ADVANCED BEE CULTURE. HV 



so'as to clamp a frame of honey (of the same dimensions) between 

 them so tightly that it can not move. The outside surface of the 

 frame becomes a part of the box, and all is held fast by a spring- 

 hook and staple at the top. An entrance for the bees is made in the 

 end-bar of the frame by boring- a hole with a S-16 bit. A little button 

 of sheet-zinc is fastened near the entrance. One end of the button 

 is solid, closing the entrance, while the other end has a single, 

 queen-excluding slot. When the button is turned crosswise, the 

 entrance is left wide open. 



To get these little combs of honey for the baby nuclei, frames 

 are made to tit crosswise in an 8-frame, half-depth super, and old 

 combs are transferred into them and given to ordinary colonies dur- 

 ing a honey flow. Of course, sheets of foundation may be used, but 

 old combs, well-attached, are preferable. 



Equipped with as many of these boxes, already prepared, as we 

 have virgin queens in our nurseries, we proceed to shake all of the 

 bees from the combs of a populous, qucenless colony (after first 

 making the bees fill themselves with honey), putting the beeless 

 combs into an empty hive, and setting it upon the old stand, to which 

 enough bees will return to care for the brood. The old hive, con- 

 taining the honey-laden, queenless bees, is now moved to some 

 shady, convenient spot, where, with a small tin cup, we dip from the 

 cluster a small wad of bees, say about the size of an unhulled walnut, 

 containing about 100 to ISO bees, never more than 200, open one of 

 the little boxes, and pour the bees right into the box, upon the comb 

 of honey, close the box, snap the hook, and lay it aside. We keep on 

 dipping and filling .until all of the boxes are filled. The bees being 

 loaded with honey, dip nicely; and, not being able to climb the 

 smooth, inside of the cup, they handle about like so many beans. 



Soon the bees in the boxes are all buzzing and roaring, and thus 

 lamenting their queenlessness and confinement, when we are ready- 

 to introduce the virgin queens, which is done by running them into 

 the 5-16 inch, round entrances to the boxes. When the virgins are 

 all run in, and the entrances closed, the boxes may lie in the shade 

 until the evening of the next day, or even 48 hours, and no harm will 

 result. The bees, being queenless aud confined, always accept the 

 virgin queen, regardless of her age, or from whence she has come. 



Within 24 hours, the bees in each baby nucleus have concluded 

 that escape is impossible, and, resolving that "what can't be cured 

 must be endured," they accept the situation, together with the 

 queen, and quiet down. Later the nuclei may be carried out 300 or 

 400 yards, and the entrances opened as the nuclei are scattered 

 under the brush, lodged in the forks of trges, or pitched into the 



