236 Nuclei, What and How Formed. 
Mr. Quinby not only advised this course, but he recom- 
mended starting queen-cells in nuclei; but he emphasized 
the importance of giving but very little brood, so nearly 
all the strength of the nurse bees would be expended on 
the queen-cells. 
After we have removed all the queen-cells, in manner 
soon to be described, we can again supply eggs, or newly- 
hatched larve—always from those queens which close 
observation has shown to be the most vigorous and prolific 
in the apiary—and thus keep the same queenless colony or 
colonies engaged in starting queen-cells till we have all we 
desire. Yet we must not fail to keep this colony strong by 
the addition of capped brood, which we may take from 
any colony as most convenient. We must be cautious that 
our cells are started from only such brood as we take 
from the choicest queen. I have good reason to believe 
that queen-celis should not be started after the first of Sep- 
tember, as I have observed that late queens are not only 
less prolific, but shorter lived. In nature, late queens are 
rarely produced, and if it is true that they are inferior, it 
might be explained in the fact that their ovaries remain 
so long inactive. As queens that are long unmated are 
utterly worthless, so, too, freshly mated queens long 
inactive may become enfeebled. However, some of our 
queen breeders think late queens just as good. Possibly 
they may be, if reared with the proper cautions. 
In eight or ten days the cells are capped, and the apiarist 
is ready to form his 
NUCLEI. 
A nucleus is simply a miniature colony of bees—a hive 
and colony ona small scale—for the purpose uf rearing and 
keeping queens. We want the queens, but can afford to 
each nucleus only a few bees. The nucleus hive, if we use 
frames not more than one foot square, need be nothing 
more than an ordinary hive, with chamber confined by a 
division board to the capacity of three frames. If our 
frames are large, then it may be thought best to construct 
special nucleus hives, These are small hives, which need 
not be more than six inches each way, that is, in length, 
