60 BEES FOE PLEASURE AND PEOFIT. 



When holes are cut in the comb, as just described, the bees 

 usually build two or three queen cells in a cluster in each hole, 

 placing them so close together that it is impossible to di\'ide 

 them without injuring them in some way; therefore many 

 advanced apiarists practise a more scientific mode of raising 

 queens. The comb containing the eggs is cut into narrow 

 strips, and the eggs in every other one of the cells in the bottom 

 row on both sides of the comb are removed with the point of a 

 sharp penknife. This should be done in a warm room; the 

 strip of comb is next fastened to the top bar of a frame with 

 a mixture of melted beeswax and resin, and is then returned 

 to the hive : the bees vn.\l then build a queen cell round each 

 egg in the bottom row of cells, and these will be at such a 

 distance npart that they may easily be cut out separately with 

 a sharp knife without fear of injury. 



Forming Nuclei. 



Twelve days after the queen was lemoved with the twelve 

 frames of young brood, we may go to the hive in which we placed 

 her (which, for convenience, we will call No. 2), and, having 

 prepared two empty hives, we may remove four frames of 

 brood from this hive — No. 2 — and place two in each hive, 

 shaking the bees oflf two more frames from No. 2 into each of 

 the two nuclei just formed : all should then be made snug 

 with dummies and quilts. This should be done at about ten 

 o'clock in the morning, and care must be taken that the queen 

 is left in the hive and is not in either of the nuclei. In about 

 two hours' time — that is, at midday — the bees in the nuclei 

 will have found out that they are queenless, and they may 

 then each be given a queen cell from the old stock ; if given 

 sooner there is danger of the bees destroying them. 



It is just at this time— midday — when the bees are flying 

 freely that the old original stock should be divided up into 

 nuclei. The bees, having been queenless for some time, are 

 not likely to leave the nuclei in nearly such great numbers as 

 they would supposing that the nuclei had been made up from 

 a stock which possessed a queen. The stock may be divided 

 into six two-frame nuclei (the novice may perhaps prefer to 

 divide it into four three-frame nuclei at first), each of which 

 should be placed in an empty hive and made snug with a 

 division-board on each side of it. We next go to No. 2 — the 



