6 Bee-Keeping Simplified for the 



Usually, the first princess to emerge goes to the other cells 

 containing her royal sisters, of which there may be any number 

 up to thirty, tears down the side wall, and kills the inmate, 

 thus precluding the possibility of a rival. The princess remains 

 in the hive for five days, after which she leaves on her 

 wedding trip. After marriage she returns to the hive, and 

 within forty-eight hours commences her maternal duties. 



Drones are produced from unfertilised eggs, laid in drone 

 cells, incubation taking place as in the case of the worker 

 and queen, and although the egg contains no male stimulus 

 a grub hatches out on the third day, and is fed on pap for 

 four days, when it is weaned. The creature passes through 

 all the stages detailed for worker and queen, the period of 



Fig. 5. 



development being longer, occupying twenty-four days. On 

 the twenty-fifth day the drone emerges and remains in the 

 hive for fourteen days, when he commences to fly. 



The capping covering drone brood stands out very 

 prominently, and by this alone, apart from the size of the 

 cell, it is easily recognised. From capping to capping through 

 the comb, drone cells measure IJ inches, worker j of an 

 inch. The space between the face of combs containing honey 

 sealed over is J inch, while between capped brood it is | of 

 an inch. Fig. 5 illustrates tlie different kinds of brood. 



In the autumn both worker and drone cells which have 

 been used for brood rearing are gradually filled with honey 

 for consumption during the winter months. The amount of 

 brood reared increases gradually from January to July, from 

 then until November it decreases, until it ceases altogether. 



