THE BROOD-REARING CYCLE OF THE HONEYBEE 21 



seasonal brood-rearing activity of this colony may be put in two 

 ways. It may be said either that brood rearing during the initial 

 expansion did not sufficiently exceed that maintained during the 

 larger part of the major period, or that brood-rearing activity during 

 the larger part of the major period was continued too nearly at the 

 same rate as during the initial expansion, thus causing too large a 

 consumption of stores in the hive in rearing brood uselesssly and in 

 feeding an idle population. 



Colony No. 10 (fig. 10 and Table 10) began the season under ideal 

 conditions as far as the queen herself was concerned, and was un- 

 packed March 21. The original queen had been introduced in 1920, 

 had plenty of bees, room, and stores, and consequently attained her 

 maximum rate of brood rearing during the period of initial expansion. 

 The weather apparently had little effect on the activity of this queen; 

 the decline from the maximum of the season is rather gradual and the 

 subsequent increase is made slowly. The colony had plenty of room, 

 but the nectar in May received a relatively slight response. The 

 queen was not seriously restricted by incoming nectar, and probably 

 was laying at her maximum capacity. A further slight response was 

 brought about by honeydew in June. In July, however, the queen 

 was lost and brood rearing dropped off abruptly. A virgin queen was 

 reared which mated and began laying in August. This queen soon 

 reached the limit of empty brood cells, as the brood nest had become 

 rather well filled with pollen and some nectar. Two empty frames 

 were therefore placed in the second hive body, which were promptly 

 used by the queen. As a result of this additional room the queen 

 had all the cells necessary during the remainder of the season. The 

 initial expansion of the season was timely enough, but it was not suf- 

 ficiently greater in activity than was brood rearing during June and 

 July to spell success in surplus. The final contraction presents fairly 

 satisfactory conditions. 



Colony No. 11 (fig. 11 and Table 11) afforded the best illustration 

 of any of the 16 colonies of what may be accomplished during the 

 initial seasonal expansion if conditions within the hive are favorable. 

 This colony had a 1920 queen, was unpacked on March 8, and had 

 no more stores than were sufficient to meet brood-rearing require- 

 ments before early nectar began coming in; a condition which gave 

 the queen a maximum amount of room. Besides these factors, there 

 were at the beginning of the active season plenty of bees and a pro- 

 lific queen. Under the spur of the tendency toward the initial 

 expansion, the brood area increased with great rapidity. At the 

 time of the change in weather conditions in April, the brood area 

 had been expanded so far that a further expansion was not possible 

 and a break occurred. A recovery was soon made which culminated 

 in May, when incoming nectar caused another restriction of the 

 brood area. During June a short-lived recovery was made which 

 was terminated by a decrease, probably due in part to a restriction 

 of the brood area by honeydew, but more likely to the absence of 

 any gre:i< stimulus toward increased brood-rearing activities during 

 July. Even so, the queen continued active enough to respond in a 

 small degree to the minor pollen yield in July. Owing to the large 

 number of field bees on hand in August, the brood area was so 

 re tricted by the quantities of pollen brought in that the queen wa 

 unable to make, much of a response. In fact, a rapid decrease followed 



