The Cycle of the Year 55 



the indistinctly circumscribed honey-flows and for temporary 

 disturbances in weather conditions. 



BROOD-BEARING 



A normal colony of bees in good condition just previous 

 to the beginning of the season's activity may be assumed to 

 be broodless and to consist of a mated queen and perhaps 

 10,000 or more worker bees. The combs contain an adequate 

 supply of honey and stored pollen. The workers fly from 

 the hive whenever the days are warm enough, especially 

 after a period of confinement, and with the opening of the 

 earUest spring flowers they replenish their stores of honey 

 and pollen. Previous to the stimulus of incoming nectar, 

 however, the rearing of brood is begun. This usually com- 

 mences, in colonies wintered out of doors, in the coldest 

 period of the winter, in February or even in January in the 

 North, and this fact indicates strongly that the beginning 

 of brood-rearing is usually not due to a rise in the outside 

 temperature or to the procuring of nectar or pollen, as is 

 usually assumed. It certainly is not due to any instinctive 

 knowledge of the coming of spring. 



The first eggs (Fig. 42) are laid in the center of the winter 

 cluster, before it is loosened. They are usually deposited 

 in circular areas of cells on adjacent combs and, if the queen 

 can pass aroimd the combs without leaving the cluster, such 

 circles of eggs will be found opposite each other on the comb. 

 As breeding continues, eggs are placed in concentric rings, 

 not only on the middle comb but on contiguous combs, so 

 that the form of the brood nest becomes approximately 

 spherical. The development of the brood (Fig. 35) will be 

 discussed in greater detail in a later chapter (p. 93) and it 

 will suffice here to state that after approximately three days 

 there hatches from the egg a small worm-like larva, pearly- 

 white 1 in color. This is fed great quantities of food by the 



' In the comb the larva appears white but, if one is removed from the 

 cell and placed on white paper, a slight yellow or brown color is evident. 



