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brood in worker-cells in colonies where all combs were drawn 
from worker foundation, the drone-brood being started in 
spring at the beginning of brood-rearing, and a considerable 
quantity of it being intermixed with the worker-brood? 
I notice it in one of my two colonies, and it seems to be 
largely in the upper part of the comb. Is it on account of the 
foundation sagging, thus making the cells a trifle larger? The 
queen in this hive was of last season’s rearing, would you think 
because of this drone-brood that she was inferior? 
A. It is not common. 
If the cells in the upper part of the comb are larger because of 
stretching of foundation it may have some effect in preventing the 
Fig. 15. The bees patch up holes in combs with drone-cells unless worker-comb 
or foundation is inserted by the beekeeper. 
queen from laying in these cells, and if she does lay in them the 
eggs may be drone-eggs. If drone-brood is found only in these 
enlarged cells, it ought hardly to condemn the queen. If, however, 
drone-brood is mixed in with the worker-brood of regular size, 
the probability is that the queen is beginning to fail, no matter 
what her age and very likely it will not be long till she becomes a 
drone-layer. 
Q. Is it safe to uncap drone-brood and then put it back in 
the hive for the bees to clean the cells? 
A. Entirely safe; but you can save the bees the labor of 
cleaning out the cells, and also save the considerable amount of 
food fed to the larvae if you cut out each patch of drone-comb and 
put in its place a patch of worker-comb. 
Drone-Comb. — Q. In reading the American Bee Journal, I see 
