The bee was painted on their marker flags?

So far as the use of bees for military/political symbolism, Charlemagne adopted it when he ruled France and Napoleon picked it back up again for his era to tie in with Charlemagne. The flag he flew when leaving Elba was offered for sale a few years ago and it had three bees on a diagonal stripe. Napoleon also used the Roman legion Eagles for French military flags as finials. I have a full-scale repro of a Model 1804 Eagle of the Empire.

Greg Biggs