THE BROOD-REARING CYCLE OF THE HONEYBEE 21 
seasonal brood-rearing activity of this colony may be put in two 
ways. It may be said either that brood rearing during the initial 
expansion did not sufficiently exceed that maintained during the 
larger part of the major period, or that brood-rearing activity during 
the larger part of the major period was continued too nearly at the 
same rate as during the initial expansion, thus causing too large a 
consumption of stores in the hive in rearing brood uselesssly and in 
feeding an idle population. 
Colony No. 10 (fig. 1.0 and Table 10) began the season under ideal 
conditions as far as the q*ueen herself was concerned, and was un- 
packed March 21. The original queen had been introduced in 1920, 
had plenty of bees, room, and stores, and consequently attained her 
maximum rate of brood rearing during the period of initial expansion. 
The weather apparently had little effect on the activity of this queen; 
the decline from the maximum of the season is rather gradual and the 
subsequent increase is made slowly. The colony had plenty of room, 
but the nectar in May received a relatively slight response. The 
queen was not seriously restricted by incoming nectar, and probably 
was laying at her maximum capacity. A further slight response was 
brought about by honeydew in June. In July, however, the queen 
was lost and brood rearing dropped off abruptly. A virgin queen was 
reared which mated and began laying in August. This queen soon 
reached the limit of empty brood cells, as the brood nest had become 
rather well filled with pollen and some nectar. Two empty frames 
were therefore placed in the second hive body, which were promptly 
used by the queen. As a result of this additional room the queen 
had all the cells necessary during the remainder of the season. The 
initial expansion of the season was timely enough, but it was not suf- 
ficiently greater in activity than was brood rearing during June and 
July to spell success in surplus. The final contraction presents fairly 
satisfactory conditions. 
Colony No. 11 (fig. 11 and Table 11) afforded the best illustration 
of any of the 16 colonies of what may be accomplished during the 
initial seasonal expansion if conditions within the hive are favorable. 
This colony had a 1920 queen, was unpacked on March 8, and had 
no more stores than were sufficient to meet brood-rearing require- 
ments before early nectar began coming in; a condition which <*ave 
the queen a maximum amount of room. Besides these factors, there 
were at the beginning of the active season plenty of bees and a pro- 
lific queen. Under the spur of the tendency toward the initial 
expansion, the brood area increased with great rapidity. At the 
time of the change in weather conditions in April, the brood area 
had been expanded so far that a further expansion was not possible 
and a break occurred. A recovery was soon made which culminated 
in May, when incoming nectar caused another restriction of the 
brood area. During June a short-lived recovery was made which 
was terminated by a decrease, probably due in part to a restriction 
of the brood area by honeydew, but more likely to the absence of 
any great stimulus toward increased brood-rearing activities during 
July. Even so, the queen continued active enough to respond in a 
small degree to the minor pollen yield in July. Owing to the large 
number of field bees on hand in August, the brood area was so 
restricted by the quantities of pollen brought in that the queen was 
unable to make much of a response. In fact, a rapid decrease followed 
