70 THE BLESSED BEES. 



Two of what seemed to be the strongest, most 

 prosperous swarms of blacks were selected. I look- 

 ed over the frames of one until the queen was found 

 and beheaded. Then the frames were lifted from 

 the hive, one after another, the bees shaken back 

 into the hive, and the frames taken away, leaving 

 not a particle of its own comb in the hive. The 

 same was done for the second selected swarm. 

 Then I took from the Italian hive the frames con- 

 taining eggs and larvae, of which there were eight, 

 shook all the bees back into the hive, and carried 

 the frames to the hives of blacks which had just 

 been deprived of their own combs. Taking a sharp 

 knife I cut off a small portion of the lower and side 

 margins of the Italian combs, and then cut deep 

 notches in the newly cut margins. This brought, 

 newly cut edges of comb right among the eggs and 

 larvae, thus giving the bees the best conditions for 

 construction of queen cells. Then four of these 

 frames were put into each of the selected hives of 

 blacks, and three frames of empty comb were put 

 in with them. All the bees were crowded on these 

 seven frames so as to make a smaller hive very full 

 of bees, insuring the rapid construction of queen- 

 cells, the most careful nursing of the queen larvae, 

 and that high temperature in the hive which is best 

 for the growth of bees. Then I had done all in my 

 power to facilitate queen-rearing. The hives were 



