REARING QUEENS. 103 



larva) where the bees will be sure to cluster upon it and keep it 

 warm, and carefully insert it as shown in figure 12, leaving an 

 open space below it. 



If the first nucleus was formed from the only Italian stock in 

 the yard, and more queen-cells are w^Jited, remove every queen- 

 cell from it, and add another comb of eggs and brood from its pa- 

 rent stock. But when no more queen-cells are needed, leave one 

 to hatch, and as by this time the brood will all be capped over, 

 the bees will be liable to follow the young queen on her excur- 

 sion to meet the drones. To prevent this, exchange one of the 

 combs for one containing eggs and young larva;, when forming 

 the other nuclei. Young queens will return unless lost by birds 

 or other casualties, to which all queens are once exposed. Such 

 loss is easily ascertained among so few bees, and we have only 

 to insert another queen-cell, adding a comb containing eggs and 

 brood, and repeat the trial. Should the parent stock be very 

 populous, it may be swarmed by taking a queen from a nucleus 

 belonging to a less populous stock, and another queen reared 

 there. 



WHEN AND HOW TO SWARM THE BEES. 



Every populous stock, from which a nucleus has been formed, 

 should be swarmed, if the weather is favorable, as soon as the 

 queen in the nucleus has become fertile. This is, usually, in 

 from six to ten days after inserting the queen-cell, and is readily 

 determined by examining the combs for eggs. "We now, unless 

 the yield of honey is very abundant, confine the young queen 



