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Drones. Huber thinks that queens must be eleven months old before they
lay eggs for drones, although he seems to admit that there may be a few laid the first
season. But young queens sometimes lay a number of such eggs and swarm the same
season they were hived. In Huber's latitude he did not notice such an occurrence. 
There seems to be a natural connection between abundant honey gathering and drone
breeding and swarming. Buckwheat swarms are very late. 
May 1852. Found drones reared in worker comb, it was taken from a hive in
which there was but little drone comb given to a queenless hive to rear artificial queen. 
Noticed some cells covered with drone capping. 
Theory. Queens do not deposit drone eggs in cells, unless circumstances are favorable
for swarming. They do not deposit worker eggs in their proper cells unless circumstances
are favorable for rearing them, the bees eat the extruded eggs, is not this the case
with the eggs of drones? I know that both kinds are laid nearly together, perhaps
the same day. When a swarm is weak no drones, when they begin to be powerful, drones. 
June 23rd. Have noticed in many hives a few small drones reared among the
workers in worker cells. 
May 7, 1860. Let [crossed out: illegible] strips be fastened against projecting sides of hive, so that a
To shut in drones. Strip will run in them as a slide. Let this [illegible] upon several
strips just high enough to let out queen and workers but not drones,
say 3/16 inches, towards evening remove the slide, early in day, close again. 
 (See next page)
The nearer we can come to having the foundation worked into as thin cells as the bees make naturally the less their first cost to
us and the sooner the bees will complete them. When the great flow of honey from clover, linden, etc. over and the bees get
enough honey and pollen to encourage breeding, but not enough to work vigorously on building new comb, could not
increase of stocks and of combs be cheaply secured. Give bees say three of their best brood combs centrally and
patterns one on each side of these combs, then on each side (or keep the three combs on one side of hive and use only
one pattern) put in full foundation between patterns or not as experience shall prove best, the bees will at once work
them out and fill with brood. Of the combs [inserted: and bees] which could be spared from a hive a fair stock could be made
and if later harvest did not warrant such increase, unite and you have very strong stocks of bees and extra
combs! (25th) Examined today the stock furnished with pattern and foundation. Where the bottoms were hollowed out [illegible]
it had stretched even with tins, but not enough to have them build any drone cells. Much of the finished
foundation was sealed over. In one frame with three pieces of foundation thus the large pieces were being thinned out,
while the bees had done nothing on the corner piece, showing that they did not wish to work on a piece which
would require new wax to extend it. When they had full foundation to utilize, although before the frames with the
three starters were removed they had gone on with them rapidly. The experiments would seem to slow that the
pattern may be used with partial foundation and worker comb [illegible] even if at [illegible] it should [illegible]
most profitable to use full foundation. The time may come when the increased price of wax may render it more profitable
to use pattern with only partial foundation. C. W. Muth writes me that he prevents sagging by fastening the foundation with 
melted wax on both sides to the top and sides.