QUEEN REARING 91 



all adhering bees, in the nucleus hive and shake in 

 more bees. These operations should be carried out at 

 a time when the bees are flying freely, so as to secure 

 in the nucleus as many young bees as possible ; these 

 never having previously been abroad, ■will in their first 

 flight mark the position of the nucleus and return, 

 whereas all the old bees included in the nucleus will fly 

 back again to the parent hive. A separate nucleus will 

 be required for each queen cell. Queen cells require 

 very careful handling. Frames containing such should 

 never be jerked. All adhering bees should be brushed 

 off: 



The queen cell should be cut out from the comb 

 with a sharp thin-bladed pen knife, taking care to cut 

 away with it a piece of the comb to which it is attached 

 at least the size of the queen cell itself. Throngh this 

 insert a stout needle or pointed wire about l^ inches 

 long, and place the cell betwixt two top bars of the 

 nucleus. The wire will form a bridge from bar to bar 

 and the cell will be suspended between the combs in 

 the warmest part of the hive. Cover all snugly with 

 the quilts, and in a short time the bees will have still 

 further secured the cell. 



The following data will be found useful — 



The egg hatches on the fourth day. 



The queen cell is sealed on the ninth day. 



The queen emerges on the sixteenth day. 



Therefore the young queens may be expected in less 

 than a week's time after inserting the cells, and in about 

 another week, under favourable conditions, the young 

 queens should be successfully mated. In order to 

 ascertain if such be the case, examine the combs and 

 if eggs are present all is well. The queens may be kept 

 in the nuclei until required elsewhere. 



Select only the very best stocks for queen-rearing 



