The Cycle of the Year 



57 



pollen and honey about the brood has been previously 

 described (p. 50). 



The first eggs laid develop into worker bees, but as the 

 season advances eggs are laid in the larger cells of the comb, 

 from which drones develop. The number of drones and the 

 time when they first appear depend largely on the kind of 

 cells in the comb. If there are drone cells near the place 

 where the cluster is formed, they are soon included within 

 the limits of the brood nest, as it expands, and drones appear 

 earlier than if the drone cells were at one side of the hive. 



FIG. 44. Concentric arrangement of the brood. 



Brood-rearing during the season. 



The cycle of brood-rearing has been studied by Dufour l 

 for the conditions prevailing in Fontainebleau, France, from 

 1897 to 1900. This was done by measuring the extent of 

 the brood nest every 21 days (worker brood requiring that 

 time to develop) and by estimating accurately the number 

 of eggs laid since the previous measurements. The hives 

 (Layens) used contained 20 frames, 2 each 37 cm. (14.67 in.) by 



1 Dufour, Leon, 1901. Recherches sur la ponte de la reine. Ann. de la 

 fed. des soc. d'apiculture (France). Lille: Le Bigot Freres (with L'Api- 

 culteur, 1902). 



2 These hives are comparable to the hives sometimes used in America,, 

 to which the name "long idea" is given. All 20 frames are in one hive body. 



