1154 TEE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



started. In this case a comb of brood in the middle of the hive 

 containing our best queen is replaced by an empty comb, which 

 is new and bright. In twenty-four hours this will be full of 

 eggs. This comb should then be cut off at the bottom, or holes 

 may be cut in it to make place for the queen cells, when it 

 should be placed in any hive containing a strong colony, from 

 which the queen and all eggs and worker larvae, still uncapped, 

 have been removed. The bees will at once form fine queen 

 cells (Fig. 10) about the edge of the comb that was introduced, 

 containing the eggs. In eight days these cells will all be capped 

 over and ready to be used in nuclei. If desired, however, each 

 cell may be inclosed in a wire cage, the edge of which is 

 pushed into the comb, and left right in the hive, or the whole 

 frame may be similarly inclosed. As we know that in sixteen 

 days from the time the eggs were laid the queens will come 

 forth, we shall know just when to look for their emergence, and 

 can be on hand to take them out as they leave the cells, when 

 they can be used at once to form nuclei or given to queenless 

 colonies as desired. A virgin queen, just as she hatches, is 

 always received amicably by any queenless colony. 



If we form nuclei, the cells must be cut out before hatching 

 and each fastened into a comb (Fig. 26), and with one or two 



other combs and about a pint to a quart 

 of bees put into a new hive. Some who 

 use large frames make small hives pur- 

 posely for this, but it is better to use the 

 regular hive for nuclei, whatever the form 



O ' 



and size of the frame. By the use of 

 division boards the brood chamber can be 

 reduced so as just to accommodate two or 

 three frames as may be desired. In pro- 

 curing combs with bees to form a nucleus 

 we may go to any hive in the apiary 

 PIG. 26. -QUEEN CEUU strong enough to spare the requisite num- 

 ber of combs and bees, but we must always be very careful not to 

 take the old queen, as this would render one of our full colonies 

 queenless, and insure the destruction of the queen cell that we 



