284 



THB bbb-kbbpbr's guidb ; 



queen run iu at the entrance of any queenless hive or nucleus 

 at once. In selecting combs for queen-cells, we should reject 

 any that have drone-comb. Bees sometimes start queen-cells 

 over drone-larvae. Such cells are smoother than the others, 

 and of course are worthless. 



After all the nuclei have received their cells and bees, they 

 have only to be set in a shady place and watched to see that 



Fig. 134. 



Entrance- Guard. 



sufficient bees remain. Should too many leave, give them 

 more by removing the cover and shaking a frame loaded with 

 bees over the nucleus ; keep the opening nearly closed, and 

 cover the bees so as to preserve the heat. The main caution 



Fig. 135. 



Drone-Trap. — From A. I. Moot Co. 



in this is to be sure not to get any old queen in a nucleus. In 

 two or three days the queens will appear, and in a week longer 

 will have become fecundated, and that, too, in case of the first 

 queens, by selected drones, for as yet there are no others in 

 the apiary. I can not over-estimate the advantage of always 

 having extra queens. To secure mating from selected drones, 

 later, we must cut all drone-comb from inferior colonies, so 

 that they shall rear no drones. If drone-larvje are in uncapped 

 cells, they may be killed by sprinkling the comb with cold 

 water. By giving the jet of water some force, as may be easily 

 done by use of a fountain pump, they may be washed out, or 



