QUEEN-BREEDING AND NUCLEUS HIVES. 169 



prevent the Bees taking shelter underneath the hive ; 

 this may be accomplished by slightly raising the hive 

 from its floor-board, and putting the edge of the cloth 

 beneath it. The Bees will then run in, and probably 

 remain ; but if next day it be found many have deserted, 

 repeat the process until a sufficient population is 

 procured. 



The Bee-keeper who keeps himself familiar with the 

 internal economy of his hives will often find numbers of 

 Queen-cells in swarming time'; the first Queen who 

 hatches generally destroys the rest, but if Queens are 

 wanted, the cells as sealed over may be transferred to 

 nuclei, or to other hives, where a Queen is required. 

 Care should be taken not to bruise the cell, as the con- 

 tained pupa is very delicate, and it must not be allowed 

 to become chilled ; so the more quickly all operations 

 can be completed the better. The cell should be cut 

 out with a triangular piece of comb attached, and in- 

 serted, mouth downwards, in a similar aperture in the 

 selected comb. Before removing Queen cells, it is as 

 well to wait until they are nearly mature, which may be 

 known by the cell having the wax removed from it by 

 the Bees, so as to give it a brown appearance. 



When Queen-cells are sealed over, and the young 

 Queens due within a day or two, they may be readily 

 artificially hatched anywhere in a temperature of 90^ to 

 100°. In America a hot water chamber is used by 

 Queen-breeders for this purpose, and I have even 

 hatched them in my trousers'-pocket, but unless the 

 atmosphere be moist as well as warm, the Queens are 

 apt to have crippled wings, when they are useless. A 

 curious thing about these artificially hatched Queens is, 

 that provided they have not been with other Bees, they 

 may be safely introduced to any colony wanting a 



