BREEDING. 73 
i 
must bo first swarms which are accompanied by the 
old queens. 
Schirach estimates “ the eggs a single female will 
lay, from 70,000 to 100,000 in a season.’’ Reaumer 
and Huber do not estimate so high. Another writer 
estimates 90,000, in three months. Let the number 
be as it may, probably thousands are never perfected. 
During the spring months, in medium and small fam- 
ilies, where the bees can protect with animal heat- but. 
a few combs, I have often found cells containing a 
plurality of eggs, two, three, and occasionally four, in 
a single cell. These supernumeraries must be removed, 
and frequently may be found amongst the dust on the 
bottom-board. 
A TEST FOR TIIE PRESENCE OF A QUEEN. 
If you have a hive that you suspect has lost a 
queen at this season, her presence can be ascertain- 
ed nine times in ten by this method. Sweep off the 
board clean, and look the next day or two after 
for these eggs. Take care that ants, or mice, have 
no chance to get them ; they might deceive you, being 
as fond of eggs for breakfast as any one.* When one 
or more is found, or any immature bees, it is suffi- 
cient, no further proof of the presence of a queen is 
needed. 
Another portion of eggs is wasted whenever a sup- 
ply of their food fails ; if we remove the bees from a 
stock during a scarcity, when the hive is light, we will 
be very likely to find hundreds of eggs in the cells, 
* It is said that the bees will devour these eggs also. 
4 
