QtJEEN-REARING 
(>95 
cells or virgins as fast as they are pro¬ 
duced. 
The advantages of a full-sized hive with 
a double compartment are: 
1. A larger capacity providing for an in¬ 
crease in size of the little colony thruout 
the season. 
-• A conservation of the heat of, the two 
clusters of bees. In chilly or cool weather 
the bees of each compartment will be over 
next to the division-board, thus making one 
big cluster with a thin sheet of wood be¬ 
tween. 
3. Economy and convenience in using 
standard equipment which may at any time 
be used for the production of honey when 
queen-rearing operations are over or sus¬ 
pended. 
When it is desired to get the early mat¬ 
ing of queens, and before settled warm 
weather comes on, one can divide a ten- 
frame Langstroth hive into three compart¬ 
ments with close-fitting division-boards. 
There should then be an entrance on each 
side and one in the center. The underside 
of this mating-box or hive-body has a wire 
screen tacked on, when it is set over a strong 
colony in such a way as to leave an en¬ 
trance at the side and one entrance in tin* 
rear or opposite to the entrance of the col¬ 
ony beneath. One or two frames of bees 
and brood containing honey are placed in 
each of the compartments, when they are 
ready for virgins or cells. The advantage 
Twin-nuclei frame. 
of this arrangement is that the heat from 
the big colony beneath will keep each of 
the compartments warm, thus providing 
for early mating. This arrangement is used 
quite extensively by so;ne queen-breeders, 
but onlv early in the season or late in the 
fall. 
BABY NUCLEI USING BABY FRAMES. 
The mating-equipment just described is 
adapted for the northern States. Of course 
it can be used in the South as well; but as 
a rule the queen-breeders of the South use 
what are called “baby nuclei.” These use a 
small force of bees, which, on account of 
the wanner climate, will take care of cells 
or virgins as well as a larger force of bees 
in the larger nuclei. The baby hives are 
much more quickly handled; they require 
fewer bees, and cost less than the full-sized 
standard nuclei using Langstroth frames. 
But they are much more difficult to han¬ 
dle; and beginners, especially those who 
desire to rear only a few queens, should 
not waste any time or money on them. 
FORMING BABY NUCLEI. 
A regular hive-body that has a wire-cloth 
screen bottom and a removable wire-cloth 
screen top is prepared. Into this box some 
ten or twelve pounds of bees are shaken 
from some other yard. These may come 
