38 THE BEE-KEEPER S MANUAL. 
which you took her will preserve her pure drones 
with care, and immediately proceed to rear queens. 
In ten days you will find from six to twelve queen 
cells nearly ready to hatch. Then take the queens 
from as many hives as you have queen cells, and 
leave them queenless about ten or twelve hours. 
Then from one of the hives take a centre frame con- 
taining brood, cut a hole two inches in diameter; 
cut out one of the queen cells from the hive con- 
taining them, with a little comb each side of it, 
being very careful not to press or injure it in any 
way; dip the edges of it in a little melted wax, and 
insert it in the frame, and put it back in the hive. 
In nine cases out of ten this cell will be gladly re- 
ceived by the bees, and hatch in a few days. This 
process can be repeated with as many hives as you 
have cells, and if done by the last of May or first 
of June you may be quite sure that these young 
queens will be fertilised by Italian drones, because 
you will have no others in your apiary so early in the 
season.* One or more cells must be left in the hive 
where they are reared, that it may be sure of a 
queen; and all your hives should be examined from 
time to time, to see that the cell in each hatches, 
and then to be sure that the young queens all lay 
at the proper time. I usually find them depositing 
eggs between the third and twelfth days after they 
hatch. If any colony fails to secure a fertile queen 
* Even by the 1st of AZay you could not be quite sure of this in 
England, for drones of the brown variety do frequently make their 
appearance in April. Hence the Italian drones should be watched 
for from so early as the 10th of that mouth. 
