July 26th. Some of queens destroying queen cells. A queen hatched
at 6 AM, in a small nucleus with nearly a dozen queen cells,
bees very gentle from being often opened, examined every half hour,
at 12 noon, one cell opened, 1 PM, found her working upon the apex
of another, lifted out comb, and took into entry (hall). She was not
at all disturbed, tried some time but could not gnaw through the
cocoon, then began near base, in a few minutes she opened a hole,
did not once attempt to use her sting. Thought I saw her bite the
larva. As soon as she left bees began to enlarge the opening, made very
slow progress compared with queen. She returned again and again to
look at the cell. (27th) Queen thirty (30) hours old can just fly a little
(cat leaps). Important use of pins. To mark the frame that has queen
cell, insert a pin so as to lie nearly flat. If the cell projects on one side
so as to require careful lifting out of the frame, insert the pin so as
to have the head project over that side of frame. Also suspend caged queen
by putting a pin through the cage so as to rest upon the frames between
which cage is put. (28th) Queen 48 hours old can fly but not with as
much vigor as an older queen. 29th. Opened on side a queen cell,
queen moving, bees closed again. At 8 1/2 AM, liberated a caged very
fertile queen, (caged a week ago). She seemed much smaller than
when first caged, examined colony about once an hour, 3 1/2 PM,
no eggs but queen seemed larger. 4 1/2 PM, three eggs, 6 PM 10
eggs. I think that the bees feed queen in a peculiar way to stimulate
her ovaries. Shall cage a queen just impregnated, keep her caged
four days and see if she will lay at once when liberated. If the feed
given by bees stimulates, it may be that usually they do not give it till
queen impregnated. If they do and she does not meet drone becomes a drone
layer. May not food be different from honey, jelly. Forming Nuclei. 
Have brought this to much greater perfection. Early make a number of good
nuclei so as to have brood. Take one or two frames of brood, [inserted: and honey] mostly sealed,
some young enough to raise queen. Give if possible sealed queen, put nucleus
box on [inserted: a] hive cover, shake out bees, see that many young ones are got, have
water in one comb, shut up bees and put in cellar if weather warm,
keep there till near sunset of next day, before opening blow in smoke. 
Find no trouble in thus making nuclei, and get all the bees I need to
adhere, queen cells usually well started before bees liberated, nucleus
from hatching bees soon becomes strong enough, vacant cells given for new