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with an abundance of new honey and fresh pollen. Place these combs 

 a little distance apart, and carry the box to a strong stock which has 

 a queen-excluder over the brood-chamber. With as little smoke as 

 possible open this hive and proceed to shake four combs of bees into 

 the box, placing the fifth comb in with bees attached. Now quickly 

 put the lid on and carry to the honey-house or some cool spot. The 

 operations should take place about lo o'clock on a fine morning. Before 

 closing the old hive place a cell-bar holding-frame in the centre of the 

 super, and put over the frames a cloth split in halves to allow the said 

 holding-frame being readily removed without disturbing the colony. 

 Next place over the whole an empty honey super, and lay blankets or 

 other warm material in same for the time being. 



The usual work of the apiary may now be carried on for the space of 

 six hours, after which time, about 4 o'clock, remove a comb of young brood 

 from your breeding-hive. An empty comb placed in this hive four days 

 before will be just right for the purpose. The young larvae are now 

 transferred from the comb to the artificial cell-cups in the swarming-box. 

 When all the cups are grafted, wrap over the cell-cups and the sides with 

 blankets to preserve the warmth, and at the same time darken the room 

 as much as possible. Leave them in this condition overnight. 



Early next morning go to the colony from which you borrowed the 

 bees and lift all but the brood-chamber on to a new stand. Now shift 

 the brood-chamber with the bottom-board to a distant part of the 

 apiary, and place the super containing the queenless bees on to the 

 old stand. Later in the morning the swarm-box may be brought out 

 from the honey-house and placed iaa front of the old stand now occupied 

 by the super, and proceedings may be taken to open the hive and roll 

 back the quilts. It is advisable not to shake the bees in the swarming- 

 box, but remove as quickly as possible the cell-bars, and place in the 

 holding-frame in the hive. Put on the cover after replacing the quilts, and 

 shake all the remaining bees from the swarming-box in front of the hive. 

 These will soon run in and continue work on the cells, and field-bees 

 from the brood-chamber will fly to the old stand filled with honey. 



Under these conditions fine big cells are produced. After three or 

 four days have elapsed the brood-chamber may be removed to its 

 former position. 



The Alley System. 



A simple, efficient, and easy plan for raising numerous queen-cells 

 may be found by using the alley plan. It must be understood, 

 however, that when raising queen-cells they require to be large and 

 well-shaped, and that any cells not up to size should be cut out. 

 Procure a frame of young larva from your breeding-hive, and with a 

 sharp knife proceed to cut every second row of cells down to the midrib 

 of the foundation. Next kill two out of every three larvas. and cut 

 the comb into strips about i in. wide the full length of the frame. 

 These strips are fastened with melted wax to cell-bars that hang about 

 midway in a standard frame. The cells are pared down to about | in. in 

 height, which gives the bees room to construct a solid base for the queen- 

 cell. The frame or frames containing these bars with the strips attached 

 may now be put into the hive previously prepared for their reception. 



Another way — the Dines method — is to cut every second row of 

 cells down to the midrib, leaving the foimdation whole and in the frame. 

 By placing an empty frame fiat above the combs of the prepared hive 

 the comb of larva; could be placed resting on top of this, with the cells 

 intended for queens pointing downwards. Put plenty of warm packing 

 over this, and then the cover ; and if everything has beerf done properly 

 a fine batch of queen-cells will surely result. 



