120 



MONEY IN" BEES IN AUSTRALASIA 



If the baby frames contain foundation they are quickly 

 drawn out and filled with brood. The author makes a 

 point of saving small pieces of worker-comb when trans- 

 ferring bees from box-hives. A number of pieces too 

 small to handle in standard ' frames can thus be utilised 

 profitably. 



STOCKING BABY NUCLEI WITH BEES. 

 When using baby nuclei care must be observed in 

 peopling the tiny hives. Do not have these small colonies 

 in the immediate vicinity of strong stocks on account of 



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Fig. 58. 



the danger of getting them robbed out. Also it is much 

 better to stock baby nuclei with bees from an out-yard 

 some distance away. 



To do this, prepare, say, 30 nuclei. Gret a like number 

 of standard frames each holding 3 baby combs, which 

 placed in the brood-nest of a strong stock will soon be 

 filled with eggs. When a few bees begin to hatch from 

 these frames the apiarist had better take two or three 

 swarming boxes to an out-yard. Into these shake off the 

 bees from 30 brood-frames ; dump the box on the ground 

 first before shaking each frame, to prevent the bees 

 taking wing when the lid is opened. Of course the 

 operator must be careful to take no queen. 



When sufficient bees are obtained they are taken to the 

 home yard, and as fast as the nuclei are given 3 baby 

 frames and a ripe queen-cell, the swarming-boxes are 

 dumped on the ground and sufficient bees — about enough 

 to cover thickly a Hoffman frame — are poured into each 



