PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 23 



tion shows that there is but little time when our best 

 colonies have no brood — seldom more than two months. 

 Yet stocks when very weak do not commence until warm 

 weather. It seems that a certain degree of warmth is 

 necessai-y to perfect the brood, and this a small family 

 ^fian not generate. 



HOW BREEDING IS DONE IN SMALL COLONIES. 



In a small family, the first eggs are deposited in the centre 

 of the cluster of bees ; it may not be in the centre of the 

 hive in all cases, but the middle of the' cluster wherever it 

 chances to be located, is the warmest place. Here the 

 queen will commence ; a space not larger than a dollar is 

 first used, and the cells exactly opposite on the same comb 

 are next occupied. If there is suflicient warmth in the 

 hive, produced either by warm weather or generated by 

 the bees, she will then fill a spot on the adj oining combs 

 corresponding with the first, but not quite as large. The 

 circle of eggs in the first comb is then enlarged, and more 

 added to the next, and so on, continuing to spread, and 

 keeping the distance from the center to the outside of the 

 space occupied by eggs about equal on all sides, until they 

 occupy the entire surface of the comb. Long be'fore the 

 outer edge is occupied, the first eggs deposited are ma- 

 tured, and the queen returns to the centre and uses these 

 cells again, but she is not as particular this time to fill so 

 many in exact order as at first, though with the Italian 

 queen the brood is always very compact. This is the gen- 

 eral process with small families. I have removed the bees 

 from such in all stages of breeding, and have always found 

 their proceedings as described. 



THE PROCESS DIFFERENT IN LARGE FAMILIES. 



In very large families their proceedings are difierent. 

 As any part of the cluster of bees is warm enough for 



