§3.10#2οἱ γὰρ ἐρυθρῖνοι γεννῶσιν ἐρυθρίνους καὶ αἱ χάνναι χάννας.
For the erythrini generate erythrini and the channae channae.
αἴτιον δ᾽ ὅτι καὶ αὐταὶ γεννῶνται αἱ μέλιτται οὐχ ὥσπερ αἱ μυῖαι καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν ζῴων, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ἑτέρου μὲν συγγενοῦς δὲ γένους.
And the reason is that the bees themselves also are generated, not like flies and such animals, but from another yet kindred class.
γίγνονται γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἡγεμόνων.
For they are generated from the leaders.
διὸ καὶ ἔχει ἀνάλογόν πως ἡ γένεσις αὐτῶν.
Wherefore also their generation is in a way analogous.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἡγεμόνες μεγέθει μὲν ὅμοιοί εἰσι τοῖς κηφῆσι, τῷ δὲ κέντρον ἔχειν ταῖς μελίτταις.
For the leaders are in size similar to the drones, but in having a sting to the bees.
αἱ μὲν οὖν μέλιτται κατὰ τοῦτ᾽ ἐοίκασιν αὐτοῖς, οἱ δὲ κηφῆνες κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος.
The bees, then, resemble them in this respect, and the drones in size.
ἀνάγκη γάρ τι παραλλάττειν, εἰ μὴ δεῖ ἀεὶ τὸ αὐτὸ γένος ἐξ ἑκάστου γίνεσθαι.
For it is necessary that there should be some variation, if indeed the same class is not always to be generated from each.
τοῦτο δ᾽ ἀδύνατον· πᾶν γὰρ ἂν τὸ γένος ἡγεμόνες ἦσαν.
But this is impossible; for then the entire class would be leaders.
αἱ μὲν οὖν μέλιτται κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῖς ὡμοίωνται καὶ τῷ τίκτειν, οἱ δὲ κηφῆνες κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος εἰ δ᾽ εἶχον καὶ κέντρον, ἡγεμόνες ἂν ἦσαν.
The bees, then, are made like them in capacity and in generating, and the drones in size; and if they had also a sting, they would have been leaders.
νῦν δὲ τοῦτο λείπεται τῆς ἀπορίας· οἱ γὰρ ἡγεμόνες ἀμφοτέροις ἐοίκασιν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τοῖς γένεσι, τῷ μὲν κέντρον ἔχειν ταῖς μελίτταις, τῷ δὲ μεγέθει τοῖς κηφῆσιν.
And now this remains of the difficulty: for the leaders resemble both in the same classes, the bees in having a sting, and the drones in size.
ἀναγκαῖον δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας γίνεσθαι ἔκ τινος.
And it is necessary that the leaders also should be generated from something.
ἐπεὶ οὖν οὔτ’ ἐκ τῶν μελιττῶν οὔτ’ ἐκ τῶν κηφήνων, αὐτοῖς ἀναγκαῖον καὶ αὑτοὺς γεννᾶν.
Since, then, they are generated neither from the bees nor from the drones, it is necessary that they themselves should also generate themselves.
γίνονται δ’ ἐπὶ τέλει οἱ κύτταροι αὐτῶν καὶ οὐ πολλοὶ τὸν ἀριθμόν.
And their cells are generated at the end, and not many in number.
ὥστε συμβαίνει τοὺς μὲν ἡγεμόνας γεννᾶν μὲν καὶ αὑτούς, γεννᾶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλο τι γένος (τοῦτο δ’ ἐστὶ τὸ τῶν μελιττῶν), τὰς δὲ μελίττας ἄλλο μέν τι γεννᾶν, τοὺς κηφῆνας, αὑτὰς δὲ μηκέτι γεννᾶν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτ’ ἀφῃρῆσθαι αὐτῶν.
So it happens that the leaders generate both themselves and also another class (and this is that of the bees), while the bees generate another kind, the drones, but no longer generate themselves, but this has been taken away from them.
ἐπεὶ δ’ ἀεὶ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν ἔχει τάξιν, διὰ τοῦτο τῶν κηφήνων ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τὸ ἄλλο τι γένος γεννᾶν ἀφῃρῆσθαι.
And since what is according to nature always has order, for this reason it is necessary that from the drones also the power of generating another class should be taken away.
ὅπερ καὶ φαίνεται συμβαῖνον· αὐτοὶ μὲν γὰρ γίγνονται, ἄλλο δ’ οὐθὲν γεννῶσιν, ἀλλ’ ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ ἀριθμῷ πέρας ἔσχεν ἡ γένεσις.
Which is indeed observed to happen; for they themselves are generated, but they generate nothing else, but the generation has its limit in the third number.
καὶ οὕτω δὴ συνέστηκε τῇ φύσει καλῶς ὥστ’ αἰεὶ διαμένειν ὄντα τὰ γένη καὶ μηδὲν ἐλλείπειν, μὴ πάντων γεννώντων.
And thus indeed it is well constituted by Nature so that the classes always remain in existence and nothing is lacking, though not all of them generate.
εὔλογον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο συμβαίνειν, ἐν μὲν ταῖς εὐετηρίαις μέλι καὶ κηφῆνας γίνεσθαι πολλούς, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἐπομβρίαις ὅλως γόνον πολύν.
And it is reasonable that this also should happen, namely that in years of plenty much honey and many drones are generated, but in rainy seasons offspring in general is abundant.
αἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑγρότητες περίττωμα ποιοῦσι πλεῖον ἐν τοῖς σώμασι τῶν ἡγεμόνων, αἱ δ’ εὐετηρίαι ἐν τοῖς τῶν μελιττῶν· ἔλαττον γὰρ ὂν τῷ μεγέθει δεῖται τῆς εὐετηρίας μᾶλλον.
For the moisture produces more residue in the bodies of the leaders, but the years of plenty in those of the bees; for being smaller in size they stand more in need of plenty.
εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ τοὺς βασιλεῖς ὥσπερ πεποιημένους ἐπὶ τέκνωσιν ἔσω μένειν, ἀφειμένους τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἔργων, καὶ μέγεθος δὲ ἔχειν, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τεκνοποιίαν συστάντος τοῦ σώματος αὐτῶν· τούς τε κηφῆνας ἀργοὺς ἅτ’ οὐδὲν ἔχοντας ὅπλον πρὸς τὸ διαμάχεσθαι περὶ τῆς τροφῆς, καὶ διὰ τὴν βραδυτῆτα τὴν τοῦ σώματος.
And it is well also that the kings, as though made for reproduction, remain inside, freed from necessary tasks, and also have size, as if their body were constituted for the procreation of offspring; and that the drones are idle, inasmuch as they have no weapon for fighting for food, and because of the slowness of their body.
αἱ δὲ μέλιτται μέσαι τὸ μέγεθός εἰσιν ἀμφοῖν (χρήσιμοι γὰρ οὕτω πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν), καὶ ἐργάτιδες ὡς καὶ τέκνα τρέφουσαι καὶ πατέρας.
But the bees are intermediate in size between both (for they are thus useful for work), and are workers as also nourishing both the children and the fathers.
ὁμολογούμενον δ’ ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ ἐπακολουθεῖν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῷ τὴν γένεσιν ἐκ τούτων εἶναι τὴν τῶν μελιττῶν (εἰ γὰρ μηθὲν τοιοῦτον ὑπῆρχεν, οὐκ εἶχε λόγον τὰ συμβαίνοντα περὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν αὐτῶν), καὶ τὸ τοὺς μὲν ἐᾶν μηθὲν ἐργαζομένους ὡς γονεῖς, τοὺς δὲ κηφῆνας κολάζειν ὡς τέκνα· κάλλιον γὰρ τὰ τέκνα κολάζειν καὶ ὧν μηθέν ἐστιν ἔργον.
And it is consistent also both that they follow the kings, because their generation is from them (for if nothing of the kind were the case, the circumstances concerning their leadership would have no reason), and that they allow the latter to do no work as being parents, but punish the drones as being children; for it is better to punish the children and those who have no work.
τὸ δὲ τὰς μελίττας γεννᾶν πολλὰς αὐτοὺς ὄντας ὀλίγους τοὺς ἡγεμόνας παραπλήσιον ἔοικε συμβαίνειν τῇ γενέσει τῇ τῶν λεόντων, οἳ τὸ πρῶτον πέντε γεννήσαντες ὕστερον ἐλάττω γεννῶσι καὶ τέλος ἕν, εἶτ’ ὀυδέν.
And that the bees generate many though the leaders themselves are few seems to happen in a manner similar to the generation of lions, which at first generating five, afterwards generate fewer, and finally one, and then none.
οἱ δ’ ἡγεμόνες τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πλῆθος, ὕστερον δ’ ὀλίγους αὑτούς, κἀκείνων μὲν ἐλάττω τὸν γόνον, αὐτῶν δ’ ἐπεὶ τοῦ πλήθους ἀφεῖλε, τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῖς ἀπέδωκεν ἡ φύσις.
And the leaders at first generate a multitude, and afterwards a few of themselves, and the offspring of the former is fewer; but since Nature has taken away from the multitude, she has given back size to them.
ἐκ μὲν οὖν τοῦ λόγου τὰ περὶ τὴν γένεσιν τῶν μελιττῶν τοῦτον ἔχειν φαίνεται τὸν τρόπον, καὶ ἐκ τῶν συμβαίνειν δοκούντων περὶ αὐτάς· οὐ μὴν εἴληπταί γε τὰ συμβαίνοντα ἱκανῶς, ἀλλ’ ἐάν ποτε ληφθῇ, τότε τῇ αἰσθήσει μᾶλλον τῶν λόγων πιστευτέον, καὶ τοῖς λόγοις, ἐὰν ὁμολογούμενα δεικνύωσι τοῖς φαινομένοις.
From the argument, then, the circumstances concerning the generation of bees seem to be in this manner, and also from what appear to happen concerning them; yet the facts have not been sufficiently grasped, but if ever they are grasped, then credit must be given to sensation rather than to arguments, and to arguments only if they show results consistent with the phenomena.
πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ ἐξ ὀχείας γίνεσθαι σημεῖον καὶ τὸ τὸν γόνον φαίνεσθαι μικρὸν ἐν τοῖς τοῦ κηρίου κυτταρίοις· ὅσα δ’ ἐξ ὀχείας τῶν ἐντόμων γεννᾶται, συνδυάζεται μὲν πολὺν χρόνον, τίκτει δὲ ταχέως καὶ μέγεθος ἔχον σκωληκοειδές.
And it is a sign of their not being generated from copulation that the offspring appears small in the cells of the comb; whereas all those of the insects that are generated from copulation couple for a long time, and produce quickly what is of a worm-like size.
περὶ δὲ τὴν γένεσιν τὴν τῶν συγγενῶν ζῴων αὐταῖς, οἷον ἀνθρηνῶν τε καὶ σφηκῶν, τρόπον τιν’ ἔχει παραπλησίως πᾶσιν, ἀφῄρηται δὲ τὸ περιττὸν εὐλόγως· οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσιν οὐθὲν θεῖον, ὥσπερ τὸ γένος τὸ τῶν μελιττῶν.
And concerning the generation of the animals kindred to them, such as hornets and wasps, it is in a certain way similar in all cases, but the extraordinary has been reasonably taken away; for they possess nothing divine, as the class of bees does.
γεννῶσι μὲν γὰρ αἱ μῆτραι καλούμεναι, καὶ τὰ πρῶτα συμπλάττουσι τῶν κηρίων, ὀχευόμεναι δὲ γεννῶσιν ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων· ὦπται γὰρ πολλάκις ὁ συνδυασμὸς αὐτῶν.
For those called mothers generate, and they shape the first parts of the combs, and being copulated they generate by one another; for their coupling has been observed many times.
πόσας δ’ ἔχουσι διαφορὰς ἢ πρὸς ἄλληλα τῶν τοιούτων γενῶν ἕκαστον ἢ πρὸς τὰς μελίττας, ἐκ τῶν περὶ τὰς ἱστορίας ἀναγεγραμμένων δεῖ θεωρεῖν.
But how many differences each of such classes has either towards one another or towards bees, must be investigated from what has been recorded in the Researches.