36o 



THB BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



To be successful in introducing a 

 queen, a colony must be put in shape to 

 realize thoroughly their cjueenless condi- 

 tion, and this can best be done by letting 

 the bees remain queenless 72 hours. 

 This applies to colonies to which either 

 fertile or unfertile queens are to be intro- 

 duced. At the end of three days celK will 

 be started, but not capped, and then is 

 just tlie right time to introduce a queen 

 and make it a success. 



When a queen is received, do not put 

 the cage near the colony to which the 

 queen is to be introduced. This is a bad 

 practice and a mistake a good many bee- 

 keepers make. When a colony has l^een 

 queenless three days, place the cage over 

 the frames in such a wav that the bees in 

 the hive can liave access to the food in 

 the cage, and in the c )urse of a few hours 

 the food will be removed, and everything 

 being so quiet the queen walks out and 

 takes command of the colony, and all 

 goes on well. 



Now, to make the introduction doubly 

 sure, just blow a quantity of tobacco 

 smoke in at the entrance of the hive — 

 enough smoke so that all the bees will 

 feel it. The lest time to do this, and to 

 introduce a queen, is just before dark. 



Now, I can not use tobacco as a good 

 many people can; that is, I can not smoke 

 a cigar nor pipe, and so I was obliged to 

 perfect some arrangement whereby I 

 could fumigate the bees with tobacco, so I 

 made a tin pipe in this way: 



The body of the pipe is made of tin "s 

 inch in diameter, and about 5 inches long; 

 then a wood stopper at each end. A hole 

 is made through each stopper, and the 

 one placed in the mouth is shaped to fit 

 the mouth. The stopper at the other end 

 has a small tin tube run through it so 

 that the smoke can be directed to any 

 particular point. The pipe is held be- 

 tween the teeth, and tlie hands are then 

 at libertv Fill the pipe with fine, cheap 

 tobacco. — t<ibacco such as cheap cigars 

 are made from is strong enough for bees, 

 while the c jnimon tobacco used for chew- 

 ing and smoking in clay pipes is too 

 strong. 



If too much smoke is given, and the 

 bees commence to tumble out at the en- 

 trance throw some grass on the alighting- 

 board, but not enough to stop ventil.ition. 



All my queens are rearetl in full colo- 

 nies, ami are hatched in nursery-cages, 

 a!id then the queens are introduced to 

 nuclei in hives havine four combs and 

 frames 4 x 5 inches. These little colonies 

 build up strong — so strong, in fact, that 

 on hot days I will have nearly 200 of 



thetn with the bees clustered on the out- 

 side, and it is a handsome sight to look 

 upon. 



Each of these hives has a hole in the 

 top, or cover, through which the feed is 

 given the bees. When I have 30 or 50 

 virgin cjueens to introduce, I place as 

 many cages with quetnsin tbem in a box, 

 and then get a plantain leaf for each hive. 

 I then stop the entrance with the leaf, 

 and blow a quantity of tobicco-smoke in- 

 to the hive through the hole in the top, 

 and quickly shake the cjueen from the 

 cage into the top of the hive. It does not 

 require over 30 juinntes to introduce 50 

 queens, and, wdiat is the best part of it, 

 I never lost a queen. 



b'ertile cpieens can be introduced in the 

 same wav; that is. thev can be shaken 

 out of the cage just as soon as the colony 

 has been smoked. I gave the first meth- 

 od, as it will better suit most peo]ile. 



Now, if any reader of this knows of a 

 better and more expeditious way of in- 

 troducing ([ueen-bees safely, by all means 

 tell us of it. 



Mr. .\llcy mentions stopping the en- 

 trance of a nucleus with a piantain leaf 

 wheji he smokes the bees with tobacco 

 smoke and releases the queen. He does 

 not tell us why; but in his book he ex- 

 plains that it is because the bees are un- 

 able to defend themselves, hence, the en- 

 trance should be closed; but, by the time 

 that the leaf wilts atid releases the bees, 

 they are able to defend their home. 



STORIES I\ THE VOITHS COMPANION. 



In the 52 issues of the year The Yorxn's Co.m- 

 I'ANION" publishes more than 200 stories, yet so 

 carefully are they selected that they prove inex- 

 hauslihle in variety, luifailiufj in <he power to 

 delijiht. The stones already in hand for The 

 Comi'.xnion's 1901 volume show that this feature 

 of tlie i)aper will be as strong as ever. 



.•\nioin; the pfroups of stories will be one of 

 "Old Settlers' Day Tales" — stories actually told 

 at some of the gatherings of pioneers in the West. 

 There will be four stirring "Tale-of Our Inland 

 Seas." picturing the adventures of the sailors on 

 the Great I,akes: and there will also he four 

 "True Tales from the Zoos." told by lanu us keep- 

 ers and trainers of wild beasts. .\\nl this is only 

 a beginiiiug. W'e shall be glad to send Illiislra- 

 ted .\nnonncement of the volume for 1901 with 

 sample copies of the paper free to any address. 



.'Ml new subrcribers will receive Thh; Compan- 

 ion for the remaining weeks of uioo free from 

 the time of subscription, and then for a full year, 

 52 weeks, to January i, igo2; also The Compan- 

 ii;ns' new Calendar for igoi. suitable as an orna- 

 ment for the i)rettiest room in the hou.se. 



THE YOUTH'S COMTANIOX, 



boston, Mass. 



