256 miner's ameeican 



in March or April, according to the state of the weather. 

 If the weather be very mild, she may sometimes com- 

 mence as early as February ; but subsequent cold 

 weather generally intervenes and puts a stop to further 

 laying for a while. She continues to lay eggs in mode- 

 rate numbers, until about the first of May, when she 

 produces from 100 to 200 eggs per day, for a few weeks. 

 It is at this period that she decides, or, perhaps, her 

 workers decide, whether any emigrant families shall be 

 sent off. They reason thus ; — can all the tenants of 

 this hive that now exist, or those to exist hereafter, find 

 room to labor here to advantage ? Whether it be the 

 queen that decides this important question, or her sub- 

 jects, we can never know ; but this we do know, that 

 if the space within the hive be such as to afford room 

 for all the family to labor to advantage, it is decided 



'.positively and irrevocably, not to send forth any swarms, 

 and no royal cells are constructed! If, on the other 

 hand, the increase of the family will be such as to be 

 unable to find suitable accommodation at home, it is as 



', positively decided, that one or more swarms shall emi- 

 grate; and the ro'yal cells are constructed, in which to 

 rear the queens that are to go forth with them, or with 

 all except the first. Thus it will be seen, that the size 



• of the hive settles this question entirely. 



If it be decided that a family or two can be safely 

 spared, and still leave a populous stock behind, it be- 

 comes necessary to create a large number of drones, to 

 ensure the impregnation of the young queens, as has 

 already been fully illustrated. Coeval with the laying 



