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DR. MILLER S 



brood in worker-cells in colonies where all combs were drawn 

 from worker foundation, the drone-brood being started in 

 spring at the beginning of brood-rearing, and a considerable 

 quantity of it being intermixed with the worker-brood? 



I notice it in one of my two colonies, and it seems to be 

 largely in the upper part of the comb. Is it on account of the 

 foundation sagging, thus making the cells a trifle larger? The 

 queen in this hive was of last season's rearing, would you think 

 because of this drone-brood that she was inferior? 



A. It is not common. 



If the cells in the upper part of the comb arc larger because of 

 stretching of foundation it may have some effect in preventing the 





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Fig. 1.'.. — The bees patch up holes in combs with drone-cells unless worker-comb 

 or foundation is inserted by the beekeeper. 



queen from laying in these cells, and if she does lay in them the 

 eggs may be drone-eggs. If drone-broml is found only in these 

 enlarged celN, it ought hardly to condemn the queen. If, however, 

 drone-brood is mi.\ed in with the worker-brood of regular size, 

 the probability' is that the queen is l)cginning to fail, no matter 

 what her age and very likely it will not be long till she becotnes a 

 dsone-layer. 



O. Is it safe to uncap drone-brood and then put it back i 

 the liive for the bees to clean the cells? 



A. Entirely safe; but j-ou can save the bees the labor of 

 cleaning out the cells, and also save the considerable amount of 

 food fed to the larvas if you cut out each patch of drone-comb and 

 put in its place a patch of worker-comb. 



Drone-Comb. — Q. In reading the American Bee Journal, I see 



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