41 



The various styles of cages which are made to fit and combine mto 

 a nursery are all operated on the same principle. They may be made 

 of wooden blocks or wholly constructed of wire, and of different sizes. 

 They must fit smoothly yet tightly into a standard-size frame— say, 

 twenty or thirty to a frame. The common style used in connection 

 with cell-cups is to get a block of wood the size required, according to 

 how many are intended to go to a frame, and bore a if in. or 2 in. 

 hole right through the block. Then bore a f in. hole through the 

 bottom side of the block, for the purpose of storing candy and connecting 

 with the large one. Yet another one is bored at the top, of the same 

 diameter as the cell-cup, and destined for receiving this latter, with 

 queen-cell attached. Cover the two outsides with wire gauze, and you 

 have a complete cage. Wire cages for cells cut direct from the comb, and 

 for nursery-work, may be purchased from dealers in bee-requisites. 



Beekeepers should delay as long as possible before putting cells in 

 cages, and remove queens at the earliest convenience after hatching. 



Mating-boxes. 



The best mating-boxes are made the size of ordinary supers and 

 divided into two compartments. The divisions are made in various 

 ways. One way is as follows : One saw-cut is run from top to bottom, 

 about i in. deep, on the inside of each end, and a division of tin is 

 sUpped down in the grooves so made. Another way is to tack one 

 set of cleats at each end, so that a thin partition of wood may be 

 slipped between. One of these division boards divides a hive-body 

 into two compartments; and the entrance to each is made by boring 

 f in. holes at the bottom of each compartment, one on each side, 

 making two entrances to the hive. 



When the hives are not in use for mating-purposes the divisions 

 may be slipped out and the super used in the ordinary way. These 

 mating-boxes have an advantage in the matter of heat-conservation. 

 The partitions are so thin that the two lots of bees on their combs help 

 to keep each other warm. Queens have been held over all the winter 

 in these boxes, and each nucleus built up to a ten-framed hive in the 

 spring. It is advisable to place strips of matting of suitable size over 

 the compartments. The ordinary hive-cover is used over the whole. 



Introducing Queens. 



The first thing to do on receipt of a queen is to make a careful 

 examination, without opening the cage, in order to ascertain if the 

 queen is ahve. Should she arrive dead, post back the cage intact to 

 the sender, who wiU usually replace it free of charge. If the queen 

 has arrived in good order, proceed to find the queen to be replaced, 

 when she should be kiUed. At the same time all the combs should 

 be carefully examined for queen-cells, and any found must be destroyed, 

 otherwise there is httle likelihood of the new queen being accepted. 



Do not interfere with the cage containing the queen and attendant 

 bees. One end of the cage should contain soft candy, and there should 

 also be a small hole through the wood at the end ; this will also be 

 filled with candy. Over this hole wiU be placed a small piece of card- 

 board, which may be pricked so as to assist the bees to gnaw it through. 

 The cage can now be placed on top of the frames, face down. The 

 bees will at once proceed to remove the cardboard and tunnel their 

 way through the candy, thus releasing the queen in about two days, 

 by which time they will have become friendly and readily accept her. 

 Do not open the hive again for a week, except by gently removing the 

 mat on the second day to see that the bees have eaten through the 



