BEE MANUAL. 



217 



As soon as the cell is inserted, place the comb with the 

 adhering bees in the centre of a nucleus hive ; put in the other 

 combs as already explained, and put on the mat and cover. 

 Be sure that you have blocked up the entrance with wire 

 cloth so that no bees can escape. Then proceed with the other 

 nuclei in the same manner. When all are finished, take the 

 nucleus hives to a cool shady place, or if they can be put in a 

 dark, well ventilated room or shed, it will be better still. 

 Keep them closed till the evening of the second day after that 

 on which the cells were inserted, when they may be placed 

 where they are to remain, and the bees liberated a little before 

 dusk. By confining the bees in this way for a day or two they 



Fig. 102 INSERTED QUEEN CEIL (from which the Queen has emerged). 



become reconciled to their new quarters, and very few fly 

 back to their old hive. Before I adopted this plan I some- 

 times had a deal of trouble on account of so many bees 

 deserting the nuclei. 



The above method of forming nuclei and inserting queen 

 cells is no doubt the best to adopt when queen rearing is only 

 carried on on a limited scale, and where the loss of a queen 

 cell would be felt, but where, as in my own case, a saving of 

 time is of greater consequence than the loss of a cell now and 

 again, a knowledge of my plan may be of service. 



