380 A Modern Bee-Farm 
and they can be put up in less time as there are more at 
home. Give food if necessary as before. 
I consider the most satisfactory way and the more 
profitable to the purchaser when wishing to establish a 
stock of any new variety is to get them in 
Three-Frame Nuclei ; 
but I do not mean such as are often sent out, and as some 
I have myself received from abroad with not enough bees 
to cover one of the frames; but such as can be built up 
with little trouble by the purchaser. 
To make up a fair nucleus of three frames, take from a 
strong hive all the bees from one comb, and one comb full 
of brood where young bees are rapidly coming forth, with 
all the bees thereon. Place the brood comb at the centre 
of the small hive, the other bees having first been shaken 
in, and look up a comb partly stored to place on each side. 
Screw the lid down after inserting the queen ; place wire 
nails through into the frames at each end, and invert as 
for full stocks. Strong combs should be selected, and 
sufficient ventilation given without danger of chilling the 
brood. 
The frame of hatching brood will presently give enough 
bees to cover three combs, so that with the other bees a 
queen gets a good start, though if the apiarist has them to 
spare, another comb of brood in like condition added every 
seven days will do wonders in building up a full colony. 
Standard Colonies 
of definite quantities are now offered for sale, and are far 
more reliable than stocks bought in the old “ hap-hazard ” 
kind of way. For so many combs offered, one may rely 
upon having that number covered with bees, and all except 
the two outer combs pretty well filled with brood. Thus 
a six-frame stock should have four frames of brood, an 
