108 THE BUILDING OF BEES. 



3d, If, on the contrary, from old age, or from some other 

 cause, the fecundity of a queen is deficient, her bees will fill 

 the hive with a large quantity of store-combs: 



itli, If the queen of a swarm is removed, or dies while the 

 bees are building, all the combs, made during her absence, will 

 consist of store-cells: 



5th, If all or part of the store-combs of a hive are removed, 

 the bees will rebuild large cells, at least three times out of 

 four. 



229. Besides these five propositions, we will remember 

 that queens generally prefer to lay in small cells (145), and 

 that they seem to know how to ask the workers to narrow the 

 orifices of the store-cells, when there are no others m the hive 

 to receive their impregnated eggs (146 to 148). 



We have to remark also that, while the queen prefers the 

 narrow cells, the workers prefer to build the wide ones, since 

 they cease to construct worker-cells when the queen is gone, 

 or when she is not on the spot, to remind them, by her pres- 

 ence, that she needs narrow cells for her impregnated eggs 

 (146), and we will find out the cause of such differences, in 

 the number and in the position of each kind of combs, by fol- 

 lowing the work of the bees, in some of the circumstances in 

 which they may have to build. 



230. (a) The queen of a swarm is very prolific, the crop 

 is abundant, and the building goes on very fast. The queen 

 lays in all the cells, as soon as begun, disputing for tiiem 

 with the workers, who want to fill them with honey. As she 

 follows the builders, waiting for cells, no large cells are made. 

 After about three weeks, the bees of the first laid eggs begin 

 to leave their cells (171) ; the queen goes back to fill these 

 empty cells, and the workers, henceforth free from restraint, 

 follow their preferences by building store-combs. Result: A 

 few large cells, placed on the side or at the back of the hive. 



231. (b) This other swarm has a queen as prolific as the 

 one above. For two weeks she follows the builders as the 

 first did, laying in the cells as soon as built. But, the crop 

 stopping suddenly, both the building and the laying slacken, 

 when only two-thirds of the constructions are made. After 



