RAISING AND INTRODUCTION OF QUKFNS. 297 
a grave mistake. Mr. Alley does not keep his queen- 
mothers in full colonies, but in miniature hives, the 
five frames of which give a total comb-space not 
exceeding one-and-a-half British standards. His 
object is to minimise the risk of injury to a selected 
and valuable mother, and to quickly secure batches 
of eggs of a known age ; but, admitting these 
advantages, I think it a somewhat doubtful policy, 
for, judging by numerous well-known analogies, if 
the queen be not in the fullest activity (and, not- 
withstanding the frequent exchange of the middle 
comb for an empty one, she cannot be in this sized 
hive), her eggs are less likely to yield highly prolific 
queens. Special moods and passing conditions in a 
fruitful animal are often continued in its offspring by 
heredity ; and, referring again to natural swarming, 
we find the normal queen-cell (nqc^ Fig. 77) to be 
furnished at the very time the assimilative and con- 
structive functions of the queen are under the fullest 
stimulation. 
Placing a frame of drawn foundation or young 
comb in the centre of the hive, it will be found filled 
with eggs in twenty-four hours, and is, in due course, 
transferred to the queen-raisers. These are prepared 
by Mr. Alley in a special manner, in conformity with 
his views as to the origin and nature of “ royal 
jelly,” with which it will be seen, from what has 
already appeared, I am in only very partial agree- 
ment. Manipulating in a room, so as to escape the 
hindrance of wet or cool weather, he deprives a 
strong colony of queen, brood, and combs, using 
smoke to induce the bees to gorge, and to keep 
