§3.10#1Ἡ δὲ τῶν μελιττῶν γένεσις ἔχει πολλὴν ἀπορίαν.
The generation of bees presents great difficulty.
ἐπεὶ γάρ ἐστι καὶ περὶ τοὺς ἰχθῦς τοιαύτη τις γένεσις ἐνίων ὥστ᾽ ἄνευ ὀχείας γεννᾶν, τοῦτο συμβαίνειν ἔοικε καὶ περὶ τὰς μελίττας ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων.
For since there is also among some fish a certain kind of generation such that they generate without copulation, this seems from the phenomena to happen also in the case of bees.
ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἤτοι φέρειν αὐτὰς ἄλλοθεν τὸν γόνον, ὥσπερ τινές φασι, καὶ τοῦτον ἢ φυόμενον αὐτόματον ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς ζῴου τίκτοντος, ἢ γεννᾶν αὐτάς, ἢ τὸν μὲν φέρειν τὸν δὲ γεννᾶν (καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο λέγουσί τινες, ὡς τὸν τῶν κηφήνων μόνων φέρουσι γόνον), καὶ γεννᾶν ἢ ὀχευομένας ἢ ἀνοχεύτους, καὶ ὀχευομένας γεννᾶν ἤτοι ἕκαστον γένος καθ᾽ αὑτὸ ἢ ἕν τι αὐτῶν τἆλλα ἢ συνδυαζόμενον ἄλλο γένος ἄλλῳ, λέγω δ᾽ οἷον μελίττας μὲν γίγνεσθαι ἐκ μελιττῶν συνδυαζομένων, κηφῆνας δ᾽ ἐκ κηφήνων καὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἐκ τῶν βασιλέων, ἢ πάντα τἆλλα ἐξ ἑνὸς οἷον ἐκ τῶν καλουμένων βασιλέων καὶ ἡγεμόνων, ἢ ἐκ τῶν κηφήνων καὶ τῶν μελιττῶν· φασὶ γάρ τινες τοὺς μὲν ἄρρενας εἶναι τοὺς δὲ θήλεις, οἷον τὰς μὲν μελίττας ἄρρενας τοὺς δὲ κηφῆνας θήλεας.
For they must either bring their offspring from elsewhere, as some say—and this offspring is either generated spontaneously or produced by some other animal—or they must generate it themselves, or bring some and generate others (for indeed some say this, namely that they bring only the offspring of the drones), and if they generate, they must do so either after copulation or without copulation, and if after copulation, either each kind generates its own kind, or some one of them generates the others, or one kind couples with another (I mean, for instance, that bees are generated from the coupling of bees, drones from drones, and the kings from kings), or all the others are generated from one kind, such as from those called kings and leaders, or from drones and bees; for some say that the one is male and the other female, for instance that bees are male and drones female.
ταῦτα δ᾽ ἐστὶ πάντα ἀδύνατα συλλογιζομένοις τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῶν συμβαινόντων ἰδίᾳ περὶ τὰς μελίττας, τὰ δ᾽ ἐκ τῶν κοινοτέρων τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις.
But all these views are impossible for those who reason partly from what happens specifically in the case of bees, and partly from what is more common to other animals.
εἴτε γὰρ μὴ τίκτουσαι φέρουσιν ἄλλοθεν, ἔδει γίγνεσθαι μελίττας καὶ μὴ φερουσῶν τῶν μελιττῶν ἐκ τοῦ τόπου ἐξ οὗ τὸ σπέρμα φέρουσιν.
For if they do not bring forth but bring from elsewhere, bees ought to be generated even when the bees do not bring them, from the place from which they bring the seed.
διὰ τί γὰρ μετενεχθέντος μὲν ἔσται, ἐκεῖ δ᾽ οὐκ ἔσται;
For why should they be generated when it is transported, but not there?
προσήκει γὰρ οὐδὲν ἧττον, εἴτε φυόμενον ἐν τοῖς ἄνθεσιν αὐτόματον εἴτε ζῴου τινὸς τίκτοντος.
For it is no less fitting, whether it is generated spontaneously in flowers or produced by some animal.
κἂν εἴ γε ζῴου τινὸς ἑτέρου τὸ σπέρμα ἦν, ἐκεῖνο ἔδει γίγνεσθαι ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ μελίττας.
And if it were the seed of some other animal, that animal ought to be generated from it, and not bees.
ἔτι δὲ τὸ μὲν μέλι κομίζειν εὔλογον (τροφὴ γάρ), τὸ δὲ τὸν γόνον ἀλλότριον ὄντα καὶ μὴ τροφὴν ἄτοπον.
Furthermore, it is reasonable for them to carry honey (for it is food), but to carry offspring which is alien and not food is absurd.
τίνος γὰρ χάριν πάντα γὰρ ὅσα πραγματεύεται περὶ τὰ τέκνα, περὶ τὸν φαινόμενον οἰκεῖον διαπονεῖται γόνον.
For for what purpose would they do so? Since all animals that busy themselves about offspring labor for what is clearly their own offspring.
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰς μὲν μελίττας θηλείας εἶναι τοὺς δὲ κηφῆνας ἄρρενας εὔλογον· οὐδενὶ γὰρ τὸ πρὸς ἀλκὴν ὅπλον τῶν θηλειῶν ἀποδίδωσιν ἡ φύσις, εἰσὶ δ᾽ οἱ μὲν κηφῆνες ἄκεντροι, αἱ δὲ μέλιτται πᾶσαι κέντρον ἔχουσιν.
Moreover, it is not reasonable either that the bees should be female and the drones male; for Nature does not attribute the weapon for defense to any of the females, yet the drones are stingless, while the bees all have a sting.
οὐδὲ τοὐναντίον εὔλογον, τὰς μὲν μελίττας ἄρρενας τοὺς δὲ κηφῆνας θήλεας· οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀρρένων εἴωθε διαπονεῖσθαι περὶ τὰ τέκνα, νῦν δ᾽ αἱ μέλιτται τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν.
Nor is the contrary reasonable, that the bees should be male and the drones female; for none of the males is accustomed to trouble themselves about offspring, whereas in fact the bees do this.
ὅλως δ᾽ ἐπειδὴ φαίνεται ὁ μὲν τῶν κηφήνων γόνος ἐγγινόμενος καὶ μηθενὸς ὄντος κηφῆνος, ὁ δὲ τῶν μελιττῶν οὐκ ἐγγινόμενος ἄνευ τῶν βασιλέων, διὸ καὶ φασί τινες τὸν τῶν κηφήνων φέρεσθαι μόνον, δῆλον ὡς οὔτ᾽ ἐξ ὀχείας γίνονται, οὔτ’ ἐξ ἑκατέρου τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ αὑτῷ συνδυαζομένου, οὔτ᾽ ἐκ μελιττῶν καὶ κηφήνων.
And in general, since it appears that the offspring of the drones is produced even when no drone is present, while that of the bees is not produced without the kings—which is why some say that only the offspring of the drones is brought in—it is clear that they are not generated from copulation, neither from each kind coupling with itself, nor from bees and drones.
τό τε τοῦτον φέρειν μόνον διά τε τὰ εἰρημένα ἀδύνατον, καὶ οὐκ εὔλογον μὴ περὶ πᾶν τὸ γένος αὐτῶν ὅμοιόν τι συμβαίνειν πάθος.
And to carry this offspring alone is impossible both for the reasons mentioned, and because it is unreasonable that some similar affection should not happen to their whole genus.
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδ᾽ αὐτὰς τὰς μελίττας ἐνδέχεται τὰς μὲν ἄρρενας εἶναι τὰς δὲ θηλείας· ἐν πᾶσι γὰρ διαφέρει τοῖς γένεσι τὸ θῆλυ καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν.
Moreover, it is not possible either that the bees themselves should be some male and others female; for in all genera the female and the male differ.
κἂν ἐγέννων αὐταὶ αὑτάς· νῦν δ᾽ οὐ φαίνεται γιγνόμενος ὁ γόνος αὐτῶν, ἐὰν μὴ ἐνῶσιν οἱ ἡγεμόνες, ὡς φασίν.
And they would generate themselves; but in fact their offspring does not appear to be generated unless the leaders are present, as they say.
κοινὸν δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐξ ἀλλήλων γένεσιν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκ τῶν κηφήνων, καὶ χωρὶς καὶ μετ᾽ ἀλλήλων, τὸ μηδέποτε ὧφθαι ὀχευόμενον μηθὲν αὐτῶν· εἰ δ᾽ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ μὲν θῆλυ τὸ δ᾽ ἄρρεν, πολλάκις ἂν τοῦτο συνέβαινεν.
And common both to generation from one another and to that from the drones, whether separately or with one another, is the fact that none of them has ever been seen copulating; whereas if there were female and male among them, this would have happened many times.
λείπεται δ᾽, εἴπερ ἐξ ὀχείας γίγνεται, τοὺς βασιλεῖς γεννᾶν συνδυαζομένους.
It remains, then, if they are generated from copulation, that the kings generate by coupling with one another.
ἀλλ᾽ οἱ κηφῆνες φαίνονται γιγνόμενοι καὶ μὴ ἐνόντων ἡγεμόνων, ὧν οὔτε φέρειν οἷόν τε τὸν γόνον τὰς μελίττας οὔτε γεννᾶν αὐτὰς ὀχευομένας.
But the drones appear to be generated even when no leaders are present, and of these the bees can neither carry the offspring nor generate them themselves by copulating.
λείπεται δή, καθάπερ φαίνεται συμβαῖνον ἐπί τινων ἰχθύων, τὰς μελίττας ἄνευ ὀχείας γεννᾶν τοὺς κηφῆνας, τῷ μὲν γεννᾶν οὔσας θηλείας, ἐχούσας δ᾽ ἐν αὑταῖς, ὥσπερ τὰ φυτά, καὶ τὸ θῆλυ καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν.
It remains, therefore, just as appears to happen in the case of some fish, that the bees generate the drones without copulation, being female in that they generate, but having in themselves, like plants, both the female and the male.
διὸ καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὴν ἀλκὴν ἔχουσιν ὄργανον· οὐ γὰρ δεῖ θῆλυ καλεῖν ἐν ᾧ ἄρρεν μή ἐστι κεχωρισμένον.
Wherefore also they have the organ for defense; for we must not call that female in which the male is not separated.
εἰ δ᾽ ἐπὶ τῶν κηφήνων τοῦτο φαίνεται συμβαῖνον καὶ γιγνόμενοι μὴ ἐξ ὀχείας, ἤδη καὶ κατὰ τῶν μελιττῶν καὶ τῶν βασιλέων τὸν αὐτὸν ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι λόγον καὶ μὴ γεννᾶσθαι ἐξ ὀχείας.
And if this appears to happen in the case of the drones, and they are generated without copulation, it is now necessary that the same reasoning should apply to the bees and the kings, and that they should not be generated from copulation.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἄνευ τῶν βασιλέων ἐφαίνετ᾽ ἐγγινόμενος ὁ γόνος τῶν μελιττῶν, κἂν τὰς μελίττας ἀναγκαῖον ἦν ἐξ αὑτῶν ἄνευ ὀχείας γίγνεσθαι.
If, then, the offspring of the bees appeared to be produced without the kings, it would have been necessary for the bees to be generated from themselves without copulation.
νῦν δ᾽ ἐπειδὴ τοῦτ᾽ οὔ φασιν οἱ περὶ τὴν θεραπείαν τούτων τῶν ζῴων ὄντες, λείπεται τοὺς βασιλεῖς καὶ αὑτοὺς γεννᾶν καὶ τὰς μελίττας.
But in fact, since those who are concerned with the care of these animals say this is not so, it remains that the kings generate both themselves and the bees.
ὄντος δὲ περιττοῦ τοῦ γένους καὶ ἰδίου τοῦ τῶν μελιττῶν, καὶ ἡ γένεσις αὐτῶν ἴδιος εἶναι φαίνεται.
And since the genus of bees is extraordinary and peculiar, their generation also appears to be peculiar.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ γεννᾶν τὰς μελίττας ἄνευ ὀχείας εἴη ἂν καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἄλλων ζῴων συμβαῖνον, ἀλλὰ μὴ τὸ αὐτὸ γένος γεννᾶν ἴδιον·
For that the bees should generate without copulation might happen in the case of other animals as well, but that they do not generate the same kind is peculiar.