36 



The best style of nucleus hive to adopt is the four-frame one. This 

 size will give the young queen a chance to lay once she is mated, and 

 will, besides, hold sufficient bees to care for relays of queen-cells 

 throughout the season. To form a nucleus colony take one frame of 

 well-capped brood with adhering bees, and one frame containing honey 

 and pollen, the remaining space being filled with an empty comb and 

 feeder. If the number of bees on the comb is not sufficient to form a 

 good cluster, one or two frames of young bees may be shaken into the 

 nucleus, this being done to replace the field-bees which return to the 

 old hive. Place the frame of brood in the middle of the hive and close 

 the entrance until the following day, when the bees may be released. 

 In the course of a day or two the small colony will settle down, and 

 will then be ready to receive the first queen-cell. 



No better plan can be followed by the beginner than to utilize 

 queen-cells produced naturally — i.e., under the swarming impulse. In 

 removing cells from the hives select the largest and most corrugated 

 ones, and cut well into the combs so as not to injure the queens. Care 

 must be taken not to shake the combs containing the queen-cells, as 



Fig. 29. — Nucleus Hive ; A Good Style of Hive for Queen-rearing. 



the sudden jolt jerks the larva from its base and the embryo queen- will 

 be destroyed. Before inserting the cell in the nucleus hive be sure and 

 examine the comb, in case eggs were transferred with the frame of 

 brood. Should queen-cells be found, destroy these, and the cell can 

 then be grafted with safety. A hairpin makes an excellent tool for 

 holding the cell in position. If the weather conditions are favourable 

 the queen should be laying vnthin a week after hatching, and when eggs 

 appear in the hive the beekeeper may conclude that she is safely mated. 

 Leave the queen in the nucleus hive until she has proved her laying- 

 capacity, when she may be taken to replace an old or failing one in 

 the apiary. If more queen-cells are available, which is almost certain 

 to be the case where swarming is in full swing, a ripe one may be 

 inserted to take the place of the young .queen, and this can be 

 repeated at intervals until the necessary number of queens are raised. 



Reasons for Reqoeening. 

 It may be asked, Why do beekeepers follow a system of requeening 

 at all ? Why not let the bees supersede their old queens ? The answer 



