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queen-cell, take it to the queenless swarm, driving the 
bees back with smoke ; near the middle cut out a piece 
of comb, in size and shape like the piece containing 
the queen-cell, insert it instead, and carefully return the 
hive to its stand. In handling the piece of comb con- 
taining the queen-cell, great care should be observed 
not to press the cell, either while inserting or after it is 
in the hive; if any comb should crowd- the cell it 
should be cut away. If a queen-cell cannot be ob- 
tained, a piece of comb containing eggs and larvae, in 
worker-cells, should be inserted in the middle of the 
cluster of bees; or take a strip of comb, containing 
eggs, cut it to one inch wide, and slightly press it be- 
tween two brood combs in the queenless colony, the 
mouth of the cells up and down in the hive. 
By the use of the movable-comb hive the change of 
brood or queen-cell is more easily effected, by taking 
from any other hive a frame containing eggs in worker- 
comb, and exchanging it with a frame from the centre 
of the queenless stock. If a queen-cell is to be in- 
serted, put it in the central frame; but if the frame 
from which the queen is to be cut, contains but one cell, 
it may be exchanged, as in furnishing comb with eggs. 
Whether or not a colony is queenless, can be ascertained 
with certainty, as, by the use of the movable-comb ar- 
rangement, the condition of the colony may be known 
at any time by actual examination of every comb in the 
