12 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BROOD. 
withdraws, leaving an egg behind her. When she lays a considerable 
number she does it equally on each side of the comb, those on the 
one side being as exactly opposite to those on the other as the rela- 
tive positions of the cells will admit. The effect of this is to produce 
a concentration and economy of heat, for developing the various 
changes of the brood.” During the process of laying she is usually 
accompanied by several workers, who appear to bestow upon her a 
great degree of attention and respect. She continues laying worker 
eggs for several weeks in succession, during the latter part of which 
she lays to a greater extent than in the former. Some four weeks before 
the time for swarming, she commences laying drone eggs. These are 
deposited in cells of larger size prepared for their reception. The number 
of drone eggs amount generally to from four to six hundred. It is 
during the laying of drone eggs that the royal cells are prepared, (and 
if it is decided by the bees that a swarm can be spared,) the queen 
deposits eggs in these at intervals, as has been stated, so as to mature 
at the time a swarm would probably immigrate. The form of the eggs 
of the queen are of a long oval shape, about the size of that produced 
by the large green fly, but curved a little, and of a transparent bluish- 
white color, and are besmeared with a glutinous substance which ad- 
heres them to the bottom of the cell, in which position they remain 
for three or four days, (according to the temperature of the weather,) 
when asmall worm or maggot is produced. The workers immedi- 
ately commence nursing and feeding them with farina (or bee-bread) 
and honey, with which they supply them most bountifully. 
CHAPTER IV. 
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BROOD. 
Tur following description of the development of the brood in its 
various stages, from the egg to the full-grown Bee, is from Dr. 
Bevan’s work, and accords with my own observation and apiarians 
generally. Dr. Bevan says, “The eggs of bees are of a lengthened 
oval shape, with a slight curvature, and of a bluish-white color: 
they are about the size of those which are laid by the butterfly 
