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

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COMBATS or QUEENS.
a combat would ensue between two queens,
one impregnated, and the other a virgin;
and what circumstances attended it.
On the 18 th of September, we introdu¬
ced a very fruitful queen into a glass hive,
already containing a virgin queen, putting
her on the opposite side of the comb, that
we might have time to see how the work¬
ers would receive her. She was immedi¬
ately surrounded, but confined only a mo¬
ment. Jteing oppressed with the necessity
of laying, she dropped some eggs; how¬
ever, we could not discover what became of
them; certainly the bees did not convey
them to the cells, for, on inspection, we
found none there. The group surrounding
this queen having dispersed a little, she ad¬
vanced towards the edge of the comb, and
soon approached very near the virgin queen.
When in sight, they rushed together; the
virgin queen got on the back of the other,
and gave her several stings in the belly, but,
being aimed at the scaly part, they did her
no injury, and the combatants separated.
In a few minutes, they returned to the
charge; and this time the impregnated queen
mounted on her rival; however, she sought
in vain to pierce her, for the sting did not