LOSS OP QUEENS. 249 



that I can aiford to sacrifice, if it possesses a queen, to 

 save the one that has sustained this loss; this is not often 

 the case, but is sometimes. I have a few times put 

 just bees enough with the queen to keep her in a box, ' 

 and kept them for this purpose, as was mentioned in 

 the last chapter. When introduced, the bees are gen- 

 erally killed, but the queen is preserved, 



OBTAINING A QUEEN FROM WORKER BROOD. 



There is yet another method to be adopted, and 

 that is, to obtain a piece of brood-comb containing 

 workers' eggs, or larvse very young. You will gener- 

 ally find it without much trouble, in a young swarm 

 that is making combs ; the lower ends usually contain ' 

 eggs ; take a piece from one of the middle sheets, two 

 or three inches long, (you will probably use smoke 

 by this time without telling). Invert the hive that is 

 to receive it, put the piece edgewise between the 

 combs, if you can spread them apart enough for the 

 purpose; they will hold it there, and then there will 

 be ample room to make the cells. They will nearly 

 always rear several queens. I have counted nine 

 several times, which were all they had room for. But 

 yet I have very little confidence! in such queens, they 

 are almost certain to be lost. 



THEY ABE POOR DEPENDENCE. 



Therefore I would recommend getting a royal cell 

 wjhenever it is practical. There is yet another advan- 

 tage ; you will have a queen ready to. lay eggs two or 

 11* 



