162 HOW TO KEEP BEES 



and unless a moist candy is used, she will suffer for 

 lack of water. 



Home-made cages are usually employed in intro- 

 ducing queens from the home apiary. These are of 

 various forms and devices, the Miller being a favour- 

 ite. His materials are as follows: One block of 

 wood 3 x 1| x f in.; two blocks of wood 1 x 7-16 x f 

 in.; two pieces of tin 1 in. square; two pieces of fine 

 wire 9 in. long; one piece of wire-cloth 4^ x 3^ in.; 

 four wire nails % in. long. (Plate V.) 



The illustration shows how the material is used. 

 The space between the two small blocks of wood, 

 held in place by the pieces of tin forms a door for 

 the candy. The large piece of wood serves as a plug 

 at the other end of the cage, which may be removed, 

 and the cage set down over the queen, thus capturing 

 her without handling her. When a queen is placed 

 in a cage she should always be allowed to climb up 

 into it. It is not natural for her to climb down. 



THE NUCLEUS METHOD 



This method of introducing very valuable queens 

 is said by experts to be absolutely safe. It is accom- 

 plished by making a nucleus of two or three frames 

 of brood, which is sealed and some of it just breaking 

 through the cell caps. Not an adult bee is permitted 

 to remain, and there should be as few uncapped 

 larvae as possible, since such will starve. The 

 queen is placed on these combs and the young bees, 

 as they issue innocent of men's scheming, accept 

 her as their legitimate mother, and a colony is soon 



