170 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



their location. Upon this being taken away, the bees, as 

 they return from the field, will settle upon the cover, 

 where their hive was, and form a cluster there ; finally an 

 explorer will crawl down to the entrance of the hive be- 

 low, and a line of march in that direction will be estab- 

 lished immediately. In a day or two they will go straight 

 to the proper entrance. 



GOOD CHANCE FOR NUCLEI. 



We left, standing on the ground, the hive with its 

 two combs, which had been taken from the stand. These 

 two combs, when the queen was put up, probably had a 

 good quantity of eggs, and brood in all stages. They 

 now contain none but sealed brood, some queen-cells and 

 a pretty heavy supply of pollen. Or, it may be that eggs 

 from a choice queen were given, and the queen-cells are 

 to be saved. A goodly number of bees adhere to the two 

 combs and I know of no nicer way to start a new colony, 

 than simply to place the hive in a new location. Or, the 

 bees may be shaken ofif at the old stand and the combs 

 given to a nucleus which needs them. 



I may remark in passing, that these queenless colo- 

 nies will produce queen-cells not excelled by those of a 

 swarming colony, and not surpassed in excellence by those 

 produced by any of the best plans used by queen-breeders. 

 In short, I do not belive it is possible to have better. It 

 must be remembered, however, that all of them are not of 

 equal excellence. For the bees will continue to start cells 

 for several days, and the last ones started will be from 

 larvae too old to make good queens. You may be able to 

 distinguish these cells by their poorer look, or, if you give 

 the bees several cells, among them at least one or two of 

 the finest looking, they will make no mistake in making 

 the proper selection. 



WORKING OF QUEENLESS BEES. 



It may be objected that this keeping bees queenless 

 for ten davs makes them work with less vigor. I am not 



