QUEEN-BREEDING AND NUCLEUS HIVES. 165 



On the Continent of Europe, and in America, there 

 are many establishments devoted to breeding Queens 

 alone, and small swarms for exportation, a large busi- 

 ness being done. By these means the Ligurian or 

 Itahan Bee has become naturalized in both Continents 

 as well as in Australia, and my object now is to describe 

 how the practical Apiarian can rear any number 01 

 Queens he pleases. For this purpose small hives, called 

 Nucleus Hives, are used ; they may be of any desired 

 size, but it is necessary to work from frame hives of 

 some description. The " Cheshire " Prize Nucleus Hive, 

 which is intended for use with Woodbury hives, is a very 

 excellent pattern ; it is 3f inches wide inside, 9 inches 

 deep, and 7| inches from front to rear. It has double 

 sides — inner ^-inch wood, outer f-inch, with, strips be- 

 tween, so as to inclose an air-space all round ; the back 

 and front have a 3-8th-inch rabbet at the top, similar to 

 a Woodbury hive, for the frames to rest upon. The 

 object of having an air-space all round is, that the 

 necessary heat may be retained, which is very important ; 

 and to assist in this it is desirable to varnish or paint 

 the hives white. Mr. Cheshire employs the following 

 ingenious contrivance to facilitate stocking his nuclei. 

 Instead of following the ordinary pattern of Woodbury 

 frames, a little deviation is made, forming what is called 

 "Twin Nucleus Frames." I take the following descrip- 

 tion and drawings from the columns of 'The Country : ' — 



"2^^ 



Fig. 69. 



"A strip of wood, Fig. 69, 3-8ths of an inch thick, 

 and 7-8ths of an inch wide, is cut \6\ inches long, and 



