60 WAYS OF THE SIX-FOOTED 



of overpopulation. When there is much honey and 

 great activity on the part of the workers and the 

 swarming season is at hand she enlarges her empire 

 rapidly ; but when there is little honey she takes care 

 that the population be limited to practical numbers. 

 Whether she does this as the result of her wisdom, or 

 whether she is guided by the quality of food the workers 

 give her, is a mooted question. From the point of this 

 discussion it matters not whether it be queen or subjects 

 that evince such foresight ; the fact that interests us is 

 that the bee socialists do control population. 



The queen also cooperates with the workers in de- 

 termining the relative proportions of the two sexes. 

 The workers are developed in comb composed of 

 small cells, the drones in comb composed of larger 

 cells. The greater part of the comb in the brood 

 chamber is of the first type, as it is essential that the 

 greater number of bees reared be workers. But as the 

 swarming season approaches the workers provide comb 

 made up of the larger cells, unless there is already 

 a sufficient quantity in the hive. This constitutes the 

 workers' part in determining the relative proportion 

 of the sexes in the colony; it remains for the queen to 

 complete the work. In the smaller cells she deposits 

 eggs that will develop into workers, and in the larger 

 cells only those that will develop into drones. 



