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

COMBATS OF QUEENS.
the combs, conceal their motions from the
observer. For my part, though using the
most favourable hives, I have never seen a
combat between the queen and the workers,
but I have very often beheld one between
the queens themselves.
In one of my hives in particular, there
were five or six royal cells, each including a
nymph. The eldest first underwent its trans¬
formation. Scarcely did ten minutes elapse
from the time of her leaving her cradle,
when she visited the other royal cells still
close. Furiously attacking the nearest, by
dint of labour she succeeded in opening the
top, and we saw her tearing the silk of the
coccoon with her teeth; but probably her
efforts were inadequate to the object, for
she abandoned this end of the cell, and be¬
gan at the other, where she effected a larger
aperture. When it was of sufficient size,
she endeavoured to introduce her belly, and
made many exertions, until she succeeded in
giving her rival a deadly wound with her
sting. Then quitting the cell, all the bees
that hitherto had been spectators of her la¬
bour began to enlarge the opening, and
drew out the dead body of a queen scarce¬
ly come from its envelope of a nymph.