erself in a condition to undertake a
journey which circumstances may prolong; thus this condition was
necessary; and as every thing is harmonious in the laws of nature, the
origin of the males corresponds with that of the females, which they are
to fecundate.

Secondly. _When the larvae hatched from the eggs laid by the queen, in
the royal cells, are ready to transform to nymphs, this queen leaves the
swarm conducting a swarm along with her; and the first swarm that
proceeds from the hive is uniformly conducted by the old queen._{M} I
think I can divine the reason of it.

That there may never be a plurality of females in a hive, nature has
inspired queens with a natural horror against each other; they never
meet without endeavouring to fight, and to accomplish their mutual
destruction. Thus, the chance of combat is equal between them, and
fortune will decide to which the empire shall pertain. But if one
combatant is older than the rest, she is stronger, and the advantage
will be with her. She will destroy her rivals successively as produced.
Thus, if the old queen did not leave the hive, when the young ones
undergo their last metamorphosis, it could produce no more swarms, and
the species would perish. Therefore, to preserve the species, it is
necessary that the old queen conduct the first swarm. But what is the
secret means employed by nature to induce her departure? I am ignorant
of it.

In this country it is very rare, though not without example, for the
swarm, led forth by the old queen, in three weeks to produce a new
colony, which is also conducted by the same old queen; and that may
happen thus. Nature has not willed that the queen shall quit the first
hive before her production of male eggs is finished. It is necessary for
her to be freed of them, that she may become lighter. Besides, if her
first occupation, on entering a new dwelling, was laying more male eggs,
still she might perish either from age or accident before depositing
those of workers. The bees in that case would have no means of replacing
her, and the colony would go to ruin.

All these things have been with infinite wisdom foreseen. The first
operation of the bees of a swarm is to construct the cells of workers.
They labour at them with great ardour, and as the ovaries of the queen
have been disposed with admirable foresight, the first eggs she has to
lay in her new abode are those of workers. Commonly her laying
continues ten or eleven days;