, in lefS than five days. In 
the firft fifteen days, they are always found to make more wax tha _ 
they do afterwards during the reft of the year. : ‘ 
; : UG 
