bee-keeper's manual. 78 



period of development, etc. 



The period of development of the different classes of 

 bees is as follows, viz : — 



Queens from the egg, 16 days. 

 Drones " " " 24 " 

 Workers " " " 20 " 



The formation of queen-cells, as I have stated, takes 

 place on the occasion of the great laying of drone-eggs^ 

 in May ; the manner of the construction of which is 

 pretty well defined at page 28. The construction of 

 these cells takes place about the 20th of May, and con- 

 sequently the young queens are ready to go off with 

 swarms in the early part of June. 



NUMBER OF BEES IN A HIVE. 



Various are the statements in regard to the ordinary 



number of bees in a hive, and the number of bees that 



a single queen usually produces in a single season. As 



regards the number of bees in a hive, it depends much upon 



whether it be a large or small hive, and whether any 



swarms have issued from it. Some queens are much 



more fertile than others, as is the case with the female 



portion of all animated nature. I suppose the following 



statement of what an ordinary queen annually produces, 



to be as near the truth, as we can well get at : 



Bees in a first swarm, . . ; . 6,500. 



" in a second " .... 4,500. 



" remaining in the parent hive, 8,000. 



" produced in the first swarm, 6,000. 



26,000, 



