72 Account of the Drone Bee. 
I could difcover any of thofe ftinglefs little 
drones; but not one appeared, all of them 
having ftings, to the number af 3000. After 
this I fearched the old hive I had taken them 
out of, and cut out all the combs that had eggs 
or young in them ; among which I found fotne 
cells that had new laid eggs in them ; others 
whofe eggs were converted into a {mall worm, 
and others fome with maggots in them. I then 
reftored the Queen, and all the bees, putting 
them into the fame hive again, but without 
leaving a fihgle egg in it. During the fucceding 
twenty days, I infpected the hive, and found the 
bees, in fine weather, working with great alacri- 
ty, a fure fign that the Queen was breeding 4- 
gain. After this, on turning up the hive, and 
cutting out one of the brood combs, I found 
new laid eggs in fome of them; others con- 
taining maggots; befides fortie young bees, 
almoft ready to emerge from their cells. - 
I made another experiment, about the famé 
time, upon a hive that had foine brood coinbs, 
but had not had a large drone for feveral weeks 
preceding. This hive did not contain above 500 
bees, a circumftance that was in my favour, as, 
being lefs numerous, the trouble was propor- 
tionally lefs. IT carried the hive into a clofe 
eau). 
