COMB. 107 



in whicli the drones are raised, are known as store or drone- 

 cells. 



225. Generally, bees build a larger number of worker 

 than of store-cells; yet they do not follow any regulation as 

 to the relative proportion in the quantity of each kind. Not 

 two colonies, in the same Apiary, will show the same number 

 of large cells, even when the hives are of equal capacity, and 

 even if the building was done in circumstances seemingly^ 

 identical. You will find a colony whose comb will consist of 

 two-thirds worker and one-third store-cells, the adjacent colony 

 will have but one-sixth of the latter, another a few square 

 inches only. In a hive all the large cells are together, in 

 another they are scattered. Some of these drone-combs are 

 built from top to bottom of the hive, -others are at the top 

 only, others at the side, or at the bottom, or scattered, etc. 



226. These facts, not explainable by themselves, when 

 added to the wonderful habits of bees, have led to the theory 

 that it was with foresight, with perfect knowledge and for a 

 special purpose, that bees construct such a varied proportion 

 of the two kinds of cells. Bees are represented as knowing 

 the sex of the eggs which each kind of cells will receive; and 

 foreseeing that their queen may not live long and that the 

 young queens have to be fecundated (120), they build large 

 cells in which drones could be raised. 



227. We have demonstrated (213) that bees construct 

 their cells without any geometrical calculation. We had 

 previously (142) established that the queen does not know 

 the sex of the eggs she is laying, and although regretting 

 to decrease the charm with which bees were surrounded by 

 the imagination of bee-keepers, we will try to demonstrate 

 that, in the building of cells, they simply follow their inclina- 

 tion; as do all other beings, in the acts that they perform. 

 But we have first to put forward a few facts, which are gen- 

 erally accepted, on which we will ground our reasoning. 



328. 1st, A swarm (406), hived on empty frames, always 

 begins its constructions by worker or small cells : 



2d, If the queen of a swarm is very prolific, very little of 

 large, or store-comb, will generally be built by her bees : 



