HISTORY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 25 



greatly affect the production of eggs, either to in- 

 crease or diminish the quantity? 



That the food consumed by the queen, as a gen- 

 eral thing, is given to her in a prepared form by the 

 workers, I have no doubt. The large amount con- 

 sumed by her, and no doubt necessary for her support 

 during the time of her greatest activity in depositing 

 eggs, has been noticed by authors. 



It is well known that in a few days after honey be- 

 comes plenty in the fields, after a scarcity, the queen 

 invariably becomes very prolific; a sufficient time 

 apparently elapsing for an increased amount of food 

 to effect this change. The effect of an increased 

 amount of honey abroad is about the same on colo- 

 nies that have a large surplus of honey in store, as it 

 is on those that have a small supply. Thus we see 

 it is not caused by actual scarcity or want of honey, 

 but simply because the workers, in the exercise of 

 their instinct (knowing the scarcity of honey abroad), 

 withhold from the queen the amount of food neces- 

 sary to stimulate her to greater fertility. A proper 

 knowledge of this peculiarity will enable the apiarian 

 to stimulate his bees to breed to their full capacity, 

 by feeding when it is desirable to increase the num- 

 ber of his stocks, or for the purpose of making those 

 he may have strong and vigorous. 



It is well known to apiarians that the quantity of 

 eggs is regulated in some way or other; but no one, 

 to my knowledge, has attempted to give the modus 

 operandi. Mr. Langstroth says, " some apiarians be- 

 lieve that she (the queen) can regulate their develop- 



