24 HONEY BEES. 



':luster of bees in January. Perhaps the cells occu- 

 pied at that time were less than a dozen, all com- 

 pact together in a circle, occupying less space than 

 the size of a half dollar. As she progresses, this 

 circle is enlarged, and the cells on the opposite side 

 of this comb are used ; then the next comb, and so 

 on, at the same time enlarging the circle, keeping 

 the brood compactly together, so that the bees, by 

 clustering around it, can keep up the required 

 warmth to forward the brood to maturity. As the 

 young bees hatch, the queen proceeds with her 

 duties of laying eggs until every brood cell is occu- 

 pied, and as fast as a bee matures and leaves its cell, 

 she is on hand with an egg to occupy the vacant 

 place. This is kept up without cessation till 

 swarming time, when the hive becomes crowded 

 with bees, then, as preparation for swarming, the 

 queen deposits eggs, from which the bees, by a 

 special course of treatment, rears queens. When 

 they are sealed over, as shown in the plate, the old 

 queen leaves the hive with the first swarm to seek 

 a new home. In about ten days the young queens 

 hatch and lead out after-swarms — second, third, etc. 

 When swarming is over, the strongest queen 

 destroys the others, and reigns over the old swarm 

 till another swarming season. This is the process 

 in natural swarming ; on my plan we improve upon 

 the process, as will be shown in the proper place. 



