BREEDING. 73 



must bo first swarms which are accompanied by the 

 old queens. 



Schirach estimates " the eggs a single female will 

 lay, from 70,000 to 1(I'0,000 in a season." Eeaumer 

 and Huber do not estimate so high. Another writer 

 estimates 90,000, in three months. Let the number 

 be as it may, probably thousands are never perfected. 

 During the spring months, in medium and small fam- 

 ilies, where the bees can protect with animal heat but 

 a few combs, I have often found cells containing a 

 plurality of eggs, two, three, and occasionally four, in 

 a single cell. These supernumeraries must be removed, 

 and frequently may be found amongst the dust on the 

 bottom-board. 



A TBST FOB THE PRESENCE OF A QUBEN. 



If you have a hive that you suspect has lost a 

 queen at this season, her presence can be ascertain- 

 ed nine times in ten by this method. Sweep oif the 

 board clean, and look the next day or two after 

 for these eggs. Take care that ants, or mice, have 

 no chance to get them ; they might deceive you, being 

 as fond of eggs for breakfast as any one.* When one 

 or more is found, or any immature bees, it is suffi- 

 cient, no further proof of the presence of a queen is 

 needed. 



Another portion of eggs is wasted whenever a sup- 

 ply of their food fails ; if we remove the bees from a 

 stock during a scarcity, when the hive is light, we will 

 be very likely to find hundreds of eggs in the cells, 

 * It is said that the bees will deTOur these eggs also. 

 4 



