DADANT SYSTEM OF BEEKEEPING 



19 



the most bees are congregated, and lays her eggs in a circle 

 around that center. This is very clearly evidenced when one 

 examines a comb of brood, the older brood always being at the 

 center. 



If we stop to think a few moments of the work which is 

 required of the queen, in order that she may lay more than 

 3,000 eggs per day during weeks in succession, we will readily 

 comprehend that she must not lose much time. Should she lay 

 her eggs without method, here and there, she would be unable to 

 fill the cells with regularity and celerity. When she is about to 

 lay, she thrusts her head into a cell that she believes empty. 

 If that cell is clean and ready for an egg, she inserts her ab- 

 domen in it, lays the egg and proceeds to another cell. Without 

 a regularity continued for hours and days together, it would be 

 impossible for her to supply the numerous cells with eggs, so 

 as to leave few empty. She is therefore regular in her actions 

 and goes around the circle with but little loss of time. A very 

 old queen fails in this regularity and should be superseded. 



Fig. 14. A regularly laid and well filled comb of worker brood 



