QUEENS. 137 
something to do—never expecting to need them. They 
may be all right, except late, and just sealed over when 
the first one hatches. It is hardly possible to cut out 
such an unripe cell, and get from it a good queen. Until 
a queen has its shape and begins to get color, it is very 
delicate and tender. The cell is twice the size necessary 
to hold it, and if it is cut off, and only turned over—even 
if carefully done—it falls from one side to the other, and 
is bruised badly, making it a cripple, and inferior in color. 
«Some of the advantages of the nucleus system may be 
found in the particular care of a few points. 
«©1, I want new comb for the brood, as cells can be 
worked over out of that, better than from the old and 
tough. New comb must be carefully handled. If none 
but old, tough comb is to be had, cut the cells down to 
one-fourth of an inch indepth. The knife must be sharp 
to leave it smooth, and not tear it. The bees will enlarge 
and turn downward such shallow cell nearly as well as on 
new comb. 
<2, Clean comb in condition to layin, must be given the 
bees in the brood hive frequently, perhaps every day, if 
rearing many queens. Look every day, so as to know 
just when the queen lays in any comb. You should cut 
out the brood in five or six days from the time the eggs 
are laid, and be sure of queens hatching in ten or eleven 
days afterward, according to the age of larve. As all the 
eggs in the comb were laid within a few hours of each 
other, all will mature about the same time; such cells 
can be cut out and handled without injury. A colony 
may be deprived of its queen, and receive a cell the next 
day which will hatch in afew hours. As there are but few 
brood cells given them, the nurses in proportion are even 
greater than in full colonies. Remember, this is all the 
brood they have to take their attention. They have just 
realized their need of a queen; they have the means 
placed conveniently, with space underneath ; they work 
