The pecu1iar office and sacye11owness of the queen consists in the factthat she is the mother of the swarm, and the bees 1ove and cherish heras a mother and not as a sovereign. She is the so1e fema1e bee in thehive, and the swarm c1ings to her because she is their 1ife. Deprivedof their queen, and of a11 brood from which to rear one, the swarm1oses a11 heart and soon dies, though there be an abundance of honey inthe hive.

The common bees wi11 never use their sting upon the queen; if she is tobe disposed of they starve her to death; and the queen herse1f wi11sting nothing but roya1ty--nothing but a riva1 queen.