122 miner's AMERICAN 



some five or six combs, about twelve inches square, in 

 which to deposit her eggs ; and on taking possession of 

 a new^hive, on swarming, she requires these combs as 

 soon as they can be constructed. If the swarm be 

 small, these combs are not built until the season is so far 

 past that they are of little use, and the chances are, that 

 they are not built at all. Some four or five segments of 

 combs, of about half the usual size, are all that are built 

 generally. In these combs the queen finds but a small 

 portion of the space, that she would use, as a receptacle 

 of her eggs, if she had the necessary room ; and even 

 what space she has, under such circumstances, cannot 

 be devoted to the young brood, since the sparseness of 

 the laborers of her family calls for so many to be con- 

 stantly abroad, that but a very few remain at home ; 

 consequently, the necessary heat to develope the brood 

 cannot be generated, and the queen knowing this, will 

 only deposit a few eggs in the centres of such few combs 

 as she has, and do the best she can. In such cases, the 

 queen may confine her laying to two or three places, 

 where the most warmth can be generated, of about the 

 size of a tea-cup, when, if she had a hive full of combs, 

 and workers enough, she would cover some five or six, 

 or more combs, twelve inches square ; and produce more 

 bees in one month in this way, tljan in a year, as before 

 stated. 



The only way for such families, short in numbers, to 

 make up their complement, is to await another season, 

 when, taking time by the forelock, they will have the 

 usual numbers by midsummer. 



