44 Afinals Entomological Society of America [Vol. XI, 



two queens of the same species in the same nest, as Sladen ('12) 

 did with the common European bumblebee, Bomhus terrestris 

 Linn. 



On May 14, 1917, I caught one queen of Bombiis auricomiis, 

 which I brought home and confined in an artificial nest. Another 

 queen of the same species was caught a day later, and introduced 

 into the same nest with the first queen. The wings of the 

 latter queen were slightly notched before she was introduced 

 into the nest, in order that I might distinguish her from the 

 queen first introduced. The artificial nest used consisted of a 

 small wooden box with a glass-sectioned top. In the box 

 proper I had placed an old field-mouse nest, in which was a 

 honey-moistened lump of honey-bee pollen. New pollen- 

 lumps had to be placed in the nest from time to time, for the 

 pollen when not worked by the queen soon dried out and 

 became unfit for use. On June 13 a wax-pollen honey-cell was 

 also placed in the nest near the pollen-lump. Liquid food, 

 consisting of a mixture of common honey, rye-flour and water, 

 was supplied to the bumblebees in a small tin container in a 

 far corner of the box. Bright light was excluded from the 

 nest by covering the top of the box with a sheet of dark red 

 glass. 



A. THE START OF A COLONY. 



Though not showing any interest in the nest, both queens 

 were producing considerable quantities of wax by May 27. 

 This wax was scraped off and carelessly allowed to drop to 

 the floor of the box. On June 13 almost a month since the 

 queens were first confined, both queens suddenly seemed to 

 take an interest in starting a colony. This interest was first 

 manifested by their resting mostly on the pollen-lump, occa- 

 sionally nibbling at the pollen, and buzzing excitedly when 

 disturbed. For the next few days after this the queens were 

 less active. On June 23, however, they showed renewed vigor, 

 making during the night a honey-pot out of the accumulated 

 and introduced wax, and also an egg-cell in the pollen-lump. 



After this second start the activities of the two queens never 

 abated. On June 24 one egg was found in the cell made on 

 June 23, and two more empty cells had been constructed. 

 On June 26 the two cells made on June 24 were closed over and 

 each contained a single egg. Up to this time neither of the 



