Page:Jardine Naturalist's library Bees.djvu/197

Rh seldom the prosperity of the apiary is affected by the death of a queen; yet, supposing the duration of her life to extend to four years,—and we have no certainty of its being of longer continuance,—in every collection of four stock hives, there must be, on an average, one death each year. And yet how seldom are we aware of this event, or suffer any diminution of our stocks in consequence! We can account for this only by concluding that the death of the queen from age, takes place much less frequently in winter than in summer, at which season eggs may have been already laid in royal cells; or, at all events, there being then common eggs and brood of all ages in the hive, the bees have it in their power to rear a successor from the larva of a worker. And the males being at the same time in great numbers, impregnation of the young queen soon takes place, eggs are laid forty-six hours afterwards, and the business of the community goes on without further interruption.

Bees are confessedly a very irritable race, and in our frequent inspection of the hives at this season, as well as in our operations with them throughout the year, we are sometimes made to feel their fury, and to smart under the venom of their stings. Almost all bee-masters are of opinion that the anger of the bees is greatly excited and aggravated by the odour of their own poison. Feburier thinks that this venom is more or less active according to the