The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-01-20
From The Vermont Free Press.
BEES.


A Conflict 5etpecn Queens ard a Tragedy 6elreeen
Queen and several Of her Subjects.
CA copy of part of letter written to General
Francis Willeby, Groton, N. Y. by a
friendly
was Tor while rather staggered with the
doctrine " that both queens never fall in a
conflict" | could not see why it might not
be fatal to both il may be TO the duellists.
But infinite wisdom has contrved this have
seen this wonderful fete by taking two queens
and placing them III glass cylinder so that
| observed every motion and in all cases
(Which are many,) the conflict is the same in
all its features when they have clnched.
Although the struggle is much longer in its
duration with different queens, yet but one
weapon is ever used, and but one manner of
using it,
Sometimes ! have known hostilities to
commence instantly when put together, and at
other times there seemed 10 be kind Of shy
ness like two men who would be glad TO avoid
duel if their honor would not suffer, (mis-
taken bengs.) and remain for some time look
ing at each other in sort of reflection, be-
fore the deadly conflict. have known them
to clinch for moment, and then let go, and
of the cylinder, both of which motions, clinch-
ing and letting go Of each other, is quick as
sight The reason Of this instantaneous work
is obvious, when we view the wisdom Of God
in forming their nature and habits-which
must be altogether instinctive-for otherwise
a colony which had lost their queen, and the
larvm had all passed beyond their reach, SO
that they could not change their nature to
queen, then the bees (if they possessed ration
al faculties, would borrow larya of another
colony, and repair their loss.
This NAV be done by human invention.
But to the conflict. When the two conflict
ing queens have once grappled and made
their hold firm and strong, this hold is never
broken until the sharpness of death has dislo-
Gated one Of them by unnerving her of every
bodily and mental feeling This also is in
stantaneous. The queens while in the CON-
fict, are Rugged breast to breast, lying fiat on
their sides, with their legs and arms firmly
fixed around upon the backs of each other,
thus bringing their breasts and bodies as close
to each other as possible, one lying on her
right side the other on her left side. So you
see that the abdomen of each Of the queens,
must be close to and fronting each other
Now comes the struggle which is tremen-
dous they have no power to curve their alb
domen back nor sideways very much, neither
would they do it if they could, for it would
only give her competitor the advantage, should
she do either. Thus you will see that the
whole victory depends entirely on the one
which is able to curve her abdomen first, for
in doing it she enters her sting into the lower
region of the chest of her antagonist, and she
is dead in an instant, and the two bees are
apart in the next
could never discover the least motion in
the conquered queen, except slight trembling
of the limbs But what surprised me most in
performing one of these feies, was the etfiu-
via which seems to have escaped from the
bodies of the queens during their conflict,
which was very warmly contested Tor several
minutes; the glass was so filed with vapor
that the conqueror could not he distinctly seen,
except when she was at the bottom OF the
cylinder.
think YOU will be interested in descrlp-
ton Of another experiment which recently
tried II is this
took queen, put her under glass tum-
bier on the table. | then caught common
worker, and put it into the same tumbler with
the queen. My interest was much excited on
observing the manGuvres Of the queen. AL
though the queen manifested ardent signs OF
hostility, and would repeatedly alight on the
common worker, YET the common worker was
perfectly subordinate, and would yield 10 any
position her majesty saw fit to place her in,
without the least resistance and although
the queen curved her abdomen repeatedly and
seemed TO sting the worker, yet the worker
was unhurt.
Al las, the queen assumed the position of
the conflict OF queens by lying on her side,
and by her bodily strength rolled up the COM
mon worker upon its side. (lor the common
worker seemed to Weld perfect obedience,)
so as 10 bring il in the right position of
connection oucen--thcn she curved her abb
do,n,n. which produced instant death in the
wofk.r Now a. was no, perfectly salts
fed with The experiment, | took worker
irom thc same family Of her highncss on in
troluelng this bee TO the queen, there seemed
10 De- no signs of hostility by either the queen
or the worker, but conirauwtse.
Fer 4 few moments the queen seemed to
manilcs, Kindness and sociabIliiy bu, after
all, ia few minu,rs, aoiIced Mind OF arbi-
trary power u lhc queen. which she began to
exercise. by tfamphag on the worker, the
worker NJ the same time manilesiing the most
pp,Gsunl reverence and subordinaiion, by ly-
~ clear dawn cor her royal highness to tram
ple ugoa. and pass over her. At last the
aucsn became - cnFaged. that the poor work
- MA - suffer death precisely as the former
one dtI, without the lei Il resistance what
ever
Now | an Of the opinion, could the queen
have communicated 10 the understanding Of
these ,wo working bees, the precise position