Litchfield enquirer., 1841-12-09


 SOCIAL ECONCMY or A BEE HIVE.
 A hive consists of the queen, or mother bee, the workers, varying in number from 10000 to 10000, or 3O,OOO, and the males, or drones, from 700 to double that number.
 The queen is the parent of the hive; and her sole province and occupation consists in laying the eggs, from which originate those prodigious multitudes that people hive, and emigrate from it in the course of one summer. In the height of the season, her fertility is truly astonishing, as she lays not fewer than two hundred eggs per day, and even more When the season is particu- larly warm and genial, and flowers abun- dant and this laying continues, though at a gradually diminishing rate, till the ap- proach of cold weather in October.
 An opinion has been entertained that the queen is followed in her progress through the hive by number of her subjects, form ed in circle round her, and these, of course, have been regarded as the queens body guards. The truth is, however, that her bee majesty has no attendants, strictly speaking !; but wherever she moves, the workers whom she encounters in her pro- gross instantly and hurriedly clear the way before her, and all turning their heads to- wards their approaching sovereign, lavish their caresses upon her with much apparent affection, and touch her softly with their antenn2; and these circumstances. which may be observed every hour in the day, have given rise to the idea of guards. On one occasion we gave her subjects an op- portunity ot testify ing their courage in her defence, as we'll aS their affection and zeal Observing her laying eggs in the comb next to the glass of the hive, We gently but quickly opened the pane, and endeavored to seize her. But as soon as the removal Of the glass afforded room, (while shut it was almost in contact with her back,) and be- fore we could accomplish our purpose, they threw their bodies upon her, to the number of at least a hundred, and formed cone over her of such magnitude that she could not be less than two inches distant from any part of the surface. We dispersed the mass with our finger, and got hold of her pre- cious person, and kept looking at her for some minutes before we restored the cap- tive to her alarmed defenders. ltis remark able that this violence was not resented by them; though they coursed over our hands in scores, while we kept hold of their mis- tress, not one individual used his sting. The all-engrossing object was the queen.
 The mutual aversion of queens, is stri- king feature in the natural history of this insect. Their mutual cnssity may be said to be an inborn disposition with them; for no sooner has the first of the race on hive about to throw off q second swarm, escaped from her own cradle, than she hurrics away in search of her rivals, and exerts herself with the utmost cagerness to destroy them.
 The workers, to the number of lO,OOO, 10000, and even 3O,OOO, constitute the great mass of the population, and on them de- volve the whole labors for the establish ment. Theirs is the office of searching for and collecting the precious fluid, which not only furnishes their daily food, as well as that oftheir young, and the surplus of which is laid up for winter stores, but also the ma tGrials from which they rear their beautiful combs. In the little baskct-shaped cavity of their hind legs, they bring home the pol len or farinaccous dust of flowers, kneadcd by the help of the morning dew, into tiny balls, which forms an important ingredient in the nourishment of the brood and also the propolis or adhesive gum, extracted from willows, &c, with which they attach their combs to the upper part and sides of the hive, and stop every crcvice that might admit the winters cold.
 The natural term of the workers exist ence does not extend, we think, beyond six or eight months.
 It is the opinion of Dr. Bcvan, that all the bees brought into existence in spring, die before winter. But many never reach that period. Showers of rain, violent blasts of wind, sudden changes of atmosphere, de- stroy them in hundreds In the clear cold morning and evening of autumn, their ca gerness for foraging, entices them abroad early and late when lighting on the ground, many are chilled and quickly perish. And should they escape the blighting atmos- phere at the close of autumn, bright sum- shine in winter day. when the ground per- haps is covered with snow, brings them a. broad in multitudes, and the half ot them never return.
 The male bee is the father of the hivc.- Indoient and luxurious, he takes no part in the internal operations of the domicile, and never leaves it with view of sharing Tn the labors of the field. When he does venture abroad, it is only in the finest of weather, and during the warmest part of the day. He is easily distinguished from the workers bv his larger size, by his heavy motion in flight, and by his loud humming sound His life is extremely short.
 An Usefal Man.-It is said that when Dixon II. Lewis, of Alabama got between Messrs- Stanley and Wise, during their renconire in the House of Repre- sen,a,ives at the late session, they could not hear each others voice, round the huge mass Oi mortality that separated them. The most violent passion would vanish Lefore a man could walk round Mir ] lewis