326 THE ITALIAK OE LIGTJEIAN BEE. 



are to be jaken from the Movable Comb Hive, take out 

 two or three combs and shake the bees off beside the box, 

 into which they will run if it is set down with one edge 

 raised a little, taking care all the time to not get the queen. 

 Shut up the bees by tying s, cloth over. Have an 

 inch hole in the top of the box containing them, and 

 when the small box, with comb, brood, etc., is all ready, 

 set it over it, and the bees will enter at once. Not find- 

 ing a queen, in a few hours they will commence rearing 

 one or more, by converting common cells into queen-cells, 

 and worker-larvEe into queens. If the bees have been 

 taken from a colony at home, it will be necessary to con- 

 fine them from thirty-six to forty-eight hours, otherwise 

 they may return to the old colony. If taken from a 

 colony at a distance, less time will aus'^er. They should 

 be fed when shut up, unless some of their combs are 

 filled with honey. By obtaining the bees in the middle 

 of the day while the old ones are out foraging, a large 

 proportion will be young bees that have never left the 

 hive, which are considered by many to be better for this 

 purpose than old ones ; at least they cannot know the 

 way-to their homes. 



BliACK BEES AS NTJESBS. 



Much has already been said relative to the propriety of 

 having black bees as nurses to raise Italian queens. 

 Some allege that they impart some taint to the young 

 queen, which affects all her future progeny. Mr. Lang- 

 stroth, who is entitled to as much confidence as any one, 

 thinks it makes but little difference which variety rears 

 the queen, provided there is a goodly number and plenty 

 of honey. I have never been able to detect any difference. 

 The largest and best queens are reared near the swarming 

 season. I have observed that a larger proportion of dark 

 and undersized ones are raised in cool weather in the fall. 



