18 



on the sides of the larger box, in the slits or not 

 as you see in these hires, so that an 18-inch box will 

 have within it arranged these 12 frames half an inch apart 

 (except the last one, which is only used as a solid division 

 frame, and has no half measure on the end), the top bars 

 have slips of zinc to run into them ; when, therefore, these 

 twelve frames are put into these slits, and the frames crossed 

 with the zinc one and a quarter slips, you have a box with 

 semi-hexagonal sides, and an entrance at the bottom of the 

 box. I am obliged to use the term semi-hexagonal as it is 

 merely ahexagon cutinhalves, &c., and giving any other des- 

 cription orthe exact measurement would occupy too much space; 

 into this bar frame hive then any swarm can be introduced, 

 either from above by removing the zinc slides and jerking the 

 bees in, or making them ascend by the bottom entrance. 

 If, therefore, the question of the raising of the queen bee 

 be really understood, it only remains for me to show how 

 these frames can be divided and subdivided to make the re- 

 quired number of stocks from a single stock of Ligurian. 

 I shall, however, only caution you by stating that there 

 are great hazards of raising really fertile queen bees in 

 this our uncertain climate, and were the slightest delay in 

 the queen bee becoming a perfect insect it would produce 

 nothing but disappointment in having nothing but drone 

 brood ; but in the three months, about 15 or 16 days being 

 permitted to intervene, six queens might be raised. Abroad, 

 in Italy, this is more certainly performed, and the practice 

 is usual ; but here we have to strengthen each swarm with 

 the brown bees of the country, and for which purpose you 

 would have to be prepared with six or seven distinct stocks, 

 from whence you could remove the brown queens and 

 introduce the Ligurians. These, again, can be strengthened 

 by worker bees, taken from the stocks which the cottagers 

 would destroy, and which you can secure by paying them a 

 shilling a stock, and giving them al) the honey and wax. 

 To enter into the full details will occupy me longer than the 

 half-hour I am given. I must, therefore, leave you to fol- 



