164 A Modem Bee-Farm 



never seen until the moment of fastening down in the various 

 receptacles they were to travel in, is as follows : — Make up a 

 3-frame nucleus in a small hive 14^ inches by 11 inches 

 inside (allowing 2^ inch space under the " standard " frame) ; 

 then confine the bees, with ample ventilation, and as soon as 

 they are in an uproar, having found themselves to be queenlesSj 

 let the new arrival run under one corner of the quilt, first 

 driving the bees back with a little smoke. Keep them thus 

 confined in a darkened room, and liberate on the evening of the 

 third day, standing the nucleus where it is to remain ; and as 

 soon as strong enough give a frame of hatching brood at 

 intervals of seven days. Before inserting queen, she should,, 

 for greater security, be kept alone and without food for 3a 

 minutes. 



Mr. Doolittle (of America) also appears to have discovered, 

 that confined bees will readily accept a strange queen. His. 

 plan is to shake the bees into a box, well ventilated, and as 

 soon as they are in distress at the loss of their queen, he 

 allows the new one to run among them through a small open- 

 ing, otherwise kept closed. In a day or two the bees are. 

 placed upon brood and store combs, where it is intended they 

 shall remain. 



Few bees will return to the old hive in either case, but 

 there appears to be more labour than with my own plan, in that 

 bees are twice shaken from the combs ; first to place them in 

 confinement, and next to provide the brood and other combs 

 to start them in a new situation. By my plan, the bees hav& 

 their own combs all the time, and when liberated the same; 

 have already been largely stocked with eggs by the new queen.. 



Colonies long Queenless. 



When I am aware a colony has been queenless for any 

 length of time, I generally take out one of the central combs, 

 and allow the queen to run among the bees ; if favourably 

 received, replace the comb, but if, as it seldom happens, they 



