212 AUSTRALASIAN 
and if more eggs are required, insert another in its place. Lay 
the frame of comb flat on a table or other convenient place, 
and with a sharp, thin-bladed knife, dipped in thin starch or 
diluted honey to prevent its sticking, cut the comb into strips, 
by running the knife along every second row of cells, as shown 
by the white lines in Fig. 98, taking care to leave one row of 
cells containing eggs intact in each strip. Some empty frames 
will next be required, having two thin laths of wood nailed 
inside longitudinally, so as to divide the depth into three com- 
partments, as shown below. Next take the strips of comb, 
and after destroying the egg in every alternate cell on one side 
of the strip—which may easily be done by pressing it with the 
head of a wax match —fasten the strips under the top and two 
centre bars of the frame with a little melted wax, allowing the 
cells in which the alternate eggs have been destroyed to point 
Fig. 99._FRAME FOR RAISING QUEEN CELLS ON. 
directly downwards. The object of destroying each alternate 
egg is to prevent the cells being built too close together. A 
space intervening gives facilities for cutting them out subse- 
quently without injury. Care must be taken, when fastening 
the strips, that the wax is not too hot, or else it may melt the 
comb and kill the eggs. Having filled as many frames as may 
be required (I generally find one comb sufficient to afford strips 
for three frames), the next step to be taken is to remove the 
queen, every egg, and all uncapped brood from some one or 
more strong colonies, and piace a frame of strips in the centre 
of the brood-chamber in each case. Mr. Alley recommends 
preparing the colony by removing the queen, etc., some twelve 
hours or so before giving them the selected egos. Mark the 
date and age of the eggs on the frame, and also upon the 
cover of the hive. A memorandum book is very Ries i 
connection with this work for keeping records in. © The u ‘ 
and brood removed can be utilized in forming a nucleus ee 
by caging the queen, removing a strong colony from its tne 
