Note 5 — NATURAL HISTORY OF THE ITALIAN YELLOW ALP-BEE. (Apis helvetica.)

This is particular to be advised when there is only one Italian queen which must be preserved to breed drones.

[6] Sometimes the bees put their queen-cells together so close, and in groups, or opposite to each other, that often it is not possible to cut the cells for use without damaging them. These must be left, and watch must be kept for the eleven days, and, as soon a as young queen creeps out, she must be taken away, all, but the last yellow one which is left in the hive. If a piece of about an inch square is cut off, crossways, from below the edge of a young brood-comb full of grub-eggs, so that the liquid of the brood runs out, it generally causes the bees to fix their queen-cells on that spot in the best order.