RAISING AND INTRODUCTION OF QUEENS. 305 
a comb from a ‘^standard’’ transferred to it. Being 
furnished with brood and store, it is, when required, 
lifted from the hive, and the staples withdrawn and 
replaced in previously-made holes in the end grain 
of the side bars, forming in each half a sort of foot 
(.s-^, B), which, with the one ear, holds the half frame 
in position. The two halves are placed side by side 
in a small hive, 3in. full in width, gin. deep, yjin- 
from front to rear, and between the two combs the 
queen-cell may be fixed next day, as at A, Fig. 79. I 
make the mouth of these queen-raising hives large — 
about I Jin. square — to give added bees a rapid 
entrance, but have before this mouth a sliding door, 
which contracts the opening if necessary, until one 
bee only can pass. 
If the dividing frame be given a wide space in the 
stock hive for a few minutes before removal, sufficient 
bees are usually taken with it to supply the nucleus ; 
if more are required, they may be shaken down in 
front in the well-known manner. Of course, care is 
requisite that the queen of the stock be left at home. 
It is possible to secure the fecundation of several 
queens in succession in each of these little hives 
during the summer; but their combs need to be once 
or twice exchanged for another dividing frame carry- 
ing hatching brood. If the nucleus walls are thick, 
and they are well covered above, so that the bees are 
neither chilled at night nor scorched by day, the two 
little combs are perfectly sufficient. Several of these 
nuclei may stand near to each other, facing the 
different points of the compass, and, when queen- 
raising is over, all the combs may be gathered into 
VoL. II. X 
