250 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



know that a young queen has emerged and must be in 

 the nucleus. If it is torn open in the side, like the one 

 at the extreme right, we are sure that the young queen in 

 it was destroyed by the bees. 



If the cells have merely been stapled on, the bees are 

 so prompt about removing them as soon as they are no 

 longer of any use that scarce a vestige of them is left, 

 so we have nothing to judge by. But when a cell is en- 

 closed in a cage, the bees are very slow about removing 

 it, so the cage gives us a better chance for judging. 



APPEARANCE OF VACATED CELLS. 



In Fig. 94 the first three cells at the left have the cap 

 still adhering by a neck, showing that it has been only a 

 short time since the queen emerged, providing the cell 

 has not been caged ; if it has been caged the queen may 

 have been out some time. The fourth cell looks entire, 

 as if it yet contained a young queen. But it is decep- 

 tive. The bees have a trick of fastening the cap back 

 again as if it were a great joke, sometimes thus impris- 

 oning one of their own number. A very close look will 

 generally show a little crack, and a very little 

 force will be needed to pick the cap loose. 

 The next six cells show plainly that a young 

 queen has emerged from each, and finding a cell of that 

 kind is just as good evidence as a sight of the queen; 

 only I would a little rather see the queen for the bare 

 chance that she may not hav^ perfect wings. As already 

 mentioned, the cell at the extreme right shows by the 

 hole in its side that no queen ever came out of it alive. 



QUEENS FOR OUT-APIARIES. 



On any day when we are going to an out-apiary and 

 expect to use young queens, we take them from any nu- 

 cleus that will furnish them, never putting any escort 



