150 



SWAEMTNG. 



the egg to maturity, and the bees must be obtaining honey 

 either from flowers, or artificial sources.* A surplus of 

 bees in a scarcity of honey is insuflBcient to bring out the 

 swarm, neither will plenty of honey sufiice, without the 

 bees and brood. The period of proper duration in which 

 all these conditions exist, wiU vaiy in different stocks, and 

 many times does not occur at all during the season. 



These causes appear to result in the construction of 

 queen cells, generally begun before the hive is filled ; 

 sometimes when only half full. 



PEBPAEATIONS FOR bWARMTflG. 



They are about one third done when they receive the 

 as these eggs hatch into larvse, others are begun, 



and receive eggs 

 at different periods 

 for several days 

 later. The num- 

 ber of such cells 

 seems to be gov- 

 erned by the pros- 

 es perity of the bees ; 

 when the family is 

 large, and the yield 

 of honey abun- 

 dant, they may 

 construct twenty, 

 at other times not 

 more than two or 

 three, although 

 several such cells 

 may remain empty. 



I have already said that a failure, or even a partial one, 



Fig. 23.— CLTTSTEE OP QUEEN CELLS, 

 o, a, a. Size of the cell, wlien the egg is deposited ; b. Fin- 

 ished cell; c, Cell from which a rwtturv queen has emerg- 

 ed ; d. Cell in which the queen has been destroyed by a 

 rival, and removed by the workers. 



♦ The Kalians will swarm sooner than Ihe native bee when obtaining but iittle 

 honey. 



