Curiosities & wonders > New observations on the natural history of bees

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SOME AVOItKEItS
put aside the queens produced in the royal
cells; and having painted the thorax of the six
bees red, and amputated the right antenna,
I transferred the whole into the hive, where
they were well received.
You easily conceive my object, Sir, in
this course of observations. I knew there
was neither a large nor small queen in the
hive: therefore, if, in the sequel, I should
find new laid eggs in the combs, how very
probable must it be that they had been pro¬
duced by some of the six bees? But, to
attain absolute certainty, it was necessary
to take them in the act of laying. Some
ineffaceable mark was also required for dis¬
tinguishing them in particular.
These proceedings were attended with the
most ample success. We soon found eggs
in the hive; their number increased daily;
and their worms were all drones. But a
long interval elapsed before we could take
the bees that laid them. At length, by
means of assiduity and perseverance, we per¬
ceived one introducing the posterior part in¬
to a cell; we opened the hive, and caught
the bee: We saw the egg it had deposited,
and by the colour of the thorax, and priva¬
tion of the right antenna, instantly recog-