THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



49 



front of the colony from which the 

 liccs \V(M-c taken. When the combs 

 of hiitchuij;- brood are freed from 

 bees, set them in tiie empty brood 

 (•l:anib(>r tiiat sits upnu tlie eseane- 

 boani; placing them over that portion 

 (if the board that consists of wire 

 cloth. 'I'he brood-chamber containing 

 I lie combs of brood is now set upon 

 tii(> hive containinj.- the colony from 

 which the combs Avere taken; the es- 

 cape-board separating the two hives. 

 As th(> bees are crawling liack into the 

 ]'i\e, as many as possible of the young, 

 downy bees are picked up and dropped 

 into the brood-chandler containing the 

 t'cmbs of hatching brood. The cage 

 containing the queen is now opened, 

 set in the brood-chamber containing 

 the combs of hatching brood, leaning 

 it against the combs so that the queen 

 and her attendants can easily crawl 

 out upon the combs. The hive is now 

 covered up and left until next day, 

 vrhen the entrance in the rim of the 

 escape-board is opened sufficiently to 

 allow a single bee to pass. 



In from three to seven days the 

 queen will be found laying, and she 

 an.d her little colony will have become 

 jiart of the colony; and her introduc- 

 tion consists in the removal of the ob- 

 structions—the old queen and the es- 

 cape-board. While it is true that, in 

 one sense, the queen is now a part of 

 the colony to which she is to be intro- 

 (hiced. it is equally true tliat she and 

 h.er attendants form a little colony of 

 her own. and tlie operation resolves 

 itself into that of uniting these two 

 parts. Viewing the matter from eitlier 

 standpoint, or from both, it will be 

 seen that no queen need ever be killed 

 in being introduced. 



It is generally the condition and be- 

 havior of the queen whicli cause lier 

 t-f> bo balled and killed, and this plan 

 brings the queen and bees together 

 with the queen in a normal condition. 



To successfully uiute these two parts 

 of the colony, after the queen has 

 commenced laying, go to the colony 

 late in the evening, smoke the bees, 

 set off the escape-board and brood- 

 cluunber containing the new queen, 

 set the old colony to one side, and put 

 a bottom-board on the old stand. On 

 this bottom-board set a new hive con- 

 t;iining frames furnished with starters 

 only. Spread a single thickness of a 

 newspaper over tlie frames, and, with 

 a small stiqk, or the point of a pencil, 

 pierce a few holes in tlie paner at one 

 edge. Take the brood-chamber con- 

 taining tlie new" queen off the escape- 

 board, and set it on top of tlie hive 

 that is on the old stand — the one con- 

 taining the frames furnished with 

 starters. So ]»lace it that the combs 

 of hatching brood will not come over 

 the holes in tlie paper. 



Now open the old colony, and find 

 and remove the old queen, and shake 

 all of the bees off the combs, down in 

 front of the hive on the old stand, 

 putting the combs in the upper story 

 with the new queen. 



The bees, finding all of their brood 

 and their queen gone, at once set up a 

 cry for a queen. By the next morn- 

 ing, however, they avIII have eaten out, 

 or removed, most of the paper, and 

 will all be practically on the upper 

 combs with the new queen. 



At first, they will get through the 

 paper a few at a time, and each bee 

 will, upon passing through the paper, 

 lind itself upon its own combs of 

 brood. The bees soon find the queen, 

 busy at her mission of egg-laying; 

 there is nothing about her actions to 

 provoke an attack, and they gladl> 

 become her escorts and protectors. It 

 is doubtful if the bees ever realize 

 that a change of queens has been 

 made. 



Tophet, W. Va., Dec. 13, 1902. 



