§ XV. CHESHIRE'S NUCLEUS HIVE.
The object of nucleus hives is explained below in the section on "Queen Rearing" ([Chap. V. § vii.]), and they render services in the process of artificial swarming, in maintaining a supply of young mothers, or in Italianising an apiary. Mr. Cheshire's contrivance is as follows; Certain frames in a regular hive are made to consist of two half-frames, each complete, but joined together in the top bar by a tongue in the one portion which fits firmly into an opening in the other, thus forming an ordinary frame except for the division down the middle. When a royal cell has been formed upon one of these compound frames, such frame is taken out of the hive, and the twin portions are then placed side by side in the nucleus, which measures only three and three-quarter inches wide inside, nine inches deep, and seven and a half from front to back. Its sides are constructed double in the same way as those of the Cheshire frame hive ([page 145]). In the nucleus hive it is necessary for the frames to be well covered up. Care must be taken that the queen was not upon either of the nucleus frames, but the other bees may be retained upon it. The older ones, however, will be sure to return to the stock hive, and their place must be supplied by shaking young ones off other frames on to a board in front of the nucleus.
The royal cells may be obtained from any source, and artificially transferred to the divided frames, after which the frames must be placed in a stock hive for twenty-four hours for the bees to fix and repair the cells. Or, if more convenient, three or four such frames may be placed in the middle of a hive, and all stocked with eggs; the queen may be removed for a few hours, at the end of which a larger or smaller number of royal cells will be found to have been formed, and these in the middle frames, which should be the ones desired. The transferring process may still be needful, unless only one or two queens are wished for. The royal cells should be placed inside when the two parts of the frame are put together in the nucleus; there must however be only one such cell on each of these, as the first queen that is hatched will be certain to destroy the cells of the rest.
Further mention of the subject of nucleus hives will be found under "Queen-Rearing." They should be constructed with narrow entrances so as to lessen the facilities to robber bees.