REARING BUMBLEBEES IN ARTIFICIAL NESTS. 



55 



back and ceiling a single elongate pad of the right dimensions 

 was made in the same manner as before, and then fastened to 

 the back of the box so as to form a stationary back part and a 

 movable covering. This could then be lifted up from the front 

 in much the same way as one would lift the hinged lid of a box. 

 This top pad was easily pinned to the floor in the fore part of 



FIG. i. Start of the comb of Bremus impatiens under controlled conditions, 

 showing: a, the pollen lump containing the first egg cells and eggs; b, the artificial 

 honey pot. May 2. 



the box, thus enclosing a neat light-proof, wax-lined and soft- 

 walled chamber. An entrance to this enclosure was provided by 

 cutting out a part of the top covering, or merely by pinning to 

 the side of the box one corner of the free end of the top. 



The adoption by the bumblebee queens of this last-described 



artificial nest relieved me of many of my earlier worries. I no 



longer needed to search about in spring for the nests of field mice, 



for this artificial nest seemed to fulfill in every way all the 



5 



