32 A Modern Bee-Farm 
The most valuable member of the hive community is 
the queen. A fertilised queen deposits none but 
fertilised eggs, resulting in neuters, drones or queens, 
at the will of the workers. A mis-mated queen pro- 
duces mixed-bred drones, workers and queens. 
A non-impregnated queen, like the occasional 
laying worker, can deposit none but drone-producing 
eggs, the males from which are not fully virile. 
CHAPTER III. 
THE ECONOMY OF THE HIVE. 
RESUMING a swarm has been duly hived in movable 
4) frames, each of which has a wax guide down the 
centre of the top bar, we shall find that the bees 
‘begin to extend themselves in festoons from the highest. 
point should the hive not stand on the level; if perfectly 
flat, then the cluster is formed near to one side, and forth- 
with waxen cells are added to the guide placed to 
ensure straight building. If the weather is favorable, the. 
delicate white comb will be found to increase rapidly in 
semi-circular form, until the centre reaches to. within 
¢-inch of the lower rail of the frame, when the side spaces 
are soon filled in. Sometimes combs will be started in 
different places along the guide, and as the circular edge 
of each nears its neighbour, these are joined, and the 
several united continued as one comb; but in this case 
we may frequently observe many irregular cells at the line 
of junction. 
By using a sheet of glass next above the frames, or 
better still, my glass rail sections, kept warm with woollen 
material, the interesting operation of comb-building may 
