xamine
whether a combat would ensue between two queens, one impregnated, and
the other a virgin; and what circumstances attended it.

On the 18. of September, we introduced a very fruitful queen into a
glass hive, already containing a virgin queen, and put her on the
opposite side of the comb, that we might have time to see how the
workers would receive her. She was immediately surrounded, but they
confined her only a moment. Being oppressed with the necessity of
laying, she dropped some eggs; however, we could not discover what
became of them; certainly the bees did not convey them to the cells,
for, on inspection, we found none there. The group surrounding this
queen having dispersed a little, she advanced towards the edge of the
comb, and soon approached very near the virgin queen. When in sight,
they rushed together; the virgin queen got on the back of the other, and
gave her several stings in the belly, but, having aimed at the scaly
part, they did not injure her, and the combatants separated. In a few
minutes, they returned to the charge; but this time the impregnated
queen mounted on her rival; however, she sought in vain to pierce her,
for the sting did not enter; the virgin queen then disengaged herself
and fled; she also succeeded in escaping another attack, where her
adversary had the advantage of position. These rivals appeared nearly of
equal strength; and it was difficult to foresee to which side victory
would incline, until at last, by a successful exertion, the virgin queen
mortally wounded the stranger, and she expired in a moment. The sting
had penetrated so far that the victorious queen was unable to extract
it, and she was overthrown by the fall of her enemy. She made great
exertions to disengage the sting: but could succeed by no other means
than turning on the extremity of the belly, as on a pivot. Probably the
barbs of the sting fell by this motion, and, closing like a spiral
around the stem, came more easily from the wound.

These observations, Sir, I think will satisfy you, respecting the
conjecture of our celebrated Reaumur. It is certain, that if several
queens are introduced into a hive, one alone will preserve the empire;
that the others will perish from her attacks; and that the workers will
at no time attempt to employ their stings against the stranger queen. I
can conceive what has misled M. Riems and Schirach; but it is necessary
for explaining it that I should relate a new feature in t