FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 239 



If there is nothing to store, and perhaps not enough 

 sometimes coming in for daily needs, a feeder is kept on 

 the queenless colony. The upper story on the one stand 

 contains, of course, the queen with her complement of 

 brood-combs ; the other has six combs more or less occu- 

 pied with honey and pollen, besides the one or two 

 frames containing the brood for cells. 



Suppose we go into the apiary to operate Wednes- 

 day, June II. 



NUCLEUS WITH BEST QUEEN. 



We first go to the hive containing our best queen. 

 Perhaps I ought to say more fully what is in this hive. 

 At the one side is one frame next the wall filled with 

 brood sealed and unsealed, and next to it the frame that 

 a week before was given empty, now nearly filled with 

 new, white comb containing the very young brood and 

 eggs (Fig. 88). Next to this comes a dummy, possibly 

 a partly filled frame coming first. Next the wall on the 

 other side of the hive are two combs containing some 

 honey, there being empty space between them and the 

 dummy aforesaid. If the bees need any honey, they can 

 get it here; if they need a place to store, they can store 

 here. You might think the queen will cross over, or 

 that the bees will build in the vacant space, but I have 

 not had that trouble. If these outside combs should be- 

 come filled with honey, of course they can be exchanged 

 for others not so filled. 



BROOD FOR QUEEN-CELLS. 



We take out the frame with the virgin comb, and 

 replace it with an empty frame with its two little starters, 

 brushing back into the hive the bees from the comb 

 taken out, and closing the hive. Looking at the comb 

 taken out, you will see that instead of the oldest brood 

 being in the center, it will be in the two places where the 



