AB.TIFICL4.L SWAEMING. 43 



outting away with it, with a thin sharp penknife, about a square inch 

 of oomb, while the bees are kept in check by a little smoke. 



There is some difficulty in inserting queen cells into skeps, they must be 

 placed in the midst of the brood if possible. By separating the combs a 

 little, one may be passed between them, and simply held by their grip ; or 

 it may be pinned in by strong pins running through the comb attached to 

 it, or it may be put in at the feed hole, between the combs, room being cut 

 out for it. The position in which it stands is not material, it will hatch on 

 its aide, or upside down, but the cell itself must be free to give the queen 

 an eiit. The operator must be careful not to pinch the cell, especially 

 towards the end, or the soft-bodied grub will most likely be fatally in- 

 jured. Indeed it is not safe, even with the most careful handling, to 

 transfer until near the time of hatching, which may be known by the 

 bees thinning down and roughen- 

 ing the cell at the end. This 

 ripe condition is often reached 

 by the 10th day after artificial 

 swarming, but frequently we may 

 have to wait to the 13th or 14th, 

 watching carefully, or the object 

 of our solicitude may get de- 

 stroyed throiigh a queen escaping 

 from a cell we overlooked. In 

 frame Mves, cut a hole amongst 

 the brood as in Fig. 31, and 

 dovetail the cell in, when the 

 bees wiU soon fix it neatly. You 

 see here that a irood comb is 

 selected, the lighter cells are 

 those sealed, and in which the 

 pupse* are maturing, while from 

 the darker vacant ones the bees 



Fig. 31. Inbebieo Queeh Geli,. 



have already hatched. A queen cell so situated ia certain of being kept 

 warm by the bees clustering on the brood. 



Plans orik/ possible with frwme hives now demand attention. Let us 

 suppose we have sold a swarm and intend sending it packed in a skep. We 

 remove, towards evening, the frame hive 3yds. or 4yds. from its stand, upon 

 which we place a large flat board, as seen in Pig. 32, and upon this, towards 

 the back, we place the skep to receive the bees, and prop up its front edge 

 with the stone A. Open the frame hive, using smoke first to induce the 

 bees to gorge, and then lift out frame after frame, searching for the queen. 

 When we have found her, she is gently lifted off by the thumb and finger, 

 taking her by the roots of the wings, and placed in the skep, which we raise 



* The condition preceding the last change, when the insect hecomes mature. 



