Insect miscellanies / [Anon].

Date:: 1832

Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Insect miscellanies / [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

307/452 (page 285)

swarm made its way either over the tops of some very high houses, or through several winding streets, to an old house in the centre of Shrewsbury, and passing through an aperture in the wood-work to a room on. the first floor, were there hived by the family. In another case, he had permitted a hive, whose tenants had died in the winter, to remain upon the stand till spring, when he observed several bees paying it daily visits, and busily employed within, but leaving it at the close of evening. These, he infers, were the precursors of a swarm which took possession of it in the following June.* Réaumur, on the other hand, looks upon these opinions .as altogether fabulous; since, if the bee- queen is thus provided with spies and quarter- masters, he thinks them very ignorant of their duties, — at least the choice of a place does but small credit to their foresight, —.as they for the most part fix upon the bough of a tree, where they are exposed to all the vicissitudes of the weather. Mr T. A. Knight seems to think, however, that their’ settling on the branch of a tree is nothing more than a resting place, where the whole may rendezvous, and that this is previously fixed upon by the scouts as well as the spot intended for their final establishment. But Réaumur mentions a fact which will not at all accord with this, namely, that upon whatever branch or other. place they thus alight, combs are always found to be commenced, even though their stay may be very short; which proves, he thinks, that they in- tended it fora permanent abode. Were they left to themselves, indeed, they would not remain there; but they would only leave it when, upon trial, they found it inconvenient, from being too hot or too cold, or ex- posed to rain and wind.t oH * The Bees, a Poem; Notes, t Mémoires, v, 621.