and at this time portions of comb
containing large cells are fabricated. It may be affirmed, that the bees
know their queen will also lay the eggs of drones; she actually does
begin to deposit some, though in much smaller number than at first;
enough however to encourage the bees to construct royal cells. Now, if
in these circumstances the weather is favourable, it is not impossible
that a second colony may be formed, and that the queen may depart at the
head of it within three weeks of conducting the first swarm. But I
repeat, the fact is rare in our climate. Let me now return to the hives
from which the queen has led the first colony.

Thirdly. _After the old queen has conducted the first swarm from the
hive, the remaining bees take particular care of the royal cells, and
prevent the young queens successively hatched from leaving them, unless
at an interval of several days between each._

In the preceding letter, I have given you the detail and proof of this
fact, and I shall here add some reflexions. During the period of
swarming, the conduct or instinct of bees seems to receive a particular
modification. At all other times, when they have lost their queen, they
appropriate workers worms to replace her; they prolong and enlarge the
cells of these worms; they supply them with aliment more abundantly, and
of a more pungent taste; and by this alteration, the worms that would
have changed to common bees are transformed to queens. We have seen
twenty-seven cells of this kind constructed at once; but when finished
the bees no longer endeavour to preserve the young females from the
attacks of their enemies. One may perhaps leave her cell, and attack all
the other royal cells successively, which she will tear open to destroy
her rivals, without the workers taking any part in their defence. Should
several queens be hatched at once, they will pursue each other, and
fight until the throne remain with her that is victorious. Far from
opposing such duels, the other bees rather seem to excite the
combatants.

Things are quite reversed during the period of swarming. The royal cells
then constructed are of a different figure from the former. They
resemble stalactites, and in the beginning are like the cup of an acorn.
The bees assiduously guard the cells when the young queens are ready for
their last metamorphosis. At length the female hatched from the first
egg laid by the old queen leaves her cell; the workers at first treat
h